# First Hatch of the 2013



## twentynine

Started saving eggs today. 

Going to be a Rhode Island Red only hatch.

If everything goes right I'll be starting 41 eggs New Years day.


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## Energyvet

Oh boy. That's a lot of chicks! Good luck!


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## 7chicks

That'll keep ya out of trouble for a long while.  You'll have to keep us posted on how it goes for you.


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## DanielleBoland

Good luck ill hopefully be starting some silkie eggs soon!!!!!!!


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## twentynine

Thanks for the well wishes.

41 is just 1/3 of what I can do on a full hatch. 

Several reasons I'm not going for a full hatch. 1 I beleave my main breeding roosters Barrack and Obama are not getting the job done, so I have them in with the Rhode Island Red run together. 2 My barred rock hens have not snapped back from a very severe molt. Giving them extra protien, added 3 hours of artificial light in the morning. Still only getting about 5 eggs a week out of 8 hens. And I have my up and coming roosters (still to young to make it count) Mitt and Romney in the run.

I have 15 replacement barred rock hens, that should be coming into production in April/May, I hope to improve my black sexlink breeding with these guys. Plus I have 5 barred rock roosters that will be going to work right about the same time. So I hope to add a 3rd breeding population to the existing sexlink and RIR populations.

The RIR hens are not up to full production potential either, but I'm getting 4-6 eggs a day out of 10 hens. Currently in 2 days I have 10 eggs on a turner (yes, I turn them while they wait to go in the incubator), should have 5 or 6 more tomorrow.


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## BuckeyeChickens

twentynine said:


> Thanks for the well wishes.
> 
> *.....I beleave my main breeding roosters Barrack and Obama are not getting the job done....*


Imagine that?!?! Having those names might be the reason they aren't getting the job done!!! 

Seriously, good luck with your 2013 hatch! I just set a batch of Buckeyes yesterday to test overall fertility and with any luck my first 2013 hatch will be in January as well.

Happy Hatching and Happy New Year!!!


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## twentynine

Day 3, saving eggs, only 13. Going to be hard to make 41 eggs in 7-10 days at this rate.

Just a little side note. My choice of names for my roosters is not to meant to be political it's just an easy way to remember names. I've had LBJ, Hubert (as in Humphrey), Ronald and Reagan, GW, on and on.


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## twentynine

18 set aside now.


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## twentynine

22 eggs now.


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## Energyvet

Big hatch coming up!


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## twentynine

30 now. I'm debating ether to wait until I have 41, which could be as long as Friday. Or: go with what I have this evening.


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## Energyvet

I vote keep going.


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## twentynine

Yep! That's what I decided. 

Hopefully I'll have 35 tomorrow, 40 on Thursday.

Interesting side note here. I purchased 20 barred rocks from a hatchery, they were delivered November 30. All in all I am not at all pleased with how they are shaping up. They are one weak legged bunch. I am having unprecedented leg failures. After watching them for a few days I have had to cull 6. I can pick out the ones that will fail. What I notice is the middle digit on one or both feet are unusually long on the failures.


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## Energyvet

Leg issues can be diet related. If you haven't already, I would contact the source and let them know. Vitamin deficiencies and excesses can cause leg and weakness problems. Too bad. It's so hard when they're chicks.


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## twentynine

Vitamin deficiencies!

Hey thanks Doc!

I was stumped. I have had them on a steady diet of named brand starter grower.

Very easy to use some sort of supplement. Eggs, milk, green veggies, I have all readily available.

Am I headed in the right direction


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## Energyvet

Get a different bag of food. Sometimes quality control sucks.


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## Sundancers

If you are going to change feed do so slowly ... mix 50/50 to start. IMO


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## piglett

i have to build a pen on 1 side of the coop
everyone has been sleeping around
as soon as i get that done i'll wait 3 weeks so no crosses & i'll start to pile up hatching eggs
going to put silkies, buff orpingtons & imported english orpingtons in my bator


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## twentynine

Energyvet said:


> Get a different bag of food. Sometimes quality control sucks.


Ok!
Yes! Now I fully understand your reply. It could be an excess of vitamins or a lack of vitamin. So supplements could make the problem worse. New bag it is.

35 eggs set aside now. I will set tomorrow with 41 or less.


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## Energyvet

Just a place to start. Honestly, I wouldn't wean though. If its bad food (aflatoxins etc.) then you want them off it ASAP. Even a fresher bag of the same brand from a different source or lot number could make all the difference.

That's my two cents worth.


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## piglett

twentynine said:


> Ok!
> 
> 35 eggs set aside now. I will set tomorrow with 41 or less.


we are doing a test hatch starting tonight (just 4 eggs)
we will see if this new bator is up to the job

piglett


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## twentynine

40 eggs started at 1300hrs.

