Who's hatching around Jan 10? 1st try, Could use the "moral support!"

[Farm Frenzy]

I have some silkie's due on January 6th. But I have some pipping as we speak...I'm a first timer too, and I can barely stand it, the suspence is KILLING ME!!!!

 

[snowydiamonds]

I LOVE my Buff's, they are beautiful and friendly, they know the sound of my vehicle or four wheeler from blocks away and every time I go outside, they talk to me. I thought I wanted Pilgrims but there weren't any when my two girls eggs were due to hatch (the Embden and the Toulouse) so I got the Buffs and the ladies thought their eggs hatched Now if one would be a gander...I think I may have one but I'm not about to try sexing them. Their eggs are good eating, too. Real man sized omelets, the Embden was so happy when I took the ducks from their area, she laid an egg every other day from Sept to the end of Nov. If I could get eggs year 'round, I don't think I'd have chickens, just geese.

 

[Suellyn]

Hi, all! Farm Frenzy, how are your pips doing? How many? Any out yet? I'm jealous- only on day 2 or so and already want some pip action

.. guess not for a while, though!!

Snowydiamonds- am going with dry incubation, too.. was a cool discussion/thread on it the past couple days. You said your first hatch had humidity probs; were you using dry, or higher, humidiy? Do you mind sharing what happened?

Very excited... cool to see both "first timers" AND people with experience! Am already trying to decide when to candle, should probably wait til day 10 or 12 but I KNOW I won't hold out that long! It will be a struggle to even wait til day 7 or 8

, but I guess I kinda have to!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have not had any luck with dry incubating since it got colder. I have to keep my humidity at or near 50% to have any luck. That's just my experience, I don't know how everyone else is doing. I had great results this summer/fall with dry incubation, but now they don't even make it to hatch, and if they do they have so many problems they die in a day or so.

 

[snowydiamonds]

My first disaster was with a fancy incubator with auto turner trays that I couldn't figure out and you poured water in without lifting the top and it filled four chambers in the bottom. It was all beyond me so I gave it back and decided never to do that again!

Then I realized I had this large covered electric skillet/oven my SIL's mother left w/me when they moved to Montana. That's when I discovered a post about how this man tells this younger guy about humidity killing the birds which is exactly the problem I had the first time.

I plugged in the electric skillet oven and hatched some EE eggs into chicks Boy did that feel good! They're fully feathered now and in one of my two warmest coops (the two smallest coops are the warmest) with a banty roo and four banty hens that think they are the parents even though those EE chicks are their same size.

I just put a towel folded in half on the bottom, set the eggs in empty plastic ice cube trays and then put a thermos top with two new wet sponges inside to give humidity for the last three days when I took the ice cube trays out and set the eggs on the towel and didn't touch them again until they started zipping and living.

I've never used thermometers or hygro/hydro?meters, measurers or all that scientific stuff I should be learning, yet. I have a fifty five gallon, twenty gallon, two fifty gallons, a seventy five gallon and a hundred gallon acrylic aquariums in the house, house plants, and pressure cook salmon and steam a like amount of rice for the dogs and chickens so its humid in the house.

I feel out of sorts at work since its so dry and static electricity zapping me, my hair standing on end and only have a twenty gallon tank there...our winters are long, cold and dry, usually so I like the feeling that its a small version of Hawaii in the home

Other people say I'm ruining the house, its too hard on the house with all the humidity but they aren't as happy or comfortable in their homes, either. I figure a home always needs repairing, its a lifelong commitment.

I'll just do the same thing this third time, hand turn twice a day and hydrate just a bit the last three days and this time, try my hardest not to help any come out of the shell- that's the hardest part for me

 

[Mahonri]

I had 8, now 7 beautiful blue Ameraucana eggs under a broody, due January 9th.

Today will be day 4 with 17 to go.

 

[BirdBoy88]

i am due around the 5th and 6th if that counts? lol

with 56 jumbo coturnix eggs

 

[Suellyn]

Birdboy88... IT ALL COUNTS

!!

Shelleyd2008- Was that with chicken or duck/goose eggs? Read speculation that waterfowl are "wetter", incubate better at higher humidity, chickens lower humidity. Just curious!

Snowydiamonds- That is too cool, an electric skillet!! I would be scared to death to use one here; between my 2 little girls & the cat it would get bumped for sure & I'd end up with fried eggs

!!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Nope, this was with chicken eggs. I had not incubated anything but until about October, and then it was some quail. They do not do well with dry incubation IMO. Out of 38 eggs (all shipped) I got 3 chicks. Last month I got 48 eggs from Mrs. AK and hatched 19, only because the temp dial got bumped during the hatch and I didn't notice. Otherwise I feel that I would have had 7 or 8 more. There were 2 quitters and 18 clears. I now have duck and goose eggs, my first time. I have 3 with pips in the hatcher that are taunting me!!!

But no, with every chicken egg I have set since probably October, the dry incubation has not worked. My youngest chicks are about 6 weeks old, and those were the last ones to hatch (and live). It is so bad that I have decided not to hatch anymore chickens until it warms up, or I get a room humidifier.

 

[Farm Frenzy]

Got my first three babies today!!! I love them. Have 8 more due on January 6th.