5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[ChickenCanoe]

Some more information on brooding.

http://www.pasreform.com/academy/fr.../509-brooding-of-chicks-a-matter-of-care.html

It's for large scale brooding so read between the lines for hints on small scale production.
Notice that they start chicks with nipple waterers.
Because of the numbers and space considerations, they shoot for a specific temperature for the entire environment.
A broody doesn't heat all the ambient air but provides a hot spot for the chicks to warm up and the rest is cooler if not downright cold. I think the birds feather out faster if they have some cool space so they can find their comfort zone. In the pictures above, the chicks aren't hanging out under the light. Nor are they hanging out under mom in the following pic.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

This is my 2nd hatch, my first with an auto-turner. When I remove the eggs from the turner at lockdown do I need to increase temperature or just humidity? Right now with the turner on my temps are staying between 99 - 100, with my first hatch I manually turned the eggs and kept temps between 101-102. So should I increase the temp at lockdown to 102? Just getting prepared, thanks for all the help you all have provided.

Just the humidity.
If you're going to change the temperature, they would actually benefit from lower temps since the embryos are generating some heat of their own heat. I'd shoot for 99.

 

[SoManyHats]

Good morning everyone! I did my 14 day candle last night, and all my eggs look great. I did toss one a couple days ago because the veining had dried up, and the contents were just a small black blob. So now I'm at 33 out of my original 38. Not too bad. But sometime last night, my temperature went up to almost 103. I have no idea why this is happening - I had no temp problems with my last hatch. But that was only 12 eggs. Could the incubator just have too many eggs in it?

Anyway, I NEED ADVICE!

I need a second incubator or hatcher because I don't have enough room for all the eggs to hatch. I made my incubator from the smaller size of one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Sport-Brella-...=UTF8&qid=1388070626&sr=8-1&keywords=Flip+box

Here's a picture

I also have another one of these boxes. So here's what I was thinking. Instead of creating a whole new incubator, could I fold in one side of each and tape them together, so they are essentially one? Will it totally screw up my temps, or possibly help stabilize them? I know it's not ideal to be doing this while I have an active incubation going, but I don't really want to make a whole other incubator. (I haven't been feeling well.) If I do make another incubator it will have to be still air, because I don't have another fan.

Help!

 

[ronniewayne]

Question - I've been toying with the idea of using one of those Rubbermaid 7'x7' insulated plastic sheds for brooding, has anyone ever tried that?

I think it would work great the only thing you will have to address is getting fresh air flow even in the cold like you have up there the air cant get too stale it has to turn over . but I think you can keep it plenty warm for the chicks in there. good luck

 

[ronniewayne]

Actually the combiotic recommended is penicillin/streptomycin but the combipen should help. 1/2 cc injected directly in the swollen area of the foot. Confine the bird to deep litter and redress every couple days.

I figured it had to be either the chickens billing a lot out onto the floor, wild birds or rodents.
I go through about half that for an equal number of birds. I do have one building the birds are getting into so have to address that. I'm thinking about those curtains of beaded strings so they can't fly through but the chickens can still enter.

I need to do that in the next couple days. I have 11 roosters, as well as a couple cockerels. 5 of which I've been finishing for butchering. It has been too cold to process the last week but it's supposed to hit 40 today and 50 tomorrow so I hope to get a couple processed each day. Now to figure out which ones. I'll have to go back to my weight records and evaluate their adult characteristics.
3 of the roosters have been living in the brooder house so I have to get that disinfected.

Here's the brooder house



And the inside.









Some roosters outside the brooder house last summer





I got a couple of the books on my wish list for Christmas.
I also got an Amazon gift card, chalk off another book from the list.

love the brooder house and the way you have it set up ! good choice of books nice gifts !

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good morning everyone! I did my 14 day candle last night, and all my eggs look great. I did toss one a couple days ago because the veining had dried up, and the contents were just a small black blob. So now I'm at 33 out of my original 38. Not too bad. But sometime last night, my temperature went up to almost 103. I have no idea why this is happening - I had no temp problems with my last hatch. But that was only 12 eggs. Could the incubator just have too many eggs in it?

Anyway, I NEED ADVICE!

I need a second incubator or hatcher because I don't have enough room for all the eggs to hatch. I made my incubator from the smaller size of one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Sport-Brella-...=UTF8&qid=1388070626&sr=8-1&keywords=Flip+box

Here's a picture


I also have another one of these boxes. So here's what I was thinking. Instead of creating a whole new incubator, could I fold in one side of each and tape them together, so they are essentially one? Will it totally screw up my temps, or possibly help stabilize them? I know it's not ideal to be doing this while I have an active incubation going, but I don't really want to make a whole other incubator. (I haven't been feeling well.) If I do make another incubator it will have to be still air, because I don't have another fan.

Help!

A couple thoughts. The temps may be rising with so many eggs and the embryos generating heat as well.
Putting the boxes together may work temperature wise but I think a bigger problem would be keeping humidity high enough.
Do you have enough room in it to stand all the eggs up (air cell up), side by side and touching each other?
There was a link posted a few days ago that the vibration from adjacent eggs hatching encourages the others to do so. Once the eggs start to hatch the volume of debris goes way down.

 

[SoManyHats]

A couple thoughts. The temps may be rising with so many eggs and the embryos generating heat as well.
Putting the boxes together may work temperature wise but I think a bigger problem would be keeping humidity high enough.
Do you have enough room in it to stand all the eggs up (air cell up), side by side and touching each other?
There was a link posted a few days ago that the vibration from adjacent eggs hatching encourages the others to do so. Once the eggs start to hatch the volume of debris goes way down.

If I do have enough space, how would I keep them upright? I don't think I could fit them all with the egg cartons. But you think it would be okay as long as I can get the humidity high enough?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

perhaps you could fashion some short cardboard squares so the sections would hold 6-9 eggs each standing up
IMO, at this stage if you can keep the temp between 97 and 100 and you can get the humidity around 65 or so and the embryos are strong, they'll be fine.

 

[ronott1]

If I do have enough space, how would I keep them upright? I don't think I could fit them all with the egg cartons. But you think it would be okay as long as I can get the humidity high enough?

Egg cartons or egg flats. Cut the lids off and the tops off of the cartons to increase air flow.

perhaps you could fashion some short cardboard squares so the sections would hold 6-9 eggs each standing up
IMO, at this stage if you can keep the temp between 97 and 100 and you can get the humidity around 65 or so and the embryos are strong, they'll be fine.

If you think about it, chicks for the first week need to be at 95 degrees. The closer to hatching the closer to 95 they should be. 97 to 99 is perfect for hatching.

Good luck!

 

[roostercluck]

I have been reading about keeping the temperatures between 97-100 once your later in the hatch. My temp. right now is around 102. It is a still air. I don't really want to mess with the knob because it is very touchy. Will the eggs be ok with a higher temp?