THE MOTHER'S DAY HATCH-A-LONG!!!! The last day to join in and set eggs with us is April 28th.

[tinychicky]

Glad to hear everyone's hatches are going pretty well so far! I'm down to five ameraucanas, five seramas, two EEs and 3 silkie eggs. Six adorable black serama fuzzy butts already out The rest are due over the course of the next week!

 

[Larkyn]

Oh man, I've forgotten how exciting it is when the eggs start hatching...I have my first pip!! And, it also wasn't one of the ones that was rocking around like crazy last night (those haven't pipped yet, but they're still moving when they hear me talk). must...stay...away....from incubator....@_@

 

[mayberrygirl]

I got sick and have been out of the loop the past week and a half. I put 13 out of 14 in lockdown yesterday, and have 7 on day 9 as of today. My lockdown eggs are due Sunday. And guess what hubby is got me for Mothers day... A NEW INCUBATOR! The Reptibator 6000 (i have been wanting that one cause it opens like a mini fridge, and cleans out easy. I am tired of styrofoam. I will be using it as my incubator and my homemade Igloo-Cooler-Bator as my hatcher and throwing out my styrofoam hatcher that seams to be killing my chicks before they can hatch.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Very neat. It was made for the job and can turn all the eggs at once. Love that!

Quote:

Sounds very reasonable . . . for an addict!

Quote:

The idea is to promote evaporation to allow the chick to grow smaller than it would if it contained all of the moisture it started with. I have had too many chicks large enough that they couldn't pip or hatch properly- fully formed chicks that didn't make it at hatch. Once I started using this method (got it from an Emu farmer!) I have had significantly better success with shipped eggs. It doesn't seem to really be necessary with local eggs (my own) and I'm not certain why. When hatching in a really nice incubator, like a Sportsman or an rcom, it also doesn't appear to be necessary, but with most affordable models, it's a helpful method.

I do increase humidity at the end of my hatch, as per my Incubation Cheater, the same for Marans as for other eggs. My feeling is that if you have evaporated the proper amount during the first 18 days, you can't drown them with humidity at the end. Humidity merely prevents evaporation, it doesn't make eggs 'take-on' water.

This works well for me, but like most on BYC, I don't consider myself and egg-spert... I just like to share my egg-speriences to help anyone else who might be able to learn from them!

MORE - Regarding sanding the Marans (or Penedescenca, or Wellies, etc.) eggs, I use an emery board or 400+ grain sandpaper. I use a circular motion and make sure I'm moving the hand with the sander, not the egg.

I then put the eggs on a paper towel and mist them with a 30% povidone iodine to 70% water blend

I then wait for it to dry, turn, repeat, dry, turn, repeat. You can't be too careful about making sure the whole thing gets lightly misted, but don't

saturate it.

Thanks for posting this! Wish I had seen it 2 weeks ago!!!! So my question is I am on Day 15 with my BBS Marans ..... Its probably too late to implement this technique now.... 3 days won't make that much difference will it??? I am doing dry incubation .... well 25-30% per my 3 hygrometers...
I put them all in as I couldn't believe it was that humid here in LA ....
DId you look at the air cells? Maybe they dried properly. I have 12 cuckoo marans in and they are developing just fine.

I forgot they were marans.

 

[aaggjg]

Can only get my brinsea to 41% humidity, with both reservoirs filled. I guess I have to add a wet sponge ? when it gets closer to hatch day ? I have the plug open all the way for air. Ugh. This is my first time hatching. I'm just sitting here , look at the eggs turn look at temp. and humidity, back to eggs. Lol. They aren't due till Monday but since they are in lock down I'm glued here. Haha :/

I borrowed a Brinsea Eco20 to use as a hatcher (I have a Hovobator Genesis) and I had a REALLY HARD time getting the humidity up. I think I was at 40% w/ both channels filled ... a container with a sponge didn't do that much better.... The best thing I found to get the humidity up in that bator was using a sham wow type cloth and putting part of it in the reservoirs and then draping the rest on the "floor" of the incubator... I do that to both reservoirs and got the humidity up to 60ish % .... I tried that with a washcloth too but the sham wow thing worked better as it holds more water....

Good luck!

 

[yinepu]

I got sick and have been out of the loop the past week and a half. I put 13 out of 14 in lockdown yesterday, and have 7 on day 9 as of today. My lockdown eggs are due Sunday. And guess what hubby is got me for Mothers day... A NEW INCUBATOR! The Reptibator 6000 (i have been wanting that one cause it opens like a mini fridge, and cleans out easy. I am tired of styrofoam. I will be using it as my incubator and my homemade Igloo-Cooler-Bator as my hatcher and throwing out my styrofoam hatcher that seams to be killing my chicks before they can hatch.

I love my Reptipro 5000... the 6000 has been on my wish list for a while!

congrats!!!

 

[aaggjg]

Very neat. It was made for the job and can turn all the eggs at once. Love that!

Sounds very reasonable . . . for an addict!



DId you look at the air cells? Maybe they dried properly. I have 12 cuckoo marans in and they are developing just fine.

I forgot they were marans.

I have tried those shells are SO DARK it is hard to see inside!!! I will look again tonight .... The lighter ones I could see and the aircells are looking good I think ... but then again what do I know ...

 

[Toxic Chicken]

My parents made me go to Bunko at the church.
Shoot me. They said I can't stay home with my chickens all the time. :/

 

[Cynthia12]

I got sick and have been out of the loop the past week and a half. I put 13 out of 14 in lockdown yesterday, and have 7 on day 9 as of today. My lockdown eggs are due Sunday. And guess what hubby is got me for Mothers day... A NEW INCUBATOR! The Reptibator 6000 (i have been wanting that one cause it opens like a mini fridge, and cleans out easy. I am tired of styrofoam. I will be using it as my incubator and my homemade Igloo-Cooler-Bator as my hatcher and throwing out my styrofoam hatcher that seams to be killing my chicks before they can hatch.

Me too! I got a notice in the mail a few days ago, that it has been shipped! I'm so excited.

 

[Cynthia12]

Off to get mine put in the LG for lockdown!


I'm back.Candling at this time is very revealing.

A couple had to go back to Henny Penny as their lack of development had me rechecking their set date. OOPS. All but a couple have well developed air cells--thank goodness I opened the lid on Henny Penny to vent more of the air to dry them more.

I removed the last egg from the last hatch--completely developed w/ yolk absorbed, a bit too much moisture in the egg; I think it did not dry down enough. I had concerns about this batch lacking really big air cells so I have been watching the air cells like a hawk the last 8 days.

Summary: Even a 20% RH with no added water may not be enough to dry down the eggs if there are a lot of eggs ;the air cells were too small at day 14. Opening the lid on Henny Penny to make two air vents ( in addition to the side vents) resulted in better, larger air cells.

I got your eggs today! Thanks! Have a question..are those true Ameraucana eggs? They are a very pretty color/colors. Thanks for the extras! None broken, none weepy.