So to start off this was my first time incubating eggs, I’ve had broodys this year and normally I let them hatch. But I wanted chicks that were more unique breeds you don’t find at the feed store and my last set of shipped eggs (Red blue laced wyandottes) I had under my broody, she abandoned them at the end and I failed to finish hatching them.
After a lot of research, I had a very good hatch and want to give others hope! I purchased 6 silver laced chocolate orpingtons from Beckys Birds of Texas. They shipped up to me in Iowa in 2 days. I received 6 + 2 extras. I noticed the air cells were really weird and moved around the egg like a level bubble. Let them set for 24 hours and stuck them under my columbian Wyandotte broody (she’s an amazing mama). I knew she wouldn’t abandon them and would be amazing. After 7 days I decided to candle their progress. Came to find the air cells were still moving around like crazy but the babies were developing by leaps and bounds. Only 1 egg never started developing so I tossed it. But I was scared of the bubble air cell moving around and since these costed money I wanted to do as much as I could to try and hatch them.
I stuck fake eggs under mama and took the eggs in. I placed them fat end up in my Little Giant 9300 incubator and used an egg o meter thermometer and my own thermometer/hygrometer. Everyday I gently turned the eggs in the carton following advice from others on BYC to keep them slightly tilted and only turned till day 16 then stopped completely. I kept humidity levels really low around 25%. At day 18 I candled and air cells were still moving around in the egg, I also bumped humidity to 50% and kept the temp right at 99.5. Which has been a pain with this incubator. But I found that putting 4 water bottles in the incubator helped with stabilizing the temp.
Day 19 came and heard lots of cheaping from the eggs and wiggles. I quickly candled the eggs and saw the air cells had reattached themselves but were all weirdly shaped. I decided half way through day 19 to lay the eggs on their side and slowly started rising the humidity to 65%. Day 20 I had pips starting in 3 eggs. So I raised humidity even higher to 75%. The chicks started hatching approx 12 hours after the first pips and hatched all night. The last one hatched this morning at 9am (day 21). I had one more egg with no sounds or wiggles and decided to quick candle. No movement and it looked like it had passed. I opened the air cell to see baby did pip internally but was gone. This is egg had the worse detached air cell that them turned saddled into the side really bad.
All babies are now under my columbian Wyandotte drying off and doing wonderful! One chick was born with a smaller left eye and slight crossbeak. I’m sure this was shipping damage. But she’s doing her best and hatched herself just fine. So out of the 7 eggs, I hatched 6 babies!!!
Mama hen (Princess Laya) is over the moon with her babies
After a lot of research, I had a very good hatch and want to give others hope! I purchased 6 silver laced chocolate orpingtons from Beckys Birds of Texas. They shipped up to me in Iowa in 2 days. I received 6 + 2 extras. I noticed the air cells were really weird and moved around the egg like a level bubble. Let them set for 24 hours and stuck them under my columbian Wyandotte broody (she’s an amazing mama). I knew she wouldn’t abandon them and would be amazing. After 7 days I decided to candle their progress. Came to find the air cells were still moving around like crazy but the babies were developing by leaps and bounds. Only 1 egg never started developing so I tossed it. But I was scared of the bubble air cell moving around and since these costed money I wanted to do as much as I could to try and hatch them.
I stuck fake eggs under mama and took the eggs in. I placed them fat end up in my Little Giant 9300 incubator and used an egg o meter thermometer and my own thermometer/hygrometer. Everyday I gently turned the eggs in the carton following advice from others on BYC to keep them slightly tilted and only turned till day 16 then stopped completely. I kept humidity levels really low around 25%. At day 18 I candled and air cells were still moving around in the egg, I also bumped humidity to 50% and kept the temp right at 99.5. Which has been a pain with this incubator. But I found that putting 4 water bottles in the incubator helped with stabilizing the temp.
Day 19 came and heard lots of cheaping from the eggs and wiggles. I quickly candled the eggs and saw the air cells had reattached themselves but were all weirdly shaped. I decided half way through day 19 to lay the eggs on their side and slowly started rising the humidity to 65%. Day 20 I had pips starting in 3 eggs. So I raised humidity even higher to 75%. The chicks started hatching approx 12 hours after the first pips and hatched all night. The last one hatched this morning at 9am (day 21). I had one more egg with no sounds or wiggles and decided to quick candle. No movement and it looked like it had passed. I opened the air cell to see baby did pip internally but was gone. This is egg had the worse detached air cell that them turned saddled into the side really bad.
All babies are now under my columbian Wyandotte drying off and doing wonderful! One chick was born with a smaller left eye and slight crossbeak. I’m sure this was shipping damage. But she’s doing her best and hatched herself just fine. So out of the 7 eggs, I hatched 6 babies!!!
Mama hen (Princess Laya) is over the moon with her babies
