# Starting October 8, hatch October 29



## twentynine

I'm going to start collecting eggs tomorrow.

The good news is that the recently aquired RIR hens have settled in and have started to lay. So numbers being what they are I might make a 50 or 60 egg hatch. Probably 30 - 40 RIRs and 20 - 30 BSLs.

If the egg count number is on the low side I may opt to use my small incubator.


----------



## cogburn

Sounds like a plan !!


----------



## Energyvet

Go for it! Good luck in your endeavors.


----------



## twentynine

First day of egg saving didn't go to well.

I had a late afternoon Dr apt. Long story short I am now on blood pressure meds (d%#^***+).

My wife collected eggs, mixed RIRs with BSLs, cracked a couple, egg white smeared on the others, so I washed them put them in the fridge. Maybe it will go better this evening.


----------



## twentynine

10 eggs set aside 6 RIRs, 4 BSLs.


----------



## twentynine

Total now 11 RIRs, 7 BSLs


----------



## twentynine

Now 18 RIRs, 13 BSLs.


----------



## cogburn

Stackin em up !!


----------



## twentynine

3 more days to save eggs, I should end up with around 45 - 50, shouldn't be hard to cull them down to 40 perfect eggs.


----------



## twentynine

Totals as of today 26 RIR, 17 BSL


----------



## cogburn

Rock & Roll !!!!


----------



## twentynine

34 RIRs, 21 bsls


----------



## Italy-Dan

I would like ask you what are BSL and RIR,because i don't know this symbol.I think it may be male and female..Thank you


----------



## twentynine

BSL = black sexlink. A crossbreed between a RIR rooster and a barred rock hen. Sex of the hatchling can be determined by feather color at the time of hatch.

RIR = Rhode Island Red. One of the traditional American rock breeds.


----------



## Italy-Dan

Thank you so much Twentynine


----------



## twentynine

I re-examined my work schedule, decided to put them down tonight, rather than wait for tomorrow.

Final score started, RIR - 41, BSL - 27.


----------



## Energyvet

Congrats 29. Nice work!


----------



## cogburn

Countdown !!


----------



## twentynine

Day 1 temp holding, turners turning, fan is fanning, all is well, in incubator land.

It's getting to be a real drag getting up at 0300 to go to work on day shift. My wagon is draggin today.


----------



## twentynine

All's good!


----------



## cogburn

Good deal Lucille !!


----------



## twentynine

Day 6 all's well. Temp control is working like its on a train track. Low of 99.3 to a high of 100.1


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

What is the humidity?


----------



## twentynine

CrazyBirdLady said:


> What is the humidity?


I replied to your thread.

Out of couriosity I placed a hygrometer in my incubator. With zero water added, I had 60 something % humidity. Normal outdoor humidity in S Louisiana is at least 70 to 80%.


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Oh, that's not the case in Massachusetts, my question is - is low humidity (17 - 20) ok for first 18 days?


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

I heard too much humidity first 18 days will drown chicks ?


----------



## Energyvet

Waiting patiently. This is just so exciting. Must be unbearable for you by the incubator.


----------



## twentynine

CrazyBirdLady said:


> I heard too much humidity first 18 days will drown chicks ?


 Okay! I been here and I done this----- I think you are falling victim to mid-hatch anxiety. You have to remember put the best eggs in, keep your incubator in good condition and what will hatch, will hatch.

First thing I'll bring back up. I never add water to my incubator until the 18th day. I never check the humidity even on the 18th day. On the 18th day after adding warm water, the way I check to see if I have high enough humidity is I crack the door and look in, if my glasses fog up--- got enough humidity. Scientific right!

For what it's worth I don't believe the humidity in my incubator is ever below 45-50%.

Unlike some on here I do not claim 100% hatch rates, not having my records in front of me right now, and working nightshift, my memory may be faulty. I can claim a high of 90-95% one time, my general average is 75-90%, on 60-80 egg hatches.

I'll be making the first candling on my October 8th setting, 68 eggs cooking, I believe I will pull anywhere from 6-12 tomorrow. Any more than that I will be extremely disappointed in Barrack and Obama!

My plans for this hatch are to grow out the hens to 16-20 weeks, then sell them in spring 2013, as soon to be laying hens. If my calculations are correct I should be able to sell them for $10ea. Including feed expense I think I will reap a higher profit per bird, than if I sold them as day olds. I will keep about 1/2 of the cockerals to sell at a much cheaper rate, for those who wish to have a rooster.

So in Feb I will have 30 - 35 BSL and RIR hens + 15 - 20 RIR cockerals to sell.