Got a new bag of feed. 
Different brand. The brand I was using was more expensive, claimed to have animal protein plus 2% more protein overall. It was a named brand, and I've had good success with it in the past. 
And as Doc said its just a starting point, may not be the feed at all. Could be genetics, or as in my experience incubator temperature control.
I have in the past swapped feed back and forth without an issue. Never haver done the tapper on/off thing with chickens, they seem to be able to tolerate it better than for example horses.

Any how 40 started, all Rhode Island Red.


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## piglett

bator all set 
running at 99.5f


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## kaufranc

Good luck Piglett!


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## kaufranc

Good Luck twentynine!


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## Energyvet

Good luck you two!


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## piglett

thanks folks
i'll keep ya posted


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## twentynine

Yep thanks!

I'll post updates regularly.


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## twentynine

Temperature control is good, turner is turning, fan is fanning.


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## piglett

twentynine said:


> Temperature control is good, turner is turning, fan is fanning.


 my eggs are still in the bator
the cat hasn't removed them : )


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## twentynine

All signs are AOK.

I will probably candle Friday, so I will be giving an update then. Also, I believe I will have a deffinite idea on how good a job Barrck and Obama are doing.


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## twentynine

Candled this morning-- 1 dud.


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## piglett

twentynine said:


> Candled this morning-- 1 dud.


 did mine yesterday
1 is a question mark but that was only on day 7
i'll give it another go at day 10 i think


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## twentynine

5 days To hatch. All systems are go.


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## robopetz

Exciting!...


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## piglett

tomorrow i lock er down!


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## Energyvet

Woot woot. Getting ready for Spring!


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## piglett

Energyvet said:


> Woot woot. Getting ready for Spring!


between the 10 in the bator & the 5 under the broody i should soon have peeps


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## twentynine

Locked down yesterday. Pulled 3 quiters and marked 4 more that are suspect quiters.

All told I have 37 left in the incubator, 33 that I think are viable, so I'm hoping for 30. That would give me a 75% hatch rate. Not the best but not the worse by far.


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## robopetz

It's getting near, can't wait to hear all about them. 


I have button quails in now. It'll be my "first hatch for 2013" hahah. They are on day 5. So impatient here.


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## piglett

friday is hatch day !!!!


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## kaufranc

Everybody hatching babies! Can not wait for pictures!


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## robopetz

Yes, can't wait. Who else is on the "hatch" wagon? Lol


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## twentynine

Left for work this morning at 0400, checked the incubator.

I got a whole lotta pippin goin on! They is rockin and a rollin!

Quick inspection revealed about 10 eggs pippin.


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## twentynine

Message from my wife 2 out, bunch pippin.


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## kahiltna_flock

Very exciting!


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## robopetz

Oh too cute! These are the early birds? Lol


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## twentynine

9 out, 2 pipped and died.


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## twentynine

11 out, most everything viable is pipping,
Counting chickens before they hatch looks like 27 - 30


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## robopetz

Yay, and nay for the 2.


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## piglett

the windows in the bator are starting to "fog up"
so i'm guessing pip time is near???


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## Energyvet

So far so good. Lucky you with baby chicks.


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## robopetz

Just finished candling, day 6 now and saw another with veins n things in it lol. But saw 2 that was just all clear =\ 10 days till hatching, 8 days till lock down.


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## twentynine

19 out, some still pipping


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## twentynine

Looks like another low % hatch. 50-60%!

Well several factors may be involved.

Roosters, maybe one of'em ain't giving it his full attention.
Second, eggs were collected during a cold front, not cold to you up north types, but us coona$$ people, it was cold.
And-- the roosters were with the hens only 1 week before I started collecting eggs.

I am still not ruling out incubator problems, I'll get a better picture of what's going on when I do egg-topsies.


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## Mamachickof14

Really enjoyed reading all the excitement hatching your little ones...makes me want to try something?? Still need to learn alot more ...first! I'd love to do a Broody hen! Who knows??? Jen


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## twentynine

Go a head get an incubator. Becarefull however--- you can double the size of your flock in 21 days.


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## piglett

twentynine said:


> Looks like another low % hatch. 50-60%!
> 
> Well several factors may be involved.
> 
> Roosters, maybe one of'em ain't giving it his full attention.
> Second, eggs were collected during a cold front, not cold to you up north types, but us coona$$ people, it was cold.
> And-- the roosters were with the hens only 1 week before I started collecting eggs.
> 
> I am still not ruling out incubator problems, I'll get a better picture of what's going on when I do egg-topsies.


 your saying you ended up with a bunch of clear eggs?
or you had a bunch of eggs that didn't hatch?


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## twentynine

I'm saying I have/had 17 that did not hatch.

Eggtopsy on 4 eggs revealed 16-18 day chicks dead in the shell. Several pipped but failed to break out and died.

Looks like final count is 21 live hatch, 7 pips and died in the shell, 10 late incubation embryo/chick deaths, 3 clears removed at 10 days.


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## twentynine

Put'em in the brooder this morning--20. Equals 50% hatch rate.


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## Energyvet

Take what you can get! Still got 20 new babies.


