Incubators Anonymous

[CEngdahl]

i will put them in a egg carton. i still need to calibrate my digital thermometers though. i put 4 different thermometers in my styrofoam incubator last light and they all read different. grrrr. i just found out about the ice method which i will try tonight and use the themometer that reads closest to 32 when in the ice water.

 

[maryhysong]

I always candle the eggs first to get an idea of what the air cells are doing. Often they will be completely detached in shipped eggs and if that is the case I do not turn them for a full 5 days after going into the bator, sometimes longer depending on how they look after 5 days. If they look ok after shipping I will turn them from day 1.

Btw if you have detached air cells I would recommend using an auto egg turner so they can sit upright during incubation, or use an egg carton. If you lay them on the side there is virtually no chance they will reattach in the right place.

Thank you for the great tips! I am worried about them being shipped and of course don't expect anywhere near the 100% hatch I got on my first setting of banty eggs, but have my fingers crossed and want to know/do everything I can to get the best hatch possible.

 

[ki4got]

i will put them in a egg carton. i still need to calibrate my digital thermometers though. i put 4 different thermometers in my styrofoam incubator last light and they all read different. grrrr. i just found out about the ice method which i will try tonight and use the themometer that reads closest to 32 when in the ice water.

beware, thermometers are going to read differently at different temp ranges, depending on what they're set up for... the closest calibrated to an incubator will be a human medical thermometer designed to take a temp... mercury or digital. i used a digital one, used cotton around the sides of it and stuck it in the vent hole of the 'bators. with fans running, temp top to bottom shouldn't be that different. then set the incubators to cut on at 99. they cut off about 100.5 automatically, average temp is just about 99.5. it takes some time to play with my digital, since it only reads up and cuts off when it hits max. so i started it repeatedly once it hit a set temp, and recorded all the temps it read for 2 whole cycles (heater cutting out, on, out on and out again...) then recorded what the one inside said same time (reads -2.5) ... so i know how 'off' it is. as long as it reads in the range i wanted it, i don't futz with it.

 

[3forfree]

webcam to my LG bator there's 7 out right now, have a look http://www.blogtv.com/people/alschickens

 

[DMRippy]

OK, now that the Good Shepard BR roo is doing his JOB.... I have hatched 4 batches already from the previous BR roo and the ones from yesterday were 100% AGAIN

So I am going to sell some of the black barred rocks... I think.... maybe I will wait till I have my 2nd gen Blue Barred rock pullets laying before I hatch from him. They are barred WAY better than my original Blue Barreds.

Got my first Olive Egg from my first Home Grown Olive Egger.....

It was kinda GRAY but still it was an egg and she was very proud of it. She kept walking in the nest box like "Did you see what I did???"

Started Moving near POL pullets today, so I can make room for the next batch of pullet to go out side. I have more chicks to move out of brooders.

Even after selling ALL my eggs last week, I managed to save a tray of 30 eggs for me

that is WAY better than the 90 I was setting. That is going to get cut down pretty soon too.

Got my first PROJECT chicks! Too cute! Details later but it is going to be pretty

 

[ki4got]

OK, now that the Good Shepard BR roo is doing his JOB.... I have hatched 4 batches already from the previous BR roo and the ones from yesterday were 100% AGAIN

So I am going to sell some of the black barred rocks... I think.... maybe I will wait till I have my 2nd gen Blue Barred rock pullets laying before I hatch from him. They are barred WAY better than my original Blue Barreds.

Got my first Olive Egg from my first Home Grown Olive Egger.....

It was kinda GRAY but still it was an egg and she was very proud of it. She kept walking in the nest box like "Did you see what I did???"

Started Moving near POL pullets today, so I can make room for the next batch of pullet to go out side. I have more chicks to move out of brooders.

Even after selling ALL my eggs last week, I managed to save a tray of 30 eggs for me

that is WAY better than the 90 I was setting. That is going to get cut down pretty soon too.

Got my first PROJECT chicks! Too cute! Details later but it is going to be pretty

i'm jealous of your egg numbers... i'm getting 2-3 a day from 26 hens. i think the rest are being hidden in the woods and only the dogs know where.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: I am not getting tons of eggs - maybe 12-18 a day. In the spring I was getting up to 46 eggs a day. I have sold tons of my layers and my new pullets are coming on line.

 

[WinklerFarms]

rippy, have you thought about putting that Good Shepard rooster in with just regular barred rocks because if you were I would HAVE to buy some eggs from you....hint hint

 

[DMRippy]

rippy, have you thought about putting that Good Shepard rooster in with just regular barred rocks because if you were I would HAVE to buy some eggs from you....hint hint

I don't have any, I breed for blue so I use Blue Barred pullets/hens. You get 50/50 each hatch.... hint hint... sell the blues

I am going to get more GSBR hatching eggs soon I hope. Her birds are NEAR POL

She got them from the same person I got my roo from so they would be the same stock, I like that. When I get them, I will have a pen of just the GSBR.

 

[DMRippy]

Question: Should I hatch an oblong egg from my Splash LRW? She has been laying for a few weeks the eggs are ok size, just LONG. I have read that you shouldn't hatch odd shaped eggs, but I am thinking that is her normal shape of an egg.