----------



## twentynine

Energyvet said:


> Waiting patiently. This is just so exciting. Must be unbearable for you by the incubator.


I only start getting antsy towards day 19-20-21 when I expect to see the first pips.


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Wow, how many chickens do you have?


----------



## twentynine

CrazyBirdLady said:


> Wow, how many chickens do you have?


Well I have 10 RIR hens, 8 BR hens, 2 RIR breeding roosters, 2 RIR young replacement roosters. That just about covers my breeding operations.

But (always a but) I have a few other chickens. A pet flock belonging to my granddaughter. All named and all elderly, Stewie the Sicilian buttercup rooster, and his girl friends, Dumplin (light brahma), Big Jim Brown (BSL with unusual coloring), Little Red, and Speck. All over 4 years old.

Plus I usually have a varying number of chicks in the brooder.


----------



## twentynine

Finished candling-------

Don't know if my eyes are failing me or what. Maybe it working nights last night and staying up most of the day with little sleep.


Pulled 1 RIR egg---- that's right only one! Everything else had good veining, air sack started. 

So that's 40 RIR eggs and 27 BSL still in the incubator.


----------



## cogburn

Awesome 29 !! All the best to ya... I'll be lurking waiting on news..


----------



## Energyvet

Outstanding! You must be doing something right! Kudos! Can't wait for hatching day!


----------



## twentynine

Energyvet said:


> Outstanding! You must be doing something right! Kudos! Can't wait for hatching day!


I've been experimenting with various supplement diets, for my laying hens, prior to and while I am collecting eggs.

So far the easiest and relatively cheapest to provide is a supplement of Dumor 24% starter/grower, fed at a rate of about 2oz per hen per day, mixed with 1oz per hen cracked corn. Started about 1 week prior to collection beginning. Alone it increases egg production by about 10%.

My belief is a strong healthy perfect egg going into the incubator, leads to strong healthy chicks coming out of the incubator.


----------



## Energyvet

Good science and consistent husbandry. That sounds an awful lot like "something right." Lol. Keep up the good work! Fun being part of your plan albeit vicariously.


----------



## twentynine

Still good!


----------



## cogburn

Coooooooollllll !!


----------



## piglett

twentynine said:


> My plans for this hatch are to grow out the hens to 16-20 weeks, then sell them in spring 2013, as soon to be laying hens. If my calculations are correct I should be able to sell them for $10ea. Including feed expense I think I will reap a higher profit per bird, than if I sold them as day olds. I will keep about 1/2 of the cockerals to sell at a much cheaper rate, for those who wish to have a rooster.
> 
> So in Feb I will have 30 - 35 BSL and RIR hens + 15 - 20 RIR cockerals to sell.


 around here "soon to lay hens" are going for $20 or even as high as $25 (which i think is too much)i sold off some orpington hens back in the summer & got $16 each plus they gave me 12 roos to put in my meat pen.
the big ones already headed off to camp but i still have some of the smaller boys here i think.
i have 58 birds so it's tough to keep it all straight in my head


----------



## Energyvet

I just paid $20 for my year old hen. FYI


----------



## twentynine

$20 for a 1 year old hen!

The market down here won't bring that kind of money.

Going into day 14, temp control is good, hanging right their between 99.1 and 99.8.


----------



## Energyvet

I think it's cause she's a fancy show chicken. The others were $10 a piece.


----------



## chadsara

I've got 16 silkie eggs in now dut to hatch on holloween! Started with 19


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Good luck, my 20 Silkies are due to hatch Wednesday....haven't seen any action at all...no pipping, nothing. I'm worried


----------



## chadsara

I wouldnt worry till the day after they are due I havent hatched silkies in a while and i am sooooooo eggcited lol


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

One is pipping and I can hear it peeping too....fingers crossed....so exciting and nerve wracking at the same time....


----------



## chadsara

cool!!


----------



## Energyvet

Go chicky go!


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Remind me to never do this again....nail biting....my husband is laughing at me talking, coaxing them! Come on little babies...you can do it!


----------



## chadsara

i was the same way my first time and still do it lol any out yet?


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

One, not the one who was pipping is 3/4 out! I'm so excited!!!!!


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

# 1 is here! I think he/she is black! I'm so happy!!!!!


----------



## EmmaJB

Yay! I hope I can hatch some eggs one day, reading this is quite egg-citing 

X


----------



## twentynine

Comming into the final countdown days--- temperature holding steady 99.5* +/- .5 turners are still going. Looking good. I have made minimal to almost no adjustment to thermostat during this incubation cycle. I attribute that to the nearly 3 gallons of heat sink water, inside the incubator, For future reference it is an absolute plus.


