# NOT HATCHING



## Bedste (Oct 20, 2012)

Is anyone having any success hatching eggs in an incubator?  I finally stopped trying...  4 times I set 42 eggs and 1 or 2 hatched.  In 12 weeks I had 6 chicks all who turned out to be roosters.  A friend of mine down south has had the same experience.    We have both been hatching 70 % before this.  I wonder how wide spread this is.  Is there something new in the laying pellets that might be making my chickens sterile?


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 20, 2012)

Doubt its the pellets.

Whats the humdity? 
When do you go into lockdown? 18 days, correct?
Is you're friends and your rooster's from the same person / hatchery? (they could have fertility issues) 

I'll think of more... later... lol.


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## BrownSheep (Oct 21, 2012)

I actually was talking to a breeder this year who said that hatching rates have been off all across the country this year. Mine were as good as they ever were. But I don't hatch out many batches.


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## RemudaOne (Oct 21, 2012)

I don't know about haching from incubators but if you want to check fertility, you could break open some of the eggs and look for the bulls eye. I only set seven eggs under a hen this year (they hatched 8/26/12), five hatched and I have four roosters . 

If you have a broody hen, try putting some eggs under her. If your hatch rate is better, you'll know it's not a fertility issue.


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## bonbean01 (Oct 21, 2012)

Hmmm...that's interesting that you and others are not getting good hatch rates.  I am an addict with our little incubator and have hatched many quail and bantam eggs in the past.  Was waiting for spring to incubate Rhode Island Red eggs for the first time, but I can't wait and will start collecting eggs for the incubator instead of the fridge today...stupid I know since winter is on the way, but I have the itch...LOLOL...now I'm wondering if they just do better in spring and summer than fall and winter?  I'll let you know how my attempt goes.

At about 10 days I candle and check for fertility with my bizarre small bright flashlight in the dark...if they are fertile, no need to keep turning them by hand and out they go.  In the past very few from a batch of 20 are not fertile, but who knows about these new chickens?

I turn them by hand 5 times a day for the first 10 days, then 3 times a day for the remaining time.  I check temperature and humidity so many times a day that I haven't counted how many times a day...LOLOL...and of course incubating now means more work with chicks with heat lamps.  Kinda nuts but it's been so long since I've fired up the incubator


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## Bedste (Oct 21, 2012)

Yes I know about the humidity and turning them by hand and all.  I have hatched successfully for several years with about 70% hatch.  This year is the first ever problem.


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## bonbean01 (Oct 21, 2012)

No clue why that would be...I'll keep you posted on how my batch goes...keeping fingers crossed


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## Bedste (Oct 21, 2012)

when did you set them?  When are they due?  What state do you live in?


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## CrazyCatNChickenLady (Oct 21, 2012)

I usually do pretty good with the incubator and avarage a batch every 3 months or so. We moved in april and I haven't set a batch here yet, but I finally set some eggs yesterday!! 3 weeks! I'm hoping for at least 50% hatch rate.. I cant keep 20 chicks but 8-10 would be better..!


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## ragdollcatlady (Oct 21, 2012)

If you are feeding GMO corn or soy you may find reproductive problems. Farm animals and lab animals in studies have severe fertility, reproductive and behavior problems. 

If you look for Genetic Roulette the book or DVD has tons of studies and real peoples experiences with GMO problems. 

I had problems with aggressive birds and cannibalism this year for the first time. My birds were not crowded, were fed adequately and otherwise healthy. I got them 4 different sources and I hatched some and bought some as day olds. I tried to increase protein since feather picking and cannibalism  can be caused by a deficiency but it didn't help. The only thing I did differently this year was try to switch over to whole grains sooner, to get off the processed foods (poultry crumbles). When I saw the DVD and started reading that book a light went on...I was feeding a scratch that contained corn. I switched to oats, wheat and milo for my free range birds and they are fine....I did destroy (ate) the cannibalistic and mean birds though because if it has a genetic component, I don't want to perpetuate horrible traits into the future.

I have had great hatch rates all year, though I regularly have a harder time if the temp in the house fluctuates too much. 

