Incubators Anonymous

[duluthralphie]

After a long dry spell of no white sports....This:




As you can see I am so happy, I have a Mike's to celebrate!... I had split up my breeders that give me the whites! They are now together and I know which rooster it is! I am so happy... It is one of 4 hens. It is not a mother/son or Father/daughter pair as I had guessed, It is Brother/sister pair.

 

[R2elk]

I really need to get my breeding pens built so I can pursue my NPIP certification. The only problem I have is I have no heated outbuildings so I really can't incubate anywhere but in the house. Didn't you say that was a rule Ralph or just something they prefer?

I know that @Sally Sunshine is in Pennsylvania and that she was NPIP certified and while she was, she was and still is hatching in the house.

 

[ThatFarmerChick]

@BrieCheese23 How does that incubator work? I have one and really would like to know.

 

[BrieCheese23]

It's much like my new hovabator, you turn the dial on top to turn the temp up or down. I spent a day and night adjusting it via three thermometers. You put a small tray under to hold water and sponges and such, put a turner in or hand turn or is for hatching. Basically, it's a still air.

 

[ThatFarmerChick]

I do not even know where the turner is or if I can get a turner for it. I know that mine is over 60 years old. It looks very much like yours.

 

[BrieCheese23]

You'd need to buy a turner. A regular square one with an outlet plug on it would work, though I'd be concerned about getting a cord in and out. Maybe wired through one of the holes in the bottom? This thing is definitely ancient, but so far works pretty well, though the humidity is difficult to get up there with just bowls underneath. Probably going to need wet wash cloths for this hatch. Humidity is only 54% with two bowls in there.

 

[sasafras4u2]

I HAVE CHICKIES!!!!

 

[Jessimom]

I HAVE CHICKIES!!!!

Yay!!!!!! Go chickies go!!!

 

[Jessimom]

My final count 22/22 MFD, 4/4 Polish and 6/15 BCMs hatched. I only pulled 2 Polish and 3 MFD before lockdown. The BCMS were too hard to see into. So I am very happy with this hatch.

 

[duluthralphie]

You did well!!! Jessimom.

I wish I could do that well sometimes. Poop happens..


I have to tell you a weird thing that happened today... I hatch turkeys and chickens. I incubate them in one of 2 incubators and then move them to hatch. I had a hatch for the 6th those eggs are now done....and thanks to my DW, I did poorly..... Hopefully she learned to never adjust the temps with eggs or birds in the hatchers. She is a nurse so when she asked me the other night what temp I hatched at and I said 99.5 but I like it 99.7-8....or so... I did not realize to her that meant my 99.0 was way too low... Medical stuff I guess, she wanted it right on. so she took it u[on her self to adjust the settings her stupid hubby was running too low.... I did not know this at the time or why she asked these questions.


I hate to get on her too much because I really like her getting involved in the hatching. I wish she would make it her hobby too.... As you all know the foam incubators have very sensitive and unreliable thermostats they spike at a moments notice and so forth.. I checked and the temp was 104,, I explained it nicely to her, and did not get upset. BUT she cooked all those eggs! About 18 CLBS! I had sold, so 2 bad hatches in a row.



I bought some automatic humidity devices for the 1202s. I installed them today and repaired the faulty turner on the other one. Before installing I checked the eggs, I pulled out the top row of turkey eggs and there is a hatched shell in it. Right on the top it says a big 13, So I know when it should hatch. I look to the bottom and there is a chick, I figured dead, but it was alive and happy to see me. Here it was a TOAD! The toad eggs are huge the size of turkey eggs, I mark them as soon as I pick them up, Sometimes my wife picks eggs and does not mark them. So I need to try and ID the eggs. I Id'd the toad egg as a turkey egg! It would have hatched on the 7th instead of the 13th~!

The guy is small and cute, but I am afraid not long for the world, he has what I thought was poop dangling from him. It is actually an umbilical cord and something, yolk sac maybe? Does anyone know can I cut that off? Is there anything I can do for him?

My error for today..

It seems no matter how careful I am and what I do, something new comes up and goes wrong.


I am going to hatch the rest of the year in the other 1202. I am building new frames to hatch in and will stop using the foam ones. Hopefully for good.

I am going to build new hatchers for next year.