BillJ's incubator upgrade

[BillJ]

It's been awhile. I gave up on my homemade incubator(s). Reasons being a) failures, b) that over the years, sometimes I'd have 8 or so roos, which I'd keep in their own cages and runs preventing fights. Barnyard mix, they were pets. But it was too much so I had only one roo which I hatched. Bought some started Buff Orps but one turned out to be a roo. The two roos aren't friendly but the Buff Orp respects the older's dominance. Two Buff Orp hens, only one lays now. So, early this year I bought 3 BFCMs. Days old they already had leg feathers. One got picked up to show me the leg feathers and next day it was dead. Brought it back but all the BFCMs were gone so he gave me a regular Maran. She turned out to be smaller than the two BFCMs which started laying at 5 months and a few days. The smaller Maran is real friendly to me. At night she comes over to be picked up and carried to the coop. But she had a problem, the frenchies would peck her eggs. Then the egg haul fell off for a while. Just now replacing the buckets of water around the yard she gave an egg song at an unused roo cage somewhat away from the runs and coop. I looked, she has a clutch of 11 eggs. Some cold nights, down in the 50's and she's been sleeping in the coop not in the roo cage. I just brought out a plastic box with nice hay, moved the eggs in, and carried her over. I noticed her legs and feet were quite warm so she might be going broody. I'll cage her in with the eggs at night now. Wonder if this will result in any birds. Started 11 years ago and a few times have allowed a broody bird to set eggs but none have ever hatched.

BillJ

Oh, and on my rotating slotted disk driven by a washing machine timer gear motor, one failure is that over time either the plywood platform or the slotted disk, it carefully cut from plywood as well, would fail to remain true. After I packed it up vowing not to try again, I realized a fix would be to work with a 78 RPM turntable and the gearmotor.

 

[BillJ]

She'll be in with the eggs tonight but if she hasn't yet shown a need to protect those 11, aside from laying eggs in the open roo cage, she probably won't become broody is my guess. Then I'll take whatever is there and she can continue to use the cage to lay her eggs.

I'm waiting for a minnow trap to arrive. Those old eggs will be bait for snakes.