First Hatch of 2012

Well it went better than I expected. I was very reluctant to site the incubator in the garage, one hard and fast rule (well maybe not that hard or that fast) of incubating is "if you find a site that gives you successful hatches stick with it."

It was also quite early in the year to begin hatching but of the original 24 eggs set 15/16 were fertile. I say 15 - 16 as the Maran egg was too dark to candle and as yet I haven't broken it open to investigate.

Of the 13/14 viable eggs on day 18 - 12 hatched.

The breakdown:

12 Exchequer Leghorn eggs set: on day 7 all 12 fertile. On day 15 2 had stopped growing. 10 taken through to hatching 1 failed to hatch. 9 live chicks.

3 Barnevelder eggs to a Partridge cockerel: all fertile, all hatched

4 Gold Duckwing Welsummer eggs: all clear

5 Eggs from different breed of hens to the Gold Duckwing Welsummer cockerels: all clear

12 live chicks over all.

Most of them hatched on Day 22 which suggests the incubator was running a little cold. I did struggle to maintain a constant temperature as the room was so cold, also the incubator was only partially full. It always works better when running at full capacity.

Clearly from these results it was a little early for both the Gold Duckwing Welsummer cockerels. From today I'll start to collect eggs from their pens and try again, this time with my trusted Speckled Sussex who went broody just a day too late to foster these chicks onto her.

Phot:o: A few of the chicks from the 1st hatch of 2012