I have had chickens for many years and my kids show in the local fairs, regularly winning blue ribbons and Best of divisions with a few Best  and Reserve of shows. Our birds are usually in really good condition and well cared for, so the issues this year threw me for a loop. I hatch nearly all year in my incubator and haven't had any fertility issues though. 

PS the only birds I had a problem with were the new babies hatched or bought this year...all my older birds were fine, but everyone is on corn and soy free now. Almost all my birds are free range as well.


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## Southern by choice (Oct 21, 2012)

I also wonder about the GMO issue. It's so depressing and most people don't know anything about it so they look at you funny and roll their eyes. Oh well...
I've been looking at other options too but I feed roughly 30 lbs a day now, up from 25 lbs, and all my birds are free-range. 

I have not had any of these issues, as a matter of fact the birds have flippin' nest everywhere and I mean everywhere!   Just about every week I have a new clutch coming out of the woods.   Had over 60 modern games bantams last month.   We don't do any planned breeding in the summer fall so the roos are everywhere. January the roos will be segregated to another building and fenced area to prepare for breeding/hatching season. We are always looking for nests but the chickens are sneaky!!!!

I don't know about the incubator issues though, we only use it when necessary and we generally have 90% hatch. The only time we had a bad hatch was with eggs that came from penned birds. There has been a good deal of research on free range birds and higher fertility rates. Just wondering if your birds are caged, penned, or pastured. I find the chicks are always more robust when hatched and raised by momma. Their growth far exceeds artificial raising. At least here anyway, not sure of others experiences. I also like two different thermometers/hygrometers in the incubator because I noticed the auto settings were not as good as when the incubator was brand new. We only have a small incubator. It's a GQF Genesis hovabator 1588 I will be purchasing a cabinet style after the new year but I'm not sure which one to get, I'm thinking of a Brinsea. 

Just wondering if some of this is by region.


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## bonbean01 (Oct 21, 2012)

Ahhhh...was talking to hubby about how this year we seem to have some "evil" hens, but the RIR are new to us, so thought it might be that breed.  Then told him about this thread and we wondered if our layer pellets have had a recipe change?  NEVER thought of the fact that GMO corn and soy would probably be in the feed now.  That could be the reason for sure!!!!

I'm in Northeast Mississippi and we get freezes at night and a few days of freezing as well, but no many.  Today we set up a brooding place in the shed where we can use heat lamps, but no baby chicks go out of my garage until fully feathered and have an easily temp controlled brooding pen where I can fuss over them 

I just started collecting eggs today from the hens I want chicks from and will collect for up to 3 days (only 3 hens in with a rooster right now...rest are without a rooster) and then get the incubtor going and probably set them in there Wednesday...never let collected eggs go for more than 4 days before incubating.

I totally hate that GMO corn and soy are in the food chain...and some say we've been eating it from grocery stores for several years...and of course if it is being sold for humans, it figures it would be in livestock feeds


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## TGreenhut (Oct 21, 2012)

These year I have been getting tons of roosters. Out of 7 silkies, 5 were roosters. Out of 10 laying mix breeds, all 10 were roosters!! Gahhh, I don't know what's up this year! I'm ending up with so many roosters that I'm not even making any money this year. I don't want so many roosters so I try selling them, no one else seems to want to buy them so I end up giving them away for free. :/


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 21, 2012)

TGreenhut said:
			
		

> These year I have been getting tons of roosters. Out of 7 silkies, 5 were roosters. Out of 10 laying mix breeds, all 10 were roosters!! Gahhh, I don't know what's up this year! I'm ending up with so many roosters that I'm not even making any money this year. I don't want so many roosters so I try selling them, no one else seems to want to buy them so I end up giving them away for free. :/


Butcher 'em, and sell fresh whole chicken, YUM. 

I know that hens who hatch out eggs, as a thumb of rule, hatch out more hens. Anyone hatch out any chicks out of a hen? I have, but s/he isn't grown yet, and has barely feathers (18 days) so I think its a roo, but unsure yet still.


