BYC Valentine's Day Hatch-a-Long

[SourRoses]

I didn't get a picture but when I set everything up and took the thermometers out last night to put the last rack in, Stella, one of ours, made a leap and landed right on top of them all. Of course the racks turned and scared her good! I had to resanitize the entire incubator.

Stella jumped ON the eggs?! I hope they were all okay!

I used to worry about Mia sitting on her pedestal, afraid a leap off of it would jostle the top, but 3 Incubations later I don't worry about it anymore, lol.
Only, just last night, her little sister Shadow who weighs twice as much, decided she also has broody rights and was trying to balance her badonkadonk up there. Her I don't feel so relaxed about.

 

[AUChickenGal]

A day late, but I just set 22 of my barnyard mix Easter Eggers this morning. All of these eggs are from my 2024 F2 pullets, and their consistency is quite remarkable:

I wasn't planning on setting eggs this early in the year, but, sadly, my rooster Slick passed away earlier this week.

He was a 4 year old F1 from my flock, the result of crossing a White (recessive, covering wheaten) Ameraucana and some kind of green egg layer hen from Hoover's. He was the best rooster - never once made an aggressive move towards me and took good care of his hens. He even survived a fox attack last summer. He didn't show any signs of illness before he died; I don't know whether it was the extreme cold alone or that combined with potentially lingering internal issues from the fox attack.

All the hens these eggs are from are either his daughters or granddaughters (or both). They are all Rock or Sussex crosses, some with a little bit of both. Fingers crossed for a few nice pullets and a cockerel from this hatch that have beards and pea combs and carry the mottling gene.

 

[Happy Novogens]

I set my eggs and the humidity went up to 62! I opened the vent full and it only dropped it to 56/57 (2 hygrometers) or 48% on the third.
Should I do any more?

 

[jrwill13lv]

We have some eggs in the incubator that should hatch of the 14th too.

 

[Debbie292d]

That's a good question
This is my first time. I think I'll check after 3 days and again at 7 days. My eggs are brown so I doubt candling will work. I'll weigh them for sure.

Do you candle just before or even during lockdown?

I candle the day of lockdown as that's the day the turner is shut off, racks are pulled, and the rubber shelf lining is put in. Then the lid is put on and never taken off until the vast majority or all have hatched. Can you try find a brighter flashlight so you can see at least shadows? Then you'd know they are filling up the egg at least. I guess your weighing them though would tell you the same thing!

I never touch them once they are in lockdown, only after I see they are dry and fluffy, and ready to come out, and can't see any pipped ones. If there are pipped ones, I don't open it, as tempting as it is. After all chicks are out, then I'll candle any that never pipped. I have had a couple of rare ones that took 23 days. I've also had some on Day 18, so I do a five-day lockdown whereas most breeds never hatch that early and do three days.

 

[Debbie292d]

A day late, but I just set 22 of my barnyard mix Easter Eggers this morning. All of these eggs are from my 2024 F2 pullets, and their consistency is quite remarkable:
View attachment 4036072

I wasn't planning on setting eggs this early in the year, but, sadly, my rooster Slick passed away earlier this week.

View attachment 4036073

He was a 4 year old F1 from my flock, the result of crossing a White (recessive, covering wheaten) Ameraucana and some kind of green egg layer hen from Hoover's. He was the best rooster - never once made an aggressive move towards me and took good care of his hens. He even survived a fox attack last summer. He didn't show any signs of illness before he died; I don't know whether it was the extreme cold alone or that combined with potentially lingering internal issues from the fox attack.

All the hens these eggs are from are either his daughters or granddaughters (or both). They are all Rock or Sussex crosses, some with a little bit of both. Fingers crossed for a few nice pullets and a cockerel from this hatch that have beards and pea combs and carry the mottling gene.

So sorry about Slick. Hopefully you have a great hatch and find that some are his kids.

 

[Debbie292d]

I set my eggs and the humidity went up to 62! I opened the vent full and it only dropped it to 56/57 (2 hygrometers) or 48% on the third.
Should I do any more?

You're fine. Humidity is an average, and never as critical as the temperature. A few, even several hours too high or low humidity doesn't really matter as long as for the long haul, it's averaging around 40-50%. Then 70% for lockdown.

 

[Debbie292d]

Stella jumped ON the eggs?! I hope they were all okay!

Oh, no. I just had put the racks in there when she jumped from the bed to the bureau where the incubators are, and she is used to jumping between them, but I was standing there. So she jumped INTO the incubator, and the racks of course, moved so she flew out about as fast as she flew in.

 

[SourRoses]

Okey Dokey, I'm down to 10 developing eggs. A few more that I left in over candling uncertainty / hope.
Out of 27. Oy! And that's with 2 roos! Maybe they are interfering with each other (but they seem very peaceful).

 

[SourRoses]

How did everyone else's candling go?