----------



## EmmaJB

Sounds technical! I'm just hoping I'll have developed a broody by the time I feel ready to try and hatch some!  good luck with the rest! And get some pics up! 

X


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

2 more are pipping!!!! YAY!


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

I don't know how to upload pix...


----------



## twentynine

Comming into the final stretch. 4-5 days remaining in incubation period. I expect pips as early as the morning of Sunday the 28th, with hatch peaking sometime that afternoon or evening, continuing on into the early morning hours of the 29th. Should be concluded by the early afternoon of the 29th. What chicks hatch will be going to the new brooder Monday afternoon as soon as they dry.

General observations include. Temperature control has been very good this time around, 99.5* +/- .5, with a touch into 100.1 or .2. I attribute this to the 3 gallons of water in the incubator acting as a heat sink, without a doubt the energy stored in the water bottles has buffered the temperature spikes I was experiencing during earlier hatches. I have taken periotic temperature readings up to three times a day. At the end of the hatch I will average the temps to see just how good the overall temperature control has been. I expect it will be closer to the desired 99.5* set point than any earlier hatch.

Next thing up will be Thursday afternoon. Lockdown. I will candle one more time, pull the quiters, I expect a few. Then remove the turners and place the eggs on the screens. I will then open a couple water containers, and add a wet bath towle to the incubator to increase humidity.

Never one to count my chickens before they hatch, I am still at the mercy of a power outage or light bulb failure.


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

This baby is bowling with all the other eggs, that can't be good....


----------



## robopetz

Awww.. Congrats on the new borns. No pics?


----------



## twentynine

CrazyBirdLady said:


> This baby is bowling with all the other eggs, that can't be good....


I've watched it happen hatch after hatch. Chicks out moving around the incubator rolling and bumping the pipping or unhatched eggs. Doesn't seem to bother anything. I never remove the chicks from the incubator until what I believe the last one to hatch is dry and on his feet. I will sometimes remove the egg shells when it's obvious things are getting crowded. I have a set of cardboard bumpers that I put in the corners of my incubator just to keep the chicks from crowding in and smothering each other in the corners.

My incubator has two shelves one turner on each shelf. When I take the turners out I also remove the top shelf and all the eggs fit on the one remaining bottom shelf.


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

I have an iPad and don't know how. Still only 1 hatch out of 20, I hear a very weak peep that was strong last nite....going to be a long day at work!


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

My only hatch looks like your robopetz!


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

I took the baby out of the bator last night after 3 hours and wrapped him in a warm towel. The membrane was still attached and he was caught up in the screen and really crying. He's very well this morning, has had water. There is good strongnpeeping coming from the incubator now....such a long procedure!


----------



## robopetz

CrazyBirdLady said:


> My only hatch looks like your robopetz!


Cute!!!! I forget, how money silkies you hatching? Lil Sophie says hi to the first new born.


----------



## robopetz

CrazyBirdLady said:


> I have an iPad and don't know how. Still only 1 hatch out of 20, I hear a very weak peep that was strong last nite....going to be a long day at work!


When you post your reply, is there a + sign right on the left of the send button?


----------



## chadsara

how fun!! I love little ones. I have a week left then it will be my turn!!


----------



## desedar

i,ve got a 31 egg hatch cooking for a oct 30 hatch black copper marans, wish me luck


----------



## chadsara

desedar said:


> i,ve got a 31 egg hatch cooking for a oct 30 hatch black copper marans, wish me luck


 OHHHHHHH Ill take what you dont want lol


----------



## Marthab53

Congrats! I have a Halloween hatch coming up. Started with 31 now down to twenty, today was day 14 when I candled them.


desedar said:


> i,ve got a 31 egg hatch cooking for a oct 30 hatch black copper marans, wish me luck


----------



## chadsara

CrazyBirdLady said:


> I took the baby out of the bator last night after 3 hours and wrapped him in a warm towel. The membrane was still attached and he was caught up in the screen and really crying. He's very well this morning, has had water. There is good strongnpeeping coming from the incubator now....such a long procedure!


 How many do you have now


----------



## cogburn

desedar said:


> i,ve got a 31 egg hatch cooking for a oct 30 hatch black copper marans, wish me luck


All the best on your hatch !!


----------



## cogburn

Marthab53 said:


> Congrats! I have a Halloween hatch coming up. Started with 31 now down to twenty, today was day 14 when I candled them.


Good luck to you !!


----------



## Marthab53

That's Cool I also have eggs due to hatch on Halloween. Good luck to you!



chadsara said:


> I've got 16 silkie eggs in now dut to hatch on holloween! Started with 19


----------



## Marthab53

Thank you!


cogburn said:


> Good luck to you !!


