fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[fuzzi]

The rest I leave and let them go to day 23 or so. This is when I use the incubator.

I scored a free incubator from Amazon but although everything seems to work I can't adjust the humidity, it's on 60% when I plug it in. The instructions on the top and in the booklet are too tiny to read, and magnifying them doesn't help.

Since I added a couple eggs after the first three (staggered) I thought I could use it for unhatched eggs if that happens. I just need to figure out how to USE it!

 

[fuzzi]

Weeds from the milkweed bed:

(NOT milkweed, but chickweed mainly)

As I was heading out to the coop I noticed a roach, and stepped on it (they grow big and live outside here!) It wasn't dead, so I scooped it up in a container and brought to the chickens. I didn't remove the lid until the container was at eye level and the hens were circled around me. Once the lid was off one of the Dominiques snatched the roach and ran. Not sure which one got to eat it but at one point Hannah was being chased!

A little later I caught a bullfrog tadpole. It was also appreciated and another chase ensued.

Who needs cable TV?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I don't know if it will automatically adjust the humidity, most likely not.
Open the air port a bit more to let some of the moisture evaporate out to get the humidity to where you want it.

I've found that a lot of times the humidity in the room the incubator is in, affects the humidity inside the incubator too. Usually when I hatch it's relatively warm and humid, so most of the time I do not have to add much water to the incubator until lockdown. I do more of a dry hatch.

You also may be able to find a youtube video or three about the incubator you scored. Often someone has a video out there somewhere.

 

[NanaK]

All right Martha, I'm rooting for ya!

The instructions on the top and in the booklet are too tiny to read, and magnifying them doesn't help.

I don't know if this will help but the control pad on your incubator looks a lot like my Nature Right 360.

If you compare this (easier to read) instruction manual to yours maybe it will help you figure this out. Worth a try?
https://media.tractorsupply.com/is/...mpany/tsc/product/1/29/21/33/1292133_Man1.pdf

I've been away from byc recently spending some time with DH and family. We lost DH's Mom on March 17. Then his step father had covid. He is 87 and fully recovered now thankfully. It was a tough week.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

All right Martha, I'm rooting for ya!


I don't know if this will help but the control pad on your incubator looks a lot like my Nature Right 360.

If you compare this (easier to read) instruction manual to yours maybe it will help you figure this out. Worth a try?
https://media.tractorsupply.com/is/...mpany/tsc/product/1/29/21/33/1292133_Man1.pdf

I've been away from byc recently spending some time with DH and family. We lost DH's Mom on March 17. Then his step father had covid. He is 87 and fully recovered now thankfully. It was a tough week.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I'm glad his Step Father has recovered.
Glad to see you back.

 

[fuzzi]

All right Martha, I'm rooting for ya!


I don't know if this will help but the control pad on your incubator looks a lot like my Nature Right 360.

If you compare this (easier to read) instruction manual to yours maybe it will help you figure this out. Worth a try?
https://media.tractorsupply.com/is/...mpany/tsc/product/1/29/21/33/1292133_Man1.pdf

I've been away from byc recently spending some time with DH and family. We lost DH's Mom on March 17. Then his step father had covid. He is 87 and fully recovered now thankfully. It was a tough week.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Thanks for the information, I will see how they compare.

 

[fuzzi]

The gals have gone back to laying in the nest boxes, well, in one nest box. I found three eggs in the right-hand box this afternoon. Martha's still brooding in the middle one.

I did look under the A-frame roost, and I gently raked all the straw into a pile, then put it back in small handfuls...AND I FOUND ANOTHER EGG!

I told my husband it's like an Easter egg hunt!



So, 4 today.

 

[fuzzi]

I took a small LED flashlight with me when I checked on the flock after dark this evening...

...and I saw VEINS in three of the eggs, #10, #15, #16!!!

Those were the original three I put under Martha on 3/18/24. I didn't see veins before.

The other two (#22a and #22b) are dark, I can see the air pocket, not much else. They're 3 1/2 days behind. I'll try putting those in the incubator if/when the others hatch.

 

[fuzzi]

Observation today:

I was outside in the gardens for about three hours and kept stopping by the run to check for eggs and distribute weeds. At one point I saw Martha up on one of the daytime perches. She also ate feed, had several drinks, scratched in the pile of weeds, and seemed to take her sweet time getting back to her eggs. I went to look at the eggs, and Rahab was in the box!

The next time I checked there was an extra egg in the nest, which I removed. The eggs were still warm, and shortly after Martha went back to brood.

By laying her own egg in the nest Rahab helped keep the other eggs warm while Martha took a break. Funny how that worked out?

 

[fuzzi]

No more straw under the A-frame roost...I'm already tired of raking out the straw every evening to see if there are any eggs hidden there...