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## 513

Ohhhh your making me broody! Think I need to wait a month yet...oh I'm not sure! Hmmm better start looking to buy some fertile eggs in uk!


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## robopetz

50% is still good. I candled last night on day 7 and I got so excited! I saw 3 of them with things growing and even saw them moving, cool! But the other 4 nothing =/ the 2nd batch of 8 eggs are only on day 2 so nothing from them yet.


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## twentynine

While I am thankful for both my 20 chicks and 50% hatch rate. I know that if not for some unknown reason I'd have 10-12 more chicks. My goal as a hobby breeder is to improve as I go, with this incubator it has been just the opposit, starting as high as 80%, now down to 50%. Obviously I have control issues in my incubator.

So I am going to see if I can secure the loan of a temperature chart recorder, so I can have a full profile of temperature 24 hours a day during the entire incubation period. This hatch I never saw the temperature vary more than 1*f. In the past I have had more temperature variance and better hatch rate. I am finding it very difficult to buy, borrow, beg or steal a TI, that can duplicate a reading. 

Today is clean out day for the incubator. I'll wash, sanitize and prepare for the next hatch. Monday, I'll start saving eggs again. My roosters, Barrack and Obama are doing their job, the hens are producing very nice eggs, so it's up to me to figure it out.

This next hatch I am going for pure RRI chicks off of Barrack and Obama, plus a BSL hatch off of my young, up and coming roosters, Mitt and Romney.


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## robopetz

Good luck to you and I hope you get it perfected. I've always loved to incubate its so exciting. I would do it as a hobby if I could but I just don't have the space right now for all the hatchlings, even if I was to sell them. Hopefully in the future. I'm doing button quails now as they are so tiny and I do have some room for those lil ones. Lol

As for my button quail eggs. I've discovered one of the females eggs are coming up all infertile while the other females eggs are all fertile. One is a dark brown color and the other is a silver. They both lay a different color egg so I'm able to tell who's who egg.


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## Energyvet

Seems that Roo has a preference. Lol


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## robopetz

Lol yes! I just realized something reading this.... My buttons all came from the same breeder. There is a possibility they are from the same clutch. Is it ok if they are? Being that they are mating and I'm about to hatch some? Hmm


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## piglett

well out of the 10 i put in the bator to do a test 1 was no good (nothing in it)
& the other 9 all hatched out









i also hired a trained chick watcher so no need for me to watch them every second ))))


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## Energyvet

What's the trained chick watcher? I'm missing the joke I think. <<sorry>>


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## Energyvet

That's a 90% hatch rate too!


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## piglett

Energyvet said:


> That's a 90% hatch rate too!


well only 9 of those eggs could have ever hatched so some would say it's a 100% hatch .

i was just making a little joke about the cat (1/2 grown) watching the chicks. she sure enjoys watching them. when she is not doing that she is sleeping next to the woodstove.


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## kaufranc

Congrats Piglett ! They are so cute! I love the cat! They are so curious!


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## Energyvet

I can't tell. Is your cat in the photos? I have 6 cats too. They're pretty good with birds as they have all grown up with my silly conure (and other parrots) who roam the kitchen and guard the recycling bin. I really think the term bird brain fits my conure. He's a little out there. Lol


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## BuckeyeChickens

piglett said:


> well only 9 of those eggs could have ever hatched so some would say it's a 100% hatch .
> 
> i was* just making a little joke about the cat* (1/2 grown) watching the chicks. she sure enjoys watching them. when she is not doing that she is sleeping next to the woodstove.


Loved the cat pic you posted piglet!

Just started my 2013 "test hatch"....put 240 eggs in the bator and have my fingers crossed!  Buckeyes, Dom's, Games and Black Australorps are cooking...i'm looking forward to spring, this cold weather lately stinks!!!


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## piglett

BuckeyeChickens said:


> Loved the cat pic you posted piglet!
> 
> Just started my 2013 "test hatch"....put 240 eggs in the bator and have my fingers crossed!  Buckeyes, Dom's, Games and Black Australorps are cooking...i'm looking forward to spring, this cold weather lately stinks!!!


240 eggs man that is a bunch of butts to check for poop once they all hatch


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## robopetz

Happy and excited to announce that all have hatched and are drying in the bator right now. One was faced the opposite direction and needed assistance due to not being able to zipp in that position.


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## Energyvet

Happy day for you! Babies!


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## robopetz

Thank you! 

They are soo tiny and too cute!!!!!!


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## 513

They certainly are! Fantastic and congratulations!


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## kaufranc

Wow Robo! They are so small! Are you going to keep them?


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## robopetz

I am goin to keep all females and one male of the 11 of them lol


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## twentynine

Going back to my last set of post on this thread.

I think I happen upon the reason for my poor hatch rate.

When I was candling on day ten the bulb in my candler burned out. I had like a 15w in there but only had a 60w to replace it with. When I candled on day 18 I noticed the candler got very hot, I think I overheated or burned the chick in the egg when I candled them.


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