Fully formed chicks with large air cells not hatching

[donrae]

The eventual idea is for this cabinet incubator to be only an incubator, and build a separate hatcher. But, I've got to get some blessed eggs to hatch first!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have mine in a homemade box incubator- hatched out 45 last year 6 eggs at a time.

 

[Farmer Viola]

The eventual idea is for this cabinet incubator to be only an incubator, and build a separate hatcher. But, I've got to get some blessed eggs to hatch first!

gimmie birdies is the queen of mini bators, she has so many different ones and they are all so cute. she uses small little boxes and insulates them herself. I have started several incubator build projects but I always fizzle out when it comes to the wiring and electrical...

once you have a hatcher, there is NO STOP to the eggs you will incubate! They can just go into the bator any time, and move over to the hatcher when you need. it's baaaaaaaad

I have mine in a homemade box incubator- hatched out 45 last year 6 eggs at a time.

yup those are the ones!! PS I had no idea I was the one who started you on the dry method, that is SO COOL!!!

 

[gimmie birdies]

Well I don't wire- I just use a clamp lamp with heat shield, hand turn still air. small batches so the lid is not open too long.
it is smaller than it looks in this pic. 15w, boxes are 10'' deep x 8'' wide and 9'' long, I cut a slit in box to fit lamp down slot with clamp part outside box.
I foil the bottom make sure lamp doesn't touch box. 15w is not super strong just enough to make it to 101 degrees, then put in skewers above lamp- then wire big enough to cover all don't want chicks slipping through


put in a blankie and chicks go on opposite end from heat it may look like you can fill the whole box but it is best to put eggs on cool end. 6 or so, thermometer on top eggs.



I make a lid to fit over the top of the box. with window. I do not lift lid after eggs are in just the window door, I like the lid to fit tight so that I can raise it higher above eggs to adjust the heat.
I have this window centered on top, I would have the glass on the end where the eggs are in the future, and place the glass so it will not get in the way of turning eggs

So this is it, the box can get chilled in winter so you may have to put it in another box. This is best up until fall I would say.

I played around to get this design, starting with glass aquarium, then styrophom box, then reg box coppier size stronger watts light I have decided the small boxes hold the heat best in room of 70 degrees. and got the numbers of eggs right. 6 was best I hatched out as many as 8 but 6 works best.

 

[donrae]

Oh, you guys could get me in so, so much trouble

Now, where's the pictures for the easy build grow out pens, huh? You gotta have follow-through!

Actually, I'm hoping to sell most of the chicks at brooder age. I will need some more grow out pens for sex linked cockerels, though.

 

[bobbi-j]

The last time I incubated eggs (a couple of years ago with a styrofoam table top incubator), I had the thought of building a hatcher with some way of drilling a hole in one side of it, big enough to reach my hand through to take the chicks out when they're dry and getting around enough to knock the other eggs around. It would have a black rubber covering over the hole to keep humidity and temp where they should be. Haven't put more thought into it than that, but I'd sure like opinions. (Not trying to hijack your thread, Donrae, you just got me to thinking about this again

)

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have done styrofoam before also, but I went with my box because I need smaller egg batch and less heat. card board works well for dry hatch as well.

 

[donrae]

Hijack away!

I've got a ton of black plastic pond liner, that could work. I'm thinking like they show on tv with clean rooms or the biolabs, something you can reach through a slit or X?

but I've got big ol hands, so I'd need a big hole.

 

[bobbi-j]

At first I was thinking a flap, but I think maybe a slit with edges that overlap would be better. (Does that even make a little bit of sense? I can see it in my mind, but that's kind of a scary place for other people to wander around in...)

 

[gimmie birdies]

this little brown chick had pipped but it was so hot here was doing nothing. I brought them in to a hatch box so the mom could keep sitting on others. one chick was hatched and fine. this one didn't seem to energetic. I put her on a small hand warmer breathed on her and jiggled her a bit she hatched and was limpish. I feed her protein water. and this morning she is doing fine.