Chicks no more

[Ketchup]

Well, today was day 22 for our eggs in the incubator. Haven’t seen any activity so decided to open it and candle all 27. Not a single one was fertile. 
 

One of 2 things happened. I had the humidity all jacked up the first week, and temp at 95.5 which i should have had it at 101 during that time. Humidity was at 45% and should have been 65%.  
 

Or, i have 2 roosters that are a year old that weren’t born with stuff in their nuts. 
 

Just loaded it back up with 16. I will make sure the things i can control with be on target. 
 

Another 21 days here we come. 

[jdmidwest]

I would candle them after a week and see if anything is going on.

Have you seen the roosters taking care of their part of the bargain?

[tjm]

You can candle them at 7 days and again at 14 days but that only tells you that the egg is growing, if you eggs start out dead they will stay dead.

 Break some eggs on a plate  and check the fertility. The whitish spot should look like a disk if not fertile and should look like a ring or bull's eye if fertile.

I hatched quite a number of eggs in a still air incubator over the years and never once measured humidity and the temperature can vary from like 96F-103F and the eggs still hatch, just a bit slower or faster than 21 days. I doubt very much that either is your problem.

Blastoderm is what you are looking for either do a search or see  this for illustration https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures.16008/

[Ketchup]

1 hour ago, jdmidwest said:

I would candle them after a week and see if anything is going on.

Have you seen the roosters taking care of their part of the bargain?

We did about a dozen at day 7, and thought i seen veins. 
 

Oh yeah, they are very active. 

[Ketchup]

25 minutes ago, tjm said:

You can candle them at 7 days and again at 14 days but that only tells you that the egg is growing, if you eggs start out dead they will stay dead.

 Break some eggs on a plate  and check the fertility. The whitish spot should look like a disk if not fertile and should look like a ring or bull's eye if fertile.

I hatched quite a number of eggs in a still air incubator over the years and never once measured humidity and the temperature can vary from like 96F-103F and the eggs still hatch, just a bit slower or faster than 21 days. I doubt very much that either is your problem.

Blastoderm is what you are looking for either do a search or see  this for illustration https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures.16008/

Good info. I will do that. 

[Terrierman]

The speckled sussex hen is in the family way.  Sitting on five eggs for the last few days with only a few minutes break to get a drink and something to eat.  Assuming she succeeds in hatching any is there anything special needed?  Chickens have been making chicks on their own for quite a while now so wondering if any assistance will be needed.  Thanks for any advice from our chicken experts.

Google says just wait if she's eating and drinking which she is.  And she will take care of them after they hatch, I just need to keep chick starter and water where chicks can get to it.   Sounds almost too easy.  Is it?  How do they get in and out of the chicken house and the nest box, which is well above the wire mesh floor of the house?

[tjm]

You'll have better luck at chick survival if you move mama to a isolated  pen that the other birds can't get too, left free  the hen would hide her nest and not introduce the chicks to the flock until they are big enough to survive the "Pecking Order" initiation. I put setting hens into the feed room from before hatching  until the chicks are flying and then give her and them day time outdoor access. If there are two other adult chickens in the same pen as newly hatched chicks, the mother hen won't be able to defend the babies and they often get pecked fatally or chased to exhaustion, in my experience.

[Terrierman]

1 hour ago, tjm said:

You'll have better luck at chick survival if you move mama to a isolated  pen that the other birds can't get too, left free  the hen would hide her nest and not introduce the chicks to the flock until they are big enough to survive the "Pecking Order" initiation. I put setting hens into the feed room from before hatching  until the chicks are flying and then give her and them day time outdoor access. If there are two other adult chickens in the same pen as newly hatched chicks, the mother hen won't be able to defend the babies and they often get pecked fatally or chased to exhaustion, in my experience.

Thanks, I'll try to get something figured out before it's getting close to hatching time.  I've got a carport that the birds hang out in now.  They like to kick up gravel on the lawnmowers and sit on the tiller.  I can fix her up with a covered 4'x4' dog exercise pen, a nest box and food and water under there.  It's on the north side of the shop and well out of the weather.  So that should work right? 

The next question is should that move happen soon or closer to hatching time assuming she stays on the nest?  Any tips on moving her and the eggs/nest?  I'm thinking take her off the nest, move to her new home then move the nest and eggs intact into a new box to then put in with her?

[tjm]

I have put hen and nesting material with eggs into a nest sized cardboard box to move her and kept it on it's side  covered loosely for a few hours til she settles. They generally like a closed in private area with no threats, so usually settle down quickly. I just leave them in that box with one flap closing the bottom of the opening.  Moving the hen at night might make it easier. As to  when to make the move, I'd do within the first two weeks of setting and she might be more apt to stay set if given privacy sooner. I've actually never had great luck at keeping the laying breeds on a nest, lots did well for 15-17 days and then just walked away. Banties and game hens make better mothers, but you have what you have and  the  internet says speckled sussex are good mothers too.

Look up "backyardchickens.com", it's a forum community like this for hobby chicken people and has some really good information on most things chicken.  I just know what I can remember on a given day, some days not too much.

[Ketchup]

Terrierman, tjm gave you great advice. I have tried to move hens that started sitting and never had one that would set after relocating. After a day or 2 they just leave the nest. Not sure why as it was within the same yard they lived. Crazy beasts. 
 

Better 1/2 left Saturday to go on a girls day and came home with 5 Araucana chicks a-few days old. She has them in a good sized plastic tub here in the livingroom. Those little rascals fly up and sit on the side of the tub, but won’t fly onto the floor. They do jump back down into the tub tho. 
 

We currently have 2 incubators going with 38 eggs total. Not sure these will be any better than the last attempt but we shall see.