----------



## Italy-Dan

Very nice cock in the picture Martha!


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

I've got 6 out of 20....the other 14 are still in the bator......


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

These are the first 4...Rocky, Poutine, Snookie (the one with the Afro) and Leroy


----------



## Energyvet

Too too cute. Love the golf ball reference. Good luck with those little sweeties!


----------



## Marthab53

Italy-Dan said:


> Very nice cock in the picture Martha!


Thank you! I recently sold him but love the pictures of him that I took.


----------



## Marthab53

Love those baby chicks CrazyBirdLady, Thanks for sharing!http://www.chickenforum.com/members/crazybirdlady


----------



## rob

fab little chicks ya got there, i would love to hatch a batch one day.


----------



## twentynine

October 25 --------- lockdown.

Going into lock down with 40 RIRs and 27 BSLs


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Thanks all, the 6 are happy and healthy and I love them!


----------



## Energyvet

Go 29! Can't wait for the outcome. Sooooooooo Excited! (As Mike Myers says!). Lol


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

How long should I leave the 14 eggs that didn't hatch Wednesday in the bator? I was thinking a week to be sure. Why did only 6 hatch? I candled them at lockdown and they were all viable...?


----------



## chadsara

If it was me i would candle again to see if there ok or not. I hope you get more!!


----------



## twentynine

Extend incubation 2-3 days. Been my experience that if they are that slow to hatch they will have health and viability issues after hatch.

Why you only hatched 6 out of 14, who knows, could be any number of reasons. If I remember you were working with purchased shipped eggs. I believe you will have a far better hatch rate when you start working with your own eggs.


----------



## Italy-Dan

They're so amazing!


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Yes, I started with 26 shipped eggs. after 2 weeks I discarded 5 that were totally clear. When I took them out of the turner last Sunday I candled them them again and discarded 1, the other 20 were good. I'll candle them tonight as they should have hatched Wednesday. At least I got 6 and I'm very pleased with them...they are the cutest little things I've ever seen


----------



## desedar

*31 eggs*

well last nite to turn eggs .turn off the turner and hope for the best hatch ever.
i really need a good hatch this time. I want hardy pullets for spring sales . hopeing also for a good laying flock in spring.I should have 17 laying hens and three Roosters. Barny is the honorary title of the big guy put out to pasture. I have little big guy and too grey to step in and take over the flock. I will save eggs to hatch after this hatch and will continue as long as weather permits. I have customers waiting for chicks to winter into laying hens.so i will keep plugging away. wish me luck.


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Good luck!


----------



## Energyvet

Yes. At the force be with you.


----------



## twentynine

Mission control--- we have pips!

0315 this morning, while out checking horses, chickens before going to work. Gave the incubator a glance, I can hear chirping, couple eggs rocking, and a couple 3 pipping. 

Hatch should be underway when I get home at 1800 hrs this evening.


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

So exciting! Happy Hatch Day


----------



## piglett

twentynine said:


> Mission control--- we have pips!
> 
> 0315 this morning, while out checking horses, chickens before going to work. Gave the incubator a glance, I can hear chirping, couple eggs rocking, and a couple 3 pipping.
> 
> Hatch should be underway when I get home at 1800 hrs this evening.


 please post us some pics as soon as they are all fluffed up


----------



## twentynine

Update 1800hrs:

2 RIR out, 0 BSL

Pips everywhere.


----------



## Energyvet

Crowd control! Hatch day!


----------



## twentynine

Update 0315

7 RIR, 4 BSL


----------



## cogburn

twentynine said:


> October 25 --------- lockdown.
> 
> Going into lock down with 40 RIRs and 27 BSLs


Awesome !!!!


----------



## twentynine

Okay got some pictures of the incubator forwarded to me. My wife is at home and I am at work, she snapped a few and texted them over to me. I count somewhere between 20 and 30 out of the shell, hard to tell.

I am going to try to attach them right here. 

Okay---- it's either going to be TahDah or a poof!


----------



## Marthab53

OMG How gorgeous! Congrats! Love them.


----------



## twentynine

Okay it's side a ways again!

Hold on!


----------



## Energyvet

Excellent! Well done 29! They are so very cute.


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Congrats! They're beautiful!


----------



## desedar

*time to ready my brood house.*

I had two wellsummer,or weaton marans left from my previous hatch of 21 on sept 6th. sold all but two.i just moved them to the big chicken house. I have the house split down the middle by a fence. that allows the flock to get use to new arrivals while they can't get to them easy. my 31 egg hatch should start hatching monday. don,t know how well i,ll do in the store bought incubator. I have done rather well with my homemade incubators. i scored a large syrofoam cooler from a pharmacy. I got a thermostat off ebay so when i,m able to save enough eggs i,ll start one and wait a week and start the other.


