YYYAAAHHHOOO here we go a-hatchin for the first time!! Due 2/19

[aceschix]

Thanks...again...Tag you!

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Hopefully-the olive eggers will be the darker shade black ish and the EE's will be the chipmunks looking ones. My two olive eggers I kept are now 5 weeks old and are now blueish looking VERY different looking than the EE's but its the first few weeks that confused me and Im not new at this and I still screwed up LOL...

do you mean take them out of the bator into the brooder? how will you keep them straight then? if your real lucky they will hatch at different times-so they'll look different in their dryness. I take ny chicks out within 12 hours after hatch and sooner. I never wait 24 hours. I wait until a bunch have hatched and pull them at once into brooder. I have never had a chick have problems because of it.

 

[aceschix]

Just completed my lockdown!!

I feel like I do not have a clue what I am doing. It is that fear of the unknown thing I guess. Once I get one hatch under my belt I will feel better. It has been 40 minutes and the temp has not quite rebounded. It is at 99.4 I am looking for 100.5. Humidity is high at 72%.

I am using cartons.
I have made "fences" out of cross-stitch plastic. So I have my 4 sections to keep breeds separate. It is shaped like an H. teo long sections on the sides and two smaller ones in the middle. I will get a pic in tomorrow.

 

[KKatknap]

I just took a deep breath for you!

Yer doing good! It's gonna be great!!

 

[aceschix]

Thanks.

I want it to stay fun so I hope my stress level in the furture improves.

 

[mediazeal]

Sounds great!
Why are you shooting for 100.5? I usually hatch at 99.5.
just curious

 

[aceschix]

Sonew had said 100.5 works well for her an being geographicly close to me I thought I would shoot for that. I have been between 99.5 & 100.5 so far. The humidity is right up there...almost 80% right now. Should I do something or let it come down on its own?

 

[TinyBirds]

I'm just joining your group - I'm at lockdown tonight too w/ hatch hopefully Friday! I enjoyed reading all your posts and can feel your excitement!

I remember my first time too (last year July). I had no clue what I was doing. I was so nervous! Then day 21 came and went for me, and no pips! I was frantic! What went wrong??? Then, on day 22, a pip, then the next morning after that there were around 8 babies in there! I went from horribly sad, to incredibly happy! It was a major roller coaster!! Now, sitting here months later, this time with 3 incubators going, I'm still excited but luckily not as nervous any more! I candled earlier today and threw out a smelly egg. It was one that I couldn't see in very well on the earlier candling date, so I missed seeing there wasn't a baby inside. Just icky dark goo! Luckily most look good, but I do have that same thing you mentioned with some air sacs being odd-shape (like w/ a wing to one side), and they are shipped eggs. I put in 4 eggs from our own birds and they aren't like that, so maybe they get that way from shipping, but I think in most cases they'll be fine. I remember seeing eggs like that in previous hatches too. This is my first time to try and get the humidity up and hold the last 3 days. I didn't have a humidity-device before, but this time I taped one to the inside of the Brinsea. I can see I probably had my vent-hole open too much the last-days in the past, since if I open it even half-way, the humidity drops like a rock. I have it to 1/3 and it seems better. I use a straw to put water in without having to open it up.
My advice - since you sound too much like me - is do not open the incubator to get out the first 1-2 chicks that hatch. It is toooooo tempting not to do it, but I did lose some chicks in the past because I did that and then they were stuck in the shell due to the dryness. If by some reason you cannot resist it, then quick get a wet rag and microwave it for a minute and then put that in there to get the humidity/temp up faster. Also if you end up with a chick that pips and then hasn't come out after 24 hours, pick at the shell to help the chick out. Otherwise it will die in there (I've done some both ways - leaving it to die, or helping them out, and now I definitely would help them out if it was after most the others had already hatched, but not until that 24 hrs after pip). So maybe make notes about the timing of which egg pips at what time, to know if one needs help or not.
Probably most of what I'm saying is wrong, but just in case some of it's not wrong, I wanted to share my experiences so far. I'm sure I'll know more by this time next year (ha ha - I guess that's normal).
I'll check in tomorrow for moral support! Best of luck! You're doing great so far!!

 

[PandoraTaylor]

well due to movement in the incubator and a new pip, I can't get pics of the 2 Light Brahma x EE yet. But here are some photos to tide you over.....
Hatched Feb 1 & 2 Light Brahma x Barred Rocks -wasn't due until Feb 6th

Hatched Feb 13 & 14th Pure Light Brahma -Not due til Feb 16th

the last one in the incubator for this hatch has pipped, so I can't open the incubator for pictures just yet.

I will get them as soon as I can.

Set 27 eggs yesterday in my other incubator Hatch Date March 7th.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
no your good let it come down on its own-youll notice it changing anyway as the chicks hatch out and theres nothing you can do as youll be in lockdown

good luck today. Ill be really swamped at work and will check in a few times to see "what happening"