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## ragdollcatlady (Oct 21, 2012)

> we seem to have some "evil" hens, but the RIR are new to us


I had a few RIR one year and disliked their high strung personalities so I ate them. I have a very strong preference for mellow breeds so I love my Cochins, Faverolles, D Anvers and Silkies. I have some Marans and Americanas that are naturally flightier and a little higher energy but not mean. Some breeds are just programmed to be a little different. 

If you end up with too many roosters you can also offer 1/2 free if someone will come to you and butcher your half for you....If I can't sell my extra boys I butcher them myself. I nearly cry when I have to butcher pure bred, nicely typed, gorgeous roosters just because no one around here wants them. I would gladly pay $10 for any of the beautiful boys I offer for sale way before I kept a hatchery/feed store rooster even for a mixed flock. But C'est La Vie!


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## TGreenhut (Oct 21, 2012)

CochinBrahmaLover=) said:
			
		

> TGreenhut said:
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The 10 laying mix breeds that turned out to be roosters were all hatched by a mother hen.....


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 21, 2012)

TGreenhut said:
			
		

> CochinBrahmaLover=) said:
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 Wow. Cull her, shes a bad mom,, LOL. Wow, thats a lot of roosters esp. for a hen hatch,


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## bonbean01 (Oct 21, 2012)

When I was incubating and hatching out quail and bantam eggs (and did hundreds of both...yeah...I'm addicted and each and every hatch is a miracle to me...sap that I am) was pretty close to a 50/50 for hens and roosters.

The girls with the rooster today did not all lay...they probably heard I was wanting to incubate eggs and are being ornery...LOLOL...however many I get by Wednesday will go into the incubator and I'll see what happens.

The RIR rooster and hens are pretty calm with the humans and when a hen is getting picked on, I notice that the rooster does not participate...just the hens...someone just gave us two young roosters...a RIR and a game rooster crossed with something else?  Wondering what I'd get crossing the game cross with them?  Would love to get more Golden Comets...just not sure what is best breed to cross with the RIR hens to get that?


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## bonbean01 (Oct 21, 2012)

p.s.... just wondering...why would incubating vs hen hatching make a difference in the sex of the chicks?  Am I missing something?


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## Southern by choice (Oct 21, 2012)

Brooded by mom or incubator we generally get 50/50. BUT it seems when the chicks are running around all "willy nilly" it is always and I mean always the females that get stepped on (usually "D") or eaten. When the possums and coons come... always the girls!
D used to play with marbles and "catch" them under his paws and the marble would "disappear" in his big pads... so he likes to do this "play with the baby chicks" the same way! UGH  He never eats them. 
All of my "oops" cockerals are going to be butchered, once slaughtered I plan on practicing how to caponize so that no bird will ever go to waste. 
I wonder if the age of the chickens(males) are determining the ratio of M/F. All of my roos are under 2 years. I log everything so this will be interesting to collect the data and see what happens. I know..there are too many variables, but it is always fun to collect data!


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## bonbean01 (Oct 21, 2012)

LOL Southern...glad you record it all...I am doing well to file important papers before our dogs shred them 

I read about caponizing after you mentioned it before...yikes...decided it was not for me...is there a pain killer you can give them before you do it????  I'm a bit too squeamish to try it myself, but hope you'll keep us updated when you try it!!!!  Sounds like people do well with it...and you'd mentioned you'd practice on dead roosters first.  Let us know!


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 21, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> p.s.... just wondering...why would incubating vs hen hatching make a difference in the sex of the chicks?  Am I missing something?


OK I'm not 100% sure on it, however I've heard from a lot of longtail breeders hens brooding have more hens, but its kinda like why chicks with a mom grow faster... We can give them the same type of home, same food, same breeds, but the chick with the hen tends to grow faster. Kinda biological thing I think


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## Southern by choice (Oct 21, 2012)

Bon bean- There are cinnamon queens, red sex links, golden comets and production reds, as I'm sure you already know. Some people do use the names interchangeably, although there are certain specific matings for each one. We breed a RIR roo over a Delaware Hen for "red- sex links" some people call them comets, I guess it depends on what site you look at or what book you read. RIR roo over Barred rock for black sex link. Some people do a RIR over White rocks but you need the silver gene to produce the actual color difference at hatch. I've seen many different combos. I've not heard of incubated vs. brooded  birds having any bearing on sex. 

