Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Beekissed]

I use 3 incubators. 2 for incubating 1 for hatching. I candle once a week to remove infertile eggs. Before I move eggs into the hatcher I float the eggs just to make sure they are still alive.

I put luke warm water in a bowl and gently put each egg in the water. It is simple, if the chick is alive it will jiggle back and forth Iin the water. Any egg that just sits there is a dud.

Contrary to what everyone says this method does NOT kill the chick inside the egg by letting in billions of bacteria. I have been floating eggs for 50 years. My Granny taught me this trick.

I got my chicken loving genes from her, my horse loving genes from my daddy and my gardening loving genes from my moma.

That's different than what I had read....someone had a float test they did wherein if they saw air bubbles from the egg it had a chick in it but if they didn't, it was a dud. I like yours better...I would hate to think of little chicks sinking through the water as their life giving air bubbles trailed out behind them...oh, the picture of it all!

I'll have to try that out later!

 

[Beekissed]

My boy friend says he sure does wish some one in my family tree had shared some love of house keeping genes with me....

That's why you have him! So that the knots in his head fits the holes in yours and you make a matched set!

I noticed that most of my eggs end up pointy side down. But one had the air cell at the pointy end. In not sure if there is s baby in there or not.

Funny, isn't it? I'm wondering if that high dollar incubator system thought of that feature and designed for it?

 

[enola]

If there are air bubbles coming from an egg, that chick is probably already dead which means those are gas bubbles......

Like I said, I have done this for a long time. It works! I can still remember the first time my Granny showed me this trick.

 

[Aacre]

If there are air bubbles coming from an egg, that chick is probably already dead which means those are gas bubbles......

Like I said, I have done this for a long time. It works! I can still remember the first time my Granny showed me this trick.

I'm not too familiar with the float test but I have heard that sometimes it has been wrong. Do you open the said duds to see what went wrong? I'm not familiar with this test. I just over-worry that I would interpret the results incorrectly. I do believe that it works.

 

[NVcattle]

The float test I have used is nothing to do with bubbles. It usually seems fairly accurate for testing for life in the last week or so before hatching. I put the egg in a deep pan of warm water so the egg doesn't chill. A good egg should float as there should be a lot of air in the egg. If the egg is alive, it will rock back and forth with the chick's movements. (Wait till the water is quiet to determine) The rocking eggs have a live chick. If the baby is asleep you can cluck at the egg and they will usually respond. Eggs that have no movement are usually dead. The water is to exaggerate the movement of the egg. You won't see that movement if the egg is sitting on the counter, but in the still water, it is very obvious. An egg that is developing will float at an angle with the large end up.
If it floats another way, or doesn't float it is usually a dud.

 

[enola]

No I do not open eggs that are duds. I can stand s lot of gross stuff but for some reason I can not open eggs that don't hatch.....

 

[Aacre]

The float test I have used is nothing to do with bubbles. It usually seems fairly accurate for testing for life in the last week or so before hatching. I put the egg in a deep pan of warm water so the egg doesn't chill. A good egg should float as there should be a lot of air in the egg. If the egg is alive, it will rock back and forth with the chick's movements. (Wait till the water is quiet to determine) The rocking eggs have a live chick. If the baby is asleep you can cluck at the egg and they will usually respond. Eggs that have no movement are usually dead. The water is to exaggerate the movement of the egg. You won't see that movement if the egg is sitting on the counter, but in the still water, it is very obvious. An egg that is developing will float at an angle with the large end up.
If it floats another way, or doesn't float it is usually a dud.

Thanks for this explanation! It helps me tremendously!

No I do not open eggs that are duds. I can stand s lot of gross stuff but for some reason I can not open eggs that don't hatch.....

That's understandable!

 

[Lacy Blues]

We'll be needing a pic! I'll try to take a pic of my "heating rack" setup today so that folks can see what I'm using. Mine is very lightweight and has no wood, is adjustable by just bending the wire to a different height. I'll bend it into different configurations for the pics.

Y'all are funny! That's an expression we use quite a bit here in the sticks about temperature but had never really thought about what other people may see when we say it!

I could never stand Frank Sinatra!

Me neither! Ugh!


I love this vid! Rosemarie1 has a similar one on her channel and you can really see the chick going to town in there....so sweet and also so humbling to think that us humans can apply heat and humidity to an egg and produce a life in there. It's a big responsibility. I won't rest easy until these chicks are hatched and show no deformities from my methods, are healthy and vigorous on the bedding.

As requested. If they're somewhat blurry, it'll be because they were so close. Had to pretty much put the camera in the box to see it.


A short piece of 2x4 on the front allows them to come out or go in from either side.


Plenty of room underneath. I imagine they spent the night all the way to the back.



There you have it. Works great!

And now... for the visual I said you guys gave me when we were talking about candling and how it bothers the chicks because they can't close their eyes yet. I said I would draw it out and share?

Here ya go!

 

[Beekissed]

As requested. If they're somewhat blurry, it'll be because they were so close. Had to pretty much put the camera in the box to see it.


A short piece of 2x4 on the front allows them to come out or go in from either side.


Plenty of room underneath. I imagine they spent the night all the way to the back.



There you have it. Works great!

And now... for the visual I said you guys gave me when we were talking about candling and how it bothers the chicks because they can't close their eyes yet. I said I would draw it out and share?

Here ya go!

I love that visual!!!!

That needs to be the official avatar for the incubating and candling forum. You are quite the artist!

I'll be placing my heating pad somewhat lower than that and most likely will be burying the edges of it in hay/bedding like in that video but with openings out both ends instead of just one. I like her idea of making it curved instead of flat on top, which was my original plan...I think it will be more stable in my brooder in that manner.

I'm so glad you are trying this out too! So many people could brood chicks more safely and more naturally...not to mention more cheaply...by using this method.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Once I get the whole thing situated outside, I want to do that as well. Right now though, they're in the house.