Bad Hatch

How majorly disappointing. I had the incubator going and the temp was doing great, humidity was doing great, I was remembering to turn the eggs 3 times a day and many times 4. I have no idea why I've had such a bad hatch. BUMMER!

I know the eggs that were shipped from FL took a horrible ride here and the box was really banged up with all 4 corner-edges and 8 corners looking like it was bounced on all and had a dent along one side of the box. Football game while it was taking 5 full days to get here?? Scrambled eggs? Most like damaged air cells. I got 1 chick from the 2 dozen eggs. :( I don't even want to know the % of hatch.

The other 2 dozen eggs came from much closer but were still shipped. I have 2 chicks from them. NONE of the banty eggs hatched which was definitely a disappointment. I had a lot of hopes for the cochins to hatch as the gal has laced cochins. This was really a bummer as there were 3 eggs pipped yesterday that stopped progressing. I hoped that helping them would be beneficial and carefully opened the air cell end to give them a boost but I think they may be dead. I'm not seeing any movement. They are 3 brown eggs so were hopefully cochins. DISAPPOINTMENT!

I had a few eggs of my own I stuck in and 4 hatched. This group did the best of all. Two look to be Black Cochins. I am pretty sure that 2 of them will be Cochin x Orpington as they are yellow chicks with a touch of black on the tips of the wings and only a feather or 2 on the legs. These 2 pipped and weren't making progress so I did open the top of the shell so they could exit easier. They still had a hard time and took so darned long the membrane was drying to them. They did pull through but they are pathethic looking at the moment. Their fluff is still mostly glued to their body except what they've been able to loosen and fluff on their fronts. Their wings are able to move and stretch and have a bit less "glue down". I don't know what to do to help them with the rest. I'd love to "bathe" them but I'm afraid being newborn chicks they would shock and die. So I'll play it by ear and see what I can do to help them out some over the next few days. I'm hoping that as they are moving (and they are active) around and start to fill out some that it will break the gunk loose and it will fall off. They seem content and the brooder is WARM it was 117 under the heat lamp so I had to move it slightly. Chicks should have 100 at the start. The little yellow chicks won't be cold while we decide how to fluff their fluff!

So, it's been disappointing! I won't give up though. I have 7 adorable chicks and I THINK 4 are Cochins so that is GOOD.

I have an online horse friend who offered me some of her Jersey Giant eggs for the cost of shipping and they should be here tomorrow. I have 2 dozen of my eggs saved from the last few days.

I'm mainly going to TRY to hatch my Favorelle eggs. The eggs I've saved are from the pen with the Favorelles. There is also a Favorelle x ? hen and the Orpington x Americauna hen who lays the DRAB green eggs that are so pretty. I want to expand the number of the Favorelles I have as I don't know how old these hens and roo are. I'd like to see what the "Orpicauna" hen produces and egg color the pullets will eventually lay mostly for the fun of it.

I'm hoping a couple of the hens will go broody soon and I'll be sure to give them the eggs I most want hatched (Favorelles and Cochins) with hopes they can do better than the electric hen is doing!

IMHO, hatching shipped eggs has to be a learned skill and a lot of luck in the ride the eggs take getting here! I'm trying my darnedest and think I need a whole lot of good luck!

I'm thinking I'd love to have a better quality incubator. I hear this one isn't that great and I've decided I'm definitely "addicted" to hatching! I'll be watching for a good used Genesis 1588 with fan and turner.