These things would be so fun to study! Maybe I will do a more in depth log of daily temps, ages, breeding schedules, and incubated vs brooded. I will just have to be very organized.


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 21, 2012)

Southern by choice said:
			
		

> Bon bean- There are cinnamon queens, red sex links, golden comets and production reds, as I'm sure you already know. Some people do use the names interchangeably, although there are certain specific matings for each one. We breed a RIR roo over a Delaware Hen for "red- sex links" some people call them comets, I guess it depends on what site you look at or what book you read. RIR roo over Barred rock for black sex link. Some people do a RIR over White rocks but you need the silver gene to produce the actual color difference at hatch. I've seen many different combos. I've not heard of incubated vs. brooded  birds having any bearing on sex.
> 
> These things would be so fun to study! Maybe I will do a more in depth log of daily temps, ages, breeding schedules, and incubated vs brooded. I will just have to be very organized.


I agree with ya on that. Next year I need to get 2-3 broodies then fire up the bator, it'll be a perfect project


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## Southern by choice (Oct 23, 2012)

Bedste-  The other day 2 of our LGD pups killed one of our EE's. That EE had been piling up eggs in a nest, she obviously had not gone to sitting on them yet, just laying. After  some thought we decided to go ahead and put them in the incubator. I know there's no way they will all hatch. I absolutely do not need another chick around here, mutts at that, but this could be interesting based on all the discussions on your thread.  

 There are *19* pretty green eggs! We literally pulled the bator out of the closet,turned it on, put some water in it and put the eggs on the racks. We do have the auto-turner. I have not adjusted temps or anything, it is not in a temp stable location. Night 1, no vessels. Candled them yesterday(day3 i think) and vessels are forming. It is very hard to see through the green shells!

I thought it would be interesting to see how this goes, seeing how all summer and even now the birds are producing so much and sitting/brooding like crazy. I've noticed on some of the outdoor broodies the first 1-2 eggs they lay don't hatch. I don't necessarily think it is because they are older because some may only lay a total of 5-6. I am wondering if ageing the eggs for about 5 days might help. 

These eggs were in temps as high as 80 day and 40 night. You have me thinking about next years hatching...


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## bonbean01 (Oct 23, 2012)

Southern...you just mentioned something I had not thought of...I candle eggs...but those were white bantam eggs...this year it is RIR brown eggs...nuts...bet I won't be able to candle them 

I'm setting up my little cheapie incubator today and eggs go in tonight.  I do it in our garage/converted to office and doggie home and helps keep the temp consistent.  I do the X and O pencil marks on them and turn by hand.  Will only set a small number of them for first go around with the RIR eggs...also because winter is coming and I'll be keeping them in here until they are fully feathered in my inside brooder before moving them to the shed larger brooder.  Amazing how much poop they manage at that size, so didn't want too much of that for too long in here.


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## Southern by choice (Oct 23, 2012)

I had some penedasenca eggs and you couldn't see anything. I had to pick each one up and smell them to make sure they weren't bad and rotting. Maybe someone has an idea of how to better candle dark eggs. 

Honestly if all19 are growing I will  then  then  

I'm already growing up future breeders... 48 in my nursery buiding, all <1month old.


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## Bedste (Oct 23, 2012)

I hope they all hatch!  I do not have any broody hens....  not sure why.  I used to have three or four .   Thanks for all the comments.  So glad that some of you are still able to hatch.


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## Southern by choice (Oct 23, 2012)

Bedste- I sent you a pm


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## Bedste (Nov 6, 2012)

My chickens were diagnosed with Mereks disease and all were culled yesterday....  Very sad day..... but now onward and upward and looking forward to clean fresh start...

Texas A&M said it came from chicks purchased at the local feed stores or the chicken show.  He said ONLY buy chicks from an authorized hatchery.  He also said even walking through a chicken show at your local fair you should change clothes and dispose of your shoes before going home to your birds.  Auuuggghh!


God Bless Southern by choice for all the moral support and prayers!  :/


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