Who is with me?

[countrybum]

Well, again, I checked my eggs and there is still movement in the BA and Maran eggs. The SZ egg does not look good, but it is there until the others hatch.

The temp is back down to 100 and the humidity is between 60 and 70.

So here it goes. Will see what tomorrow brings. It is so close I cannot imagine them not coming into the world now. Only 2 days a way, come on little babies, come on Chicken God.

There is a baby chicken God and he is with me and my eggs.

 

[riqui1]

WOOHOO! My eggs are on their way and should be here tomorrow!

I believe that I have stabilized the temperature in my incubator adequately. I am going to go get another thermometer today and do the playdough egg thing. I have also added water and will be getting an hygrometer this morning. I have until about noon on Sunday (that will be with the 24-hour rest period) to get this down!

I do have 2 more questions though.

First of all, during the 24 hour resting period, do I rotate the eggs? They are going to be sitting in an egg carton, so I am not quite sure how rotating them while they are sitting upright will be beneficial, but if I am supposed to...

My second question is about hatching. I have one incubator (no hatcher). When the chicks start hatching, do I just leave my darn hands off of them? I am under the impression that you can't take them out until they are dry, but do you just leave them right in the incubator? It seems that opening it up to take one or two out, especially since they won't all hatch at the same time, will effect the temperature and humidity for the unhatched eggs, but I wasn't sure if it was okay to just let one or two wander around in there amongst the debris and unhatched eggs.

I hope everyone is having a great Friday, so far!!

 

[walkswithdog]

No when the eggs are resting, you don't turn them or mess with them at all. Just let them sit point end down so the air cell can settle into the large end.

When they start hatching you leave them in the bator, all the peeping and motion actually can help weaker chicks to hatch - even egg rolling and "bumper car" chicks can help free one that is having trouble.

Mostly as they hatch you keep your darn hands out of the BATOR. Sit on em. Tape the darn thing shut. Staple your shirt cuffs to your jeans. You get the idea.

That said -- there are more people who can't do that, than can. People who can't watch a previously hatched chick play bumper eggs snatch the buggers out and move them to another incubator to dry. If you don't have that luxury you get to sit on your hands til the baby is fluffy and dry.

Opening the bator and it's risks vs rewards depends a LOT on your home humidity, your incubator, your timing and your luck. In some situations it will reduce a hatch by 30% if you're unlucky, more if your luck is tragic and your bator set up not quite up to the shifts.

In some situations it affects it little. But we can't tell you because no one will have your exact situation or timing or eggs. Some eggs are more fragile and subject to dehydration, or have a tendency toward weaker chicks.
Unfortunately hatching is very individual.

The reason for the RULE is simple. Its the BEST way to ensure a greater percentage hatch over the WIDEST/BROADEST group of people and situations.

Exceptions in most cases create loss. Until you KNOW what you can and can't do - and you make mistakes and success - have wins and losses, you won't know.

If you lock it up and let it roll and them's the cards, usually a hatch will go well and do about as well as it's going to without fiddling.

Fiddle and you will learn things, good and bad. Chicks that might have survived will die, and some that might have died you'll save. It's a matter of personal choice.

 

[countrybum]

I have 4 BA and 1 Maran. The SZ has not hatched and I still think it passed away in the shell, but

. 1 Maran did not make it out, it did pip, but I do not know what went wrong from there. I BA also pipped the shell and got out, but was gone an hour later.

1 of the 4 BA's seems to have complications but again

.

4 more pipped and I am waiting tomorrow morning they should be here.

 

[riqui1]

Well, congrats on your new ones and I wish you the best of luck with the ones yet to come!! Hopefully all goes well!!

 

[countrybum]

Well, all are hatched, somewhat all. 3 did not make it 2 backwards and 1

So I have ended up with 7 BA and 1 Maran. 1 of the BA's are white colored, so I am getting ready to email the lady and find out why a BA is white.

Will let you know when I find out.

 

[riqui1]

Running the risk of sounding ignorant, what is a BA? Congrats to you, again! I can't wait until I get to see a hatch!!

My eggs arrived - all 14 of them and all in good shape!!

They are resting peacefully on the counter and waiting to get into their warm home tomorrow afternoon.

My humidity seems to be running at about 58%, but the temperature in my fake egg is reading at 100.5, while the thermometer that came with the incubator is reading at 96. Which one should I trust? The one that came with strikes me as being a bit on the cheap side and very hard to read, but I don't want to mistrust it...

 

[countrybum]

I miss counted there are 8 BA (Blue Andalusian) and 1 Maran. All are doing great, so far.

(one day never really counts for much, except that they made it so far)

1 Blue Andalusian is a black and 1 is a Splash.

The lady that sent the eggs said breeding the Black to the Splash I will get Blue. I hope one is a Roo and 1 is a hen.

My next hatch is on the 26th, which are ducks.

So the count down begins again.

13 days, I just hate the waiting, I want them NOW.

But the waiting helps build your patience.

Chickiemama, we are missing you. How are those peafowl eggs doing. OOPS, guess you would not know, you are not home.

riqui, is your incubator a still air or does it have a fan? A fan 100.5 would be good, a still air, you want it to be about101.5 no higher than 102. Mine I run low due to peafowl eggs, which are more sensitive to the heat. But for chicken eggs you want it to be between 101 and 102, with a fan yours would be about right.

As for which temp to use, I would use the fake egg temp. If set up right (which I do not know what right is) it would be reading the inside of an egg.

 

[countrybum]

Everyone seems to be gone but me.

(

)

I got to get to bed, just thought I would pop on here and say all my babies are doing great.

I know, I know, I need to get a picture. I will do so tomorrow.

 

[Gunswayne]

Congrats on the chicks CB!
I have had a rough go of it with my attempt this time.
The bator with all of my marans and blue andalusans had a temp spike last week. The final tally is 2 of 12 BA and 3 of 30 GCM hatched. These also hatched 3 days late.?.?

Only one of the 14 RIR eggs I had under my broody made it this go around.
All eggs started but only 4 were good on day 19. Don't know what happened there.

11 of 21 coturnix quail(1st batch) hatched over monday and tuesday. I LOVE these little guys!

12 Ring Neck Pheasants are due to hatch now. Some are rolling around but no pips yet.

42 Georgia Giant Bobwhites are due on the 21st.

50 coturnix quail are cooking now and will be ready to hatch on the 27th.

I am still waiting on 40+ more coturnix eggs. The lady I ordered them from is having some personal issues so I am being patient.

I also have 12+ GCM eggs on the way. I just love these chickens and I am determined to have a flock of them. Out of 45 eggs from 3 different places
I have 6 chicks total. Four boys and two girls........Not a very good ratio so I had to try again!

CB to answer your question about what kind of quail cages I have.......Well I don't have any just yet.

I figure I have about 4 to 6 weeks to get some built.

I will post some pics of the ones that made it so far tomorrow evening.
Good night all!

Wayne