----------



## twentynine

desedar said:


> I had two wellsummer,or weaton marans left from my previous hatch of 21 on sept 6th. sold all but two.i just moved them to the big chicken house. I have the house split down the middle by a fence. that allows the flock to get use to new arrivals while they can't get to them easy. my 31 egg hatch should start hatching monday. don,t know how well i,ll do in the store bought incubator. I have done rather well with my homemade incubators. i scored a large syrofoam cooler from a pharmacy. I got a thermostat off ebay so when i,m able to save enough eggs i,ll start one and wait a week and start the other.


Everything I hatch is in one of the two homemade incubators I built. Nothing more satisfying in the world.

I still have a long way to go, 20-30 hatched out of a 68 egg set. They will be hatching way into the night.


----------



## twentynine

Looks like I got about 40-45 out, BSLs are not doing to well, maybe only 10 or 11 out of 27 set. Going to keep my fingers crossed, but I have nearly 20 eggs that haven't pipped. In comparison to other hatches this bunch is coming out the eggs slow.


----------



## 7chicks

They're so precious!!! What a load of fun to watch! Especially after all your hard work to build them the incubator that allowed them to grow and enter this world. That is so awesome! You should be so proud!!! Congratulations on all those sweet babies!


----------



## piglett

thanks for the pics it makes my nuts when someone posts about this or that & never takes the time to even post 1 pic 
i'm getting my wife a cheep bater with egg turner for christmas so we will have lots of pullets come spring


----------



## twentynine

Final scores---

Not to good this go around.

Out of 41 RIR eggs set I have 27 healthy live hatched.

Out of 27 BSL eggs set I have 19 healthy live hatched.
Of which 12 are cockerals and 7 hens.

Now for my tale of whoa--- I have 6 live hatched with leg deformities. Maybe one out of the bunch is viable. The rest have no chance. The 6 represent both BSL and RIR so I believe I have a temperature problem in my incubator. More research will be required.

I am very disappointed.


----------



## cogburn

Damn man... Sorry. Hope you get it figgered out.
Still got some bitties !! Congrats


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Sorry twentynine...I hatched only 6 out of 20, thankfully all healthy. No more incubating for me unless it's an emergency


----------



## twentynine

Lost a BSL cockeral in the brooder lastnight. 46 remaining.

No late hatchlings, I'm going to clean the incubator today.

Side note: my nephew Eric (more like a grandson) got his first deer yesterday. I have been spending a lot of "man" time with him. Joined a hunting club and Eric took a deer on his first hunt. We have spent countless hours teaching him gun safety, getting his certified hunters safety certificate. I know he was happy, I was ecstatic!


----------



## chadsara

First pip @ 6am!! wish me luck. I had a 4hr. power outage sunday night hope it have an effect


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Good luck!


----------



## chadsara

3 pips no one hatched yet though?


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

I went thru that too...my 1st took 24 hours to hatch, a couple hatched real fast, from first pip to hatch like 15 minutes. I had one that started pipping, the next day no progress at all, I figured it was gone, the next day I could hear peeping, that night it hatched! So I guess like babies they come when they're ready...it's such a helpless feeling tho...good luck and keep us posted!


----------



## twentynine

Okay, I have been pondering on what the heck happened with my last hatch. Averaging only low 60%.

Here goes lets see if I can explain what I have discovered.

I added almost 2 gallons of closed container water to my incubator to act as a heat sink, the added mass would hopefully moderate some of the temperature swings I was experiencing. It did indeed, but I believe it also caused the hatch problem. The water containers were all placed in the space below the bottom rack, taking up that space entirely. It is my theory that the containers limited air/heat flow to the bottom rack. Making the eggs develope slower and prone to development problem.

What say you guys?


----------



## Marthab53

CrazyBirdLady said:


> Sorry twentynine...I hatched only 6 out of 20, thankfully all healthy. No more incubating for me unless it's an emergency


I had 13 out of 31 that I started with. ((About no more incubating)), I had put mine up for 2 mths then took it out for my batch for Halloween. Now I have more eggs in it that I bought and added more of mine to it. After this next batch I better be done for a while.

Also twentynine soo sorry about your hatch!


----------



## chadsara

well i have 10 little fuzzy buts. 6 didnt make it pips but never hatched. I got 5 blue/black 2 splash 3 buffs ...pics soon


----------



## CrazyBirdLady

Congrats on your babies


----------



## desedar

sounds likely to me


----------

