The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching
Over 2 decades of experience
Paul:
Hatching Eggs
In this post we are going to publicly answer many of the questions that I’m often ask by new poultry breeders.
I enjoy sharing what I know and have most of my life (almost 60 years-Wow that time has past fast!) This characteristic began many years ago with hogs and plants. The past 16 years it’s primarily been with the Ameraucana breed of chickens.
I have been asked “What do you do to your hatching eggs?”
First they are marked with a pencil a coded number to represent the breeding pen which produced them. The numbering system ranges from 1 to 15 for each variety group. Wheaten, blue wheaten and splash wheaten are one group. Black, blue, splash and lavender are the other variety group that we presently raise. We use to raise silver and buff which would be two more variety sets of numbers. Only fifteen breeding pens can be tracked using this system. We have had more than 15 pens of black, blue, splash for several years, so we came up with a (+) plus system several years ago. The breeding pen numbers recorded on the eggs are +1 to +15. Behind the number is a letter. Capital “B” for black only, “b” for blue, “SP” for splash only, and “W” for the wheaten varieties. Under the coded number is the date laid. It is written also in code to make better use of time. Example: April 15 is written 415-(tax day!).
The eggs are gathered daily and stored in a large up right freezer that has had it’s thermostat removed and replaced with a thermostat from an air conditioner-window unit. The temp is set to be maintained at 62º to 64º F. We also use this appliance for storing our boar semen. The thermostat switch out tip came from an AC friend of mine about 20 years ago. Our first unit, an old refrigerator went bad about six years ago and was replaced with the freezer that we are presently using. Neither a freezer nor refrigerator can be set high enough temp (64ºF) without changing the thermostat. The unit will be turned off long before the temp is adjusted high enough to maintain the hatching eggs.
The hatching eggs are placed inside the unit each day in half gallon metal cans, which are used to hold them, while they are being gathered. About once a week the hatching eggs are removed from the cans and placed into egg cartons. They are pre-sorted by variety (wheaten, blue wheaten), (lavender), (black, blue, splash) as they are removed from the cans. The hatching eggs now in cartons are placed back into the cooler and held at 62º-64ºF until the Sunday before setting day. This is delayed to Monday on May 4, 2015 due to Memorial Day. Then they are removed from the unit and sorted by the breeding pen number. Once all hatching eggs are sorted, they are inventoried to see how many can be used from each breeding pen to fill the incubators. Presently we have two #1202 GQF for one hatch, then one #1502 GQF and two Styrofoam incubators for the next hatch. The GQF each hold 288 eggs and the Styrofoam each hold 41 eggs. When we are in full production we set 576 eggs, then two weeks later 370. Unfortunately this year we have had issues trying to get the 1502 made in 2008 set correctly. We have had two hatch failures. The first failure was to capacity with 370. Hopeful it is corrected now! We will address this later in the next topic post. We are trying to keep to the subject-Hatching Eggs.
Once the eggs are inventoried to see how many are available, they are culled to get down to the number needed to fill the incubators. Egg color, shape, size, % hatching from breeding pen in previous hatch, and parent stock are considered when culling the eggs.
Now that the eggs are selected for incubation, they are washed in a solution consisting of 6 ½ oz. of Oxine/gallon water. This solution is mixed ahead of time needed, and stayed with the eggs inside the cooler, so it is the same temp as the eggs! If the eggs look clean they are just dipped in and out. This is a very important process to keep from getting a bacteria in the incubator, plus several poultry diseases can be spread via the egg. Once they are disinfected they are placed in the egg racks. A bath towel is spread out, on the island counter top. The trays of eggs are laid on it and covered with another bath towel so they can gradually warm up to room temp. This washing takes place on Sunday night. (Monday night when 3 weeks before holidays-Marin Luther King, President’s Day and Memorial Day). The eggs are ready to be placed inside the incubator early Monday morning (usually between 6 and 8 AM-depends on how late it was completed on Sunday night).
I know many poultry breeders are too concerned about storing the hatching eggs too long. It’s a common thing for us to start saving them two weeks before setting them. If the eggs are good and fertile-hatching well, they can be stored at 62º-64ºF for several weeks before dying in the egg.
Consider this scenario. A hen is laying an egg every other day. She hides out a nest, then starts setting. Approximately twenty-one days after she starts missing she shows up with twelve or more chicks! This use to be a common thing for us many years ago. We use to cage all breeding cocks and turn all the hens out after egg collecting was over for the season. We have had eggs to hatch that were three to four weeks old. However, I will agree that the sooner they can be set, the better the hatching percentage will be! I also know that the eggs can be turned side to side inside the cooler to help keep them better, but we don’t mess with them other than what has been shared.
The next writing will take up with the incubation, hatching and chicks!
Any questions or comments are welcome! Lets have a fun time with this poultry hobby and share info! Anyone want to share “How/what you do with your hatching eggs?” Please do!!!
Susan Mouw:
This is wonderful information, Paul & Angela!!
Thank you for taking the time to do this. I can't wait to read the next installment.
Don:
This is a lot of information,Thanks Paul and Angela. Its great to hear how others go about their process.
You mention that you decide how many eggs are needed based on several factors. How many eggs do you set extra for say an order of 25 chicks, and what do you do with the extra eggs and any extra chicks? And when do you hatch the chicks for your use there on the farm? I will be glad to give you my address if you need a place for some of those extras?
Hannah Brush:
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. For us that are justge tting started.
Sharon Yorks:
Great info, Paul & Angela! Thanks for sharing with everyone. I do pretty much the same as you (with a few exceptions)...probably because you were the one who taught me how to do it several years ago when I was first getting started ;)
I hatched a 21-day-old egg once that had been hauled 900 miles in a vehicle, then left in my vehicle overnight in below freezing temperatures, and then traveled almost another 300 miles for me to get it home. Unfortunately, it was the only one that did hatch and the chick had to be raised alone...although she did make friends with a moose and a dog.
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