I still have 6 of the fertile small quail eggs, plus 4 of
the big ones. I think all left in the bator are fertile and growing ok.
With shipped eggs, there's no gaurantee, but all the feedback
I've read, most people hope for a 50% hatch rate, I guess
for any given reason.
Cont. Homemade bator (thread was getting too long)
Well I am glad you have the other 6! My chicks are already flying around! I wish I would have just done all the eggs at one time. Now I am going to have to go buy another feeder and waterer for these guys coming on Friday. Or I wonder if they will get along after they are a few days old. Gimpy is 3 days younger then my first 4...and they seem to handle him just fine. Maybe I will give it a shot as it would be much easier.
i think it would be good to have a woman in charge as well we hve our first female deputy prime minister she is econd incharge if somthin happens to the pm she gets the top job
I'm planning on keeping mine seperate, specially since
there will be more than a week between them. I have
already noticed with my brood, that the little ones just
can't compete with the bigger, and they're the same age.
may princess tammy keep up.
After reading your last post on your thread I will keep mine seperate at least for a couple weeks. I know that my last chicks hit a stage (around 6 weeks) where they just stayed the same size it seemed for a long time. I will put wire mesh between mine as well so they will all know each other though. I stop turning mine today!
I did get to move 2 eggs back to the 'good' pile last night. So I have 7 of the ten still doing well....those other three I am just not happy with. I will find out what happened after the hatch is done.
Ah, the relief of not having to turn eggs, anymore. Also,
knowing you have done everything you can for them- now
it's up to mother nature. Good luck with this hatch, mel.
We will be a wealth of knowledge with all these hatches!
I have noticed there are lots of folks here hatching and
sharing all they know. It's great.
may princess tammy share her wealth..
Oh it IS great! I have learned more here they the total of all the years I read books, and searched online. I wish I had found this site years ago.
I guess all good things in time, huh? It came along at a perfect
time. I was ready to jump in, here i am!
may princess tammy have someone type for her..
My goodness. So my chicks that were due to start hatching this morning are taking FOREVER! We have one that pipped a couple hours ago...but going slow! No one else has pipped yet...out of 9 other eggs (6 of which I predict will hatch).
Update, please Mel!!
Got my fingers crossed for a good hatch.
((((Mel))))
I am SO upset! the first (and only) chick that pipped never got out. He was going slow, but fine when I went to sleep. I woke up around 2am and there was no movement. I peeled away a small part of the membrane to find he wasn't breathing. It was then I realized that the membrane had not yet been punchured. Parts of the shell had come off...but he was still closed inside. I am guessing that means he suffocated. But why didnt he get the membrane open if he was strong enough to get the shell cracked?
I figured several of the other eggs would be at least a day late due to their slower developement, but not sure why. I candled my OEG egg and there was still movement and she has a HUGE air sac...wonder why. I guess only time will tell.
Update...I decided to open the shell and see if I could find out what happened to this chick. When I open the egg I found the ENTIRE egg yolk was attached and out on the outside of the body. I could post a picture...but not sure if that is needed. Let me know if you want to see. Maybe he still did suffocate? I dont know...that membrane was SO thin.
I'm so sorry Mel there is such difficulty with this hatch.
I'm going to do some reading tonight to see if I can
learn why from what you've relayed. Please update sometime today if you can.
Sending little chickie prayers.
may princess tammy have a good hatch!
I'm sorry too. It seems that every time things go really well the first time, the next time the challenges, and I suppose the learning curve, rise up to confound you. I didn't lose a single chick with my first order. My second is due Wedneday and I really am anticipating problems. I hope the rest of your hatch goes well and you can soon post beautiful chicky pictures.
I really hope so too. We still seem to think the chick may have suffocated...but I woudl think that at least PART of the yolk would be inside the belly already before it started to hatch...but the entire yolk was on the outside. I blame myself know and think I should have poked a hole in that membrane...but I didnt want to disrupt god's way if he wasn't ready to breath fresh air yet.
no one else has pipped STILL...but my OEG egg is still moving. ANother egg has a HUGE air sac still...I hope I get at least a couple...but I am not very hopefull.
You know you really didn't want to help that little chickie
out of his shell, did you? I mean, letting nature take care
of things is always best, right? If that little chick grew up
to carry on his genes, then those eggs would have a hard
time hatching, too. Then, the sad reality of 'not the tuffest'
would be revisited again. Storey's guide lists one possible
cause as the styrofoam incubator itself. In an examination
of effective incubators, it says that successive hatch rates
in styrofoam diminish with time, due to sanitation issues.
I would think one could get a styro bator pretty darn clean,
but Storey's has a lot of good info throughout that I have found
pretty reliable. Another cause listed is the age of the hen
laying the eggs. And, one other it keeps going back to is
humidity levels throughout the hatch. I know you have been
so great at keeping things in the best conditions as
possible, so maybe it is just a learning curve, and there are
good hatches and ones a little more challenging. Try not to
get too discouraged, as you are a Great surrogate Mom!
may princess tammy have plenty of patience.
truest: what you report about probems with re-used styrofoam incubators is very interesting. I was already thinking that it would be very simple to just re-build the incubator with a new cooler each time. What takes time is getting all the other bits together--the incubator itself takes about 10 minutes to build. You would then have to recalibrate the humidity and temp, but that is pretty easy too once you have the bits. I think you are right and mcamden's chick was probably just not viable--but it is heartbreaking to have come so far and then lose him. I keep wondering why something as intensely alive as a chicken is so vulnerable to predation and early death. I've decided that they are so aware and responsive that they experience more in each minute of life than I can imagine. It is one of the things that makes them so wonderful to have around.
