Incubators Anonymous

[BillJ]

Regarding the 'shrink-wrapping' and what it is, the one chick that was shrink-wrapped had that inner skin, the stuff con artists would tell suckers they removed from the sucker's eye to cure a cataract, around the chick like a hula-hoop but tight.

 

[duluthralphie]

This is a cup of chicken,



She is wrapped in a moist warm paper towel then wrapped with a Walmart bag to hold the heat and moisture in. It helps soften and remove the "gunk" you described.



And here is two cups of chicken, prepared the same way.

The second one does not have wrap on it. It just is not "right" so it is getting the spa treatment by my DW.

This entire hatch stinks. Weak birds, poor hatch. lots of quitters. I am not selling one bird from this batch. I will keep them to make sure they are OK, or they will become soup.

 

[BertandMary]

80 % hatch rate as day 21 officially comes to a close. 4 eggs remain unpipped. We candled them and they look alive without an internal pip. Veins are still able to be seen near the edge of the air sack. We are wondering if maybe their area of the bator was just a tad cooler? Will candle them tonight again.

 

[shawn54]

I'm back was out of incubating due to broody hens taking all the eggs but after one hatched and decided she wanted nothing to do with chicks to the point of staying on a roost to get away from them my grandfather decided to put chicks under a reliable hen who was happy to set less than a week and walk away with a family. So since my bator was sitting idle I convinced him to let me incubate the started eggs till he had another broody. Now I have eggs!!!!! Ordered 50 jumbo coturnix quail eggs JMF . They said May 15 -30 so I hope I can finish eggs in bator before they get here. May need second bator!!!!! Or a bigger one then first could be hatcher since it did hatch 17 turkeys.

 

[BillJ]

I also use Springfield Precisetemp temperature/humidity meters, of which I have a few (they seem to read temperature a bit high). Their humidity sensors seem to go bad easily. I have one where I removed the temperature sensor and humidity sensor and put those in the incubator on 28 AWG single strand wires twisted. The humidity sensor failed again and I've just ordered a replacement from Digikey. The meters are no longer available and I pretty much like them so I will keep repairing.

Just looking at one of the failed humidity sensors on the early Precisetemp temperature/humidity meter. I said I had twisted the wires to the sensor but in fact I had two pair of wire, a pair to the temperature sensor and a pair to the humidity sensor and I twisted one wire from each with the other for 2 twisted pairs but the pairs not to the same sensor. Had the pair to the humidity sensor been twisted together it could have effected the output as the twisted wires would have their own capacitance. Can't get it working. Humidity sensor seems okay but only reads 20% unless exposed to exhaled breath when it jumps to 78%. I suspect oxidation of the capacitive conductors on the humidity sensor. Too bad Honeywell took them off the market.

 

[sasafras4u2]

Hey all just went into lockdown with my isabells, ayam cemani, barnyard mix and sizzles. 30 eggs and all were moving! Some looked awfully small for 18 plus days but we shall see. I'm a bit nervous about hatching them upright in cartons. Just seems more natural to be laying down. Oh well still had a few loose air cells so I don't want to rock the boat.

 

[Jessimom]

Hey all just went into lockdown with my isabells, ayam cemani, barnyard mix and sizzles. 30 eggs and all were moving! Some looked awfully small for 18 plus days but we shall see. I'm a bit nervous about hatching them upright in cartons. Just seems more natural to be laying down. Oh well still had a few loose air cells so I don't want to rock the boat.

Go chickies go!!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Dear IA members:

My Name is Ralph of the Duluth clan...

I have a hatching problem. I did not realize it until late last night.

My wife asked the other day what Temp I ran the hatchers at. I told her 99.5 is what I aim for but I like 99.7-8 if I can get it.


Little did I know she took it upon herself to "adjust" my temps. She does not realize how sensitive the controls are and how long it takes to stabilize them. I have wild temp swings now.

How do I "teach" her to keep her hands off my hatchers?

If I break her fingers, is that still a crime considering the reason for it?

I caught her this morning opening a hatcher to put the thermometer in. I stopped her. I will have to prepare my own food for the foreseeable future. She was not happy, her response was " (Expletive deleted) I was just checking the temps, You have them all wrong... I was trying to help"...

What am I to do?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I'm taking a bunch of babies to a big swap tomorrow and hopefully not bringing many back lol. I have a bunch of CCL eggs and a few turkey eggs going in the cabinet today. I took about a month off from hatching chicks since I have so many but now that my CCL are seperated, I just HAVE to hatch them

Turkeys are hatching today

 

[duluthralphie]

I'm taking a bunch of babies to a big swap tomorrow and hopefully not bringing many back lol. I have a bunch of CCL eggs and a few turkey eggs going in the cabinet today. I took about a month off from hatching chicks since I have so many but now that my CCL are seperated, I just HAVE to hatch them

Turkeys are hatching today

Just curious, will they let you sell chicks at a swap?

Here it is illegal to sell chicks at a swap unless you have the NPIP certificate. Anything at a swap has to be over 4 months old and tested before it enters the swap area.



That was one of the reasons I went through the hassle to get it.