Zodiac Hatch-A-Long - Waxing Moon in Fruitful Signs HAL

[ChickenCanoe]

Yeah, I guess I better candle this morning. I have 36 eggs that will be 18 days in 6 more hours.
I can't wait to get them in the hatcher (which I cleaned out yesterday) so I can move the one's I've been hand turning into the auto turners.

 

[Mama Bay]

Yeah, I guess I better candle this morning. I have 36 eggs that will be 18 days in 6 more hours.
I can't wait to get them in the hatcher (which I cleaned out yesterday) so I can move the one's I've been hand turning into the auto turners.

I wish I had that kind of set up. I only have the one incubator.... I haven't candled nearly as much as I did last hatch. Can't wait to catch up later today

 

[minihorse927]

Gotta go put mine in lock down when I get off work today. 8 of 8 shipped eggs still going
Never candled my broody hens eggs.
Normally I do. Odd I didn't this time around.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I wish I had that kind of set up. I only have the one incubator.... I haven't candled nearly as much as I did last hatch. Can't wait to catch up later today

I had an old LG that a friend gave me. There was so much wrong with it, it took me a couple days to rebuild it. I did a few hatches in it and had some very bad ones. Not wanting to spend big money on what I wanted, I built an combination cabinet incubator with a separate hatching drawer. Redundant heat sources and redundant controllers in both units. Then the college I teach chicken classes for bought me a new LG and I use it occasionally to temporarily hold eggs in mid incubation or to hatch when the main hatcher won't hold any more.

 

[chickadoodles]

I moved my 4 chicken eggs to the hatcher at 12:09 pm.

 

[Kaylish]

Very interesting! I did have a broody sit on some pullet eggs last year, and yes that hen lays very small eggs. She's a Welsummer and should be giving me XL eggs. After reading

, it now all makes sense. Have been thinking of getting her into freezer camp, only problem is .... figuring out who she is in my big flock.

Am gonna hop in here and join!

My broody decided to sit on eggs on April 30, marked them all and even added more- 12 total and yes, they were all XL eggs. I candled at Day 10, threw out 2 clears, but the other 10 were looking great! I'm so excited to have

again!!

So the problem is when I came home last night & went to collect eggs, I noticed my broody sitting in the wrong nest box. This would be Day 14 or Day 15. I'm guessing, at most, 10 hours she was off the eggs, between hubby feeding in AM and me coming to collect. Quickly put her back on them- she was just looking dazed and confused! Eggs were pretty cold- temps were in 50's yesterday. So, are the eggs still viable?



*edited for clarity

Have hope! The eggs may still hatch

I had a clutch left overnight in January in 30` temps around the same development and every one hatched.

Maybe. The following is a good read. Check out #2 in the conclusions.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

I wasn't implying that one couldn't or shouldn't hatch pullet eggs. I've done it a couple times. Once when I had to get numbers up and once when 8 pullets in a flock of 10 went broody at once on a community nest. They only managed to hatch one confused chick - 8 moms?

I just was giving the reasons it isn't a good idea for me to do it with my purposes. If I was a fan of small eggs, I'd have bantams. Well probably not. I don't think a bantam could take a hawk down.

I don't know if a bantam could survive a hawk attack but they would certainly try! I've seen my bantam Cochin roo run to the middle of my yard; flapping and crowing for all he was worth at a Large Redtail hawk circling above while his hens ran for cover. Luckly the hawk decided that a bantam Roo and a large pitbull/boxer were to much to take on for a chicken dinner and I was able to get outside and scare it off in time.

 

[hereorthere]

Have hope! The eggs may still hatch

I had a clutch left overnight in January in 30` temps around the same development and every one hatched.

I don't know if a bantam could survive a hawk attack but they would certainly try! I've seen my bantam Cochin roo run to the middle of my yard; flapping and crowing for all he was worth at a Large Redtail hawk circling above while his hens ran for cover. Luckly the hawk decided that a bantam Roo and a large pitbull/boxer were to much to take on for a chicken dinner and I was able to get outside and scare it off in time.

Thanks! Have been keeping all 10 fingers and toes crossed! Your experience gives me hope because I was thinking some of them would have been goners! Anyways, moved my broody into a broody box Sat afternoon and it looked like she went into lockdown Sunday evening- really flattening herself out.

 

[Mama Bay]

Officially on lockdown!

 

[minihorse927]

Lock down here too! 8 for 8 still on shipped eggs. Only problem is somewhere along the line the air cell went to the bottom of the one egg so my hopes aren't high for it. Prayers it hatches!

 

[minihorse927]

My eggs I set under my broody, on the night of the 28, are hatching! 3 were out when I was feeding and there were several with pips. Should have everyone out tomorrow. Never candle those eggs so there may be an infertile in there.