I had planned on using a new cooler each time...but we havent been able to get our hands on more of these Omaha steaks coolers (even though the company is here in Omaha!). I am still hoping for at least 2 more chicks!
I know what you mean about finding the right cooler. The ones that mail-order steaks come in are really solid and seem ideal for incubating. On the other hand, the Guerilla Incubator sites shows the kind of incubator you get at a convenience store--sort of tall and flimsy, but easy to replace. Go chicks! Go!
STILL nothing! I am convinced that I am not going to get a single chick out of this. The thing I dont understand is how 7 of the 10 eggs can fully develope (and there was movement up until they filled the eggs) and then all of a sudden something goes wrong. I would think if it was due to the container being unclean ect...that they would have had problems well before now. Oh well...I guess I am just done for this year. :(
dont give up hope i have had an egg hatch on day 25 the others didnt make it but that one did
Well we are on day 23 today...and still nothing. I looked in the eggs yesterday again...huge air sacs! I just dont think any will hatch, but I will leave them a couple more days just in case.
feeling for you! none of ours hatched. time to clean the inucbator and try again this week. meanwhile we were able to buy some Black Australorp chicks locally, but they weren't sexed, so we had to get twice as many LOL.
hang in there and DON'T GIVE UP!
hugs,
tf
Yeah...we have to go out of town a couple more times before the wedding in May...so I think we may just have to buy some day olds at the local farm and home when they come in. Hate to do it...buy may as well...then start again next year.
I'm sorry this setting is so far disappointing, Mel. :-( It could
be a couple reasons, not just the bator. Don't give up! I
understand about the having to be away part, and wanting them
to have plenty of time to mature in a season. Blanca's eggs
are due to hatch Wednesday, and for chickens, that will be it
for us this year. The quail only take 6 weeks to mature, so I
will be trying more of those.
May princess tammy have a great monday.
Well I am going to keep rooting for yours eggs! Last night I saw movement in the OEG chick egg! But...still nothing. I guess I will look again tonight. I thought they were developing very slowly...but it wouldnt make sence that one would be on time (although didnt survive) and the rest would be so late. If I dont get any of these chicks I will not be too sad. It just means that I can go buy some new and different breeds at the farm store. At least Easter is early this year so I can get them sooner then later. :)
Yeah, it's disheartening to be so close and so far away at
the same time. I would be excited about new different breeds
myself. :-) I worry about Blanca's eggs, because the quail
hatched on Sunday-Monday, leaving some debris in the
bator. I removed the cracked eggs, but can't get everything.
A quail site I checked out (i looked and a bunch!) said it was
ok to brood them together. I couldn't imagine timing them to
hatch at the same time, I am thinking the chicks would smush
the quail. I don't know exactly when the chicks will start to hatch
as I kept the temp more even for 99.5* since the quail were my
first concern. I think the chickens eggs are kept a bit higher?
may princess tammy's eggs hatch on time.
M & truest, have you seen this?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/814328/
i'm in!
tf
I DID see it....but it is too late for me to be doing more eggs this year. With my wedding coming up in May and a trip to Mexico this summer...I will have to wait until next year. :( But the farm and home center should have chicks coming in in about 3 weeks or less...so we will get some barred rocks and something else from there I think.
Hey...at least i have income coming in these days! I started up my cleaning service again since I lost my job and after only 4 days of having my site up and running I have set up 5 contracts! Some are one timers...but that is where the money is. :) So I wont be around here as much as I have been.
ALso...I think my eggs in the bator are just done. Still nothing has happened and we are on day 25 now. I think tomorrow I will remove them, and possible look inside to see what happened during development.
yeah, i need to do that too. been sick & haven't had the nerve/stomach for it...
Eeeewwwww. Day 25 eggs. At least you can see what
possibly went wrong with them, and also get some good
birds from the feed store. Yes, Mel, you will have your hands
full with wedding particulars, and we won't have you as much.
So sad, so sad. But- Hey! You really helped all of us learn so
much from sharing your bator with us! Thank you! :o) And, the best of luck with your cleaning business. I personally prefer working for
myself. I don't think I could generate the huge bucks, but it's
got a lot of perks!
may princess tammy be self employed.
I hope you feel better soon, Tamara. Lots of people have
been sick over the last couple of months that I 'talk' with here.
I hope you have a healthy spring, and no more sickies.
may princess tammy have the best health ever.
I know...I know...they will be HORRIBLE especially since 3 of them went bad around day 15! Hahaha... I will do it outside if it warms up just a bit. I am expecting to see several stages of growth since I know they were all doing well the first 2 weeks or so. I guess we will see!
If you plan to show us what happened, be sure to post a
disclaimer for the faint of heart! LOL :o)
may princess tammy have a cast iron stomach.
Yeah...not sure I will post pictures. Maybe if all the embryos had two heads! Hahahaha...Dont worry. I may explain what i find if I think it will be helpful...but otherwise I will keep the views to myself.
thanks!
i think it would be intresting to see
well, i had a couple of rotten eggs with black yolks and green whites. i just couldn't see well in them and iddn't want to toss them. i will be more careful next time. and then two had very tiny embryos. probably just no tenough humidity. think i got it handlesd this time.
Mel, what day were yours supposed to hatch? just curious...
Mine were supposed to hatch last Friday. :( I am sure they will be really awful. I had movement in one egg Sunday night...but it stopped on Monday, and nothing has happened.
So I did it...I opened the eggs. As I suspected 3 of the 10 had not made it past the second week. However...the other 7 made it to be fully formed, with all their feathers and toes. I am still so confused. They all looked so perfect. My OEG chick did have some weird yellow stuff around the body and that was the thinest shell...maybe that one embryo had issues that killed the rest? But why would they all form completely and THEN not hatch? My BSL chick looked just like mom...all black. :( So sad.