NY chicken lover!!!!

[Jackeltree]

Hi all! I have a question I was hoping some of you experience egg hatchers could help me with. I am trying to set up my still air incubator (the styrofoam kind) for some button quail eggs I got in the mail. I've been working on regulating the temp and humidity before I put the eggs in.

My problem is that the temperature on my digital hygrometer (which I got from walmart last night) is reading 99 degrees and the temp on my old mercury thermometer that came with the incubator is reading 106. According to what I read online the temp for button quail eggs should be around 102. I don't have a third thermometer to compare (I tried the fever thermometers for people, but that didn't work) and I need to get those eggs incubating asap (they were collected on Monday).

Any words of wisdom? I'm not sure which thermometer to trust. Is it ok to have each thermometer reading on the high or low end and hope the real temp is in the middle? I'm not sure how much temperature variation eggs can take. Is it safe to wait until tomorrow when I can get a third thermometer? What should I do??

Thanks so much for any advice anyone is willing to give.

-Crystal

 

[greymane]

I would take them both out and see which is closest to outside air temp. That will give you an idea of which is working best. I think that is your quickest option.

 

[Jackeltree]

That's a great idea...I wonder why I didn't think of that. The only other thermometer I have is the thermostat downstairs. I'll put them next to that one and see what happens. Thanks so much!!

 

[demp4]

I would take them both out and see which is closest to outside air temp. That will give you an idea of which is working best. I think that is your quickest option.

Great idea!

 

[queenchick16]

He only crows early in the morning not much at all . A friend came over this afternoon and I don't just have one polish roo but the other one in that photo started crowing as well.I can't believe it all that work and I ended up with 4 polish roosters out of 4. I need those odds when I'm gambling.

The man that built the coop painted it;it's a blue-green.

I love the coop and the roo. To bad you can keep him. Does he crow alot.? So far I don't think I've heard the SFH roosters crow. My dels aren't big crowers either. Silkies are though and BO and BR's. If I had just Dels I might not have as much crowiner.

I like the flowers and I've got a crate I'd like to turn into a coop like yours. I like the color too. Did you paint it yourself?

 

[demp4]

Our broody silkies and one of the hatched chicks... one egg left under them. Can I take chicks that hatch tomorrow and put them under the,? or do I risk losing them?

This is our first no incubator hatch and its with our own eggs also!

 

[Cass]

Our broody silkies and one of the hatched chicks... one egg left under them. Can I take chicks that hatch tomorrow and put them under the,? or do I risk losing them?

This is our first no incubator hatch and its with our own eggs also!

Are you planning to take the chicks and raise them separate from the Momma? If so, you can take them at any time. If you are planning to have her raise them, just leave them there....she won't abandon the nest until she is sure all the chicks that are going to hatch do so. (And don't try to make her leave her eggs or you might get pecked...she knows what she is doing)

 

[Cass]

Just wondering...what happened in the "pre-incubator" days when you actually had to wait for a chicken to go broody?

Pre bator days they didn't have all these designer chickens and one or two would go broody every spring. (or more, but you do need some laying eggs) My aunt had 3 hens that could read the calendar and every April they went broody and she would put a couple of days eggs under them to hatch. (ok, maybe it was an internal calendar but it was the same month every year) She had some regular breed of chickens....Probably leghorns. She kept those 3 until they died of natural causes, just to hatch their replacements. How she would laugh if I told her all the angst we all go through hatching our eggs IN THE HOUSE.

 

[demp4]

Are you planning to take the chicks and raise them separate from the Momma? If so, you can take them at any time. If you are planning to have her raise them, just leave them there....she won't abandon the nest until she is sure all the chicks that are going to hatch do so. (And don't try to make her leave her eggs or you might get pecked...she knows what she is doing)

No I plan on leaving them with her. I have some inside on lockdown in 'bator (24+) should I take them out before they hatch and add them to her lot? or can I add them after they hatch? I only have one more outside but it woold be easier if she raised them all (or some of them). Less I would have to intermix later.

 

[Lapeerian]

Did a quick TSC stop tonight, just to see.... Lots and lots of Tetra Tints and Red Sex Link, some BO left, Cornish Rocks and a few "Assorted Bantam". Not even sure what typs of bantam, just know there were about 6 left and they were all yellow.

New horse has arrived. Name is Dakota, not sure if we will change it yet. Nothing fancy, just a 5-year-old Pinto, about 14.3 hands. Needs finishing. And from looking at the muscling, needs to learn to carry himself better - too much under neck muscle and not enough over his back. And waaaaay too much white for my liking, lol. Back in 4-H days, I shown a bay w/ star and solid black, so didn't have to deal with keeping white clean. He will be hanging out in the roundpen for a few days until the herd acclimates, and until he gets used to Amish driving horses flying by the pasture! The 23 yo Morgan-QH 'boss' seems ok with him, the 21 yo Polish Arab will be in heat by morning. The 33 yo large pony hasnt paid attention yet.