tips and secrets of the GQF 1502 sportsman...

[Hugeroost]

I am thinking my auto turner is not working. Does anyone know how long 1 full rotation takes? And what will I need to replace? Thanks Sportsman 1502.

Mine is doing the same thing, I have been turning the trays using the manual toggle switch on the outside, I turn once in the morning and another in the evening, hatches have been good. I didn't want to tear it down during hatching season so that's what I"ve been doing, I talked to a tech at GQF and the part you need is #3021, that way theres no guessing involved...Roost

 

[debbiegt]

Thank you cmom and hugeroost. I will make a point of timing it to make sure. I think I moved something while I was wiping it down. But tomorrow is lockdown...I will check after that.

 

[rharwellnc]

We're doing our first hatch in a new GQF Hacther and we've have two questions.
1) Only our top tray is hatching. Seems more than strange. The other two trays haven't had one chick hatch. They started hatching this morning (Day 21). Is there any reason to change the order of the tray?
2) We are hatching Large Fowl Barred Rocks. Should we remove the wire lids to give the chicks more room? Or will they be OK for 24 hours with the lids on?


THANKS!
Rita

 

[bdfive]

Hope someone can answer your questions. I have a 1 year old cabinet GQF Incubator and tempted to purchase a hatcher. Would like to find out how you like yours after some hatches. I have peafowl so in my case would leave the lids on so a chick didn't hop or fly out of the tray. The moms have the babies hight up in a tree by the 3rd night. Peachicks are all wings and fly well.

 

[rharwellnc]

We are having a strange problem with our GQF Hatcher. We are hatching our first group of mixed chicks with it. Since I read that chicks can hurt their feet on the wire bottoms of the hatching trays, we lined each of the trays with doubled paper towels. What is happening is that the top tray is almost completely hatched after "Day 21", the second tray has had a few chicks hatch, and the bottom tray has not hatched one egg!

This also follows the number of eggs that are Barred Rocks. Coincidence??? We've only had 1 Bresse hatch or any Dorkings hatch.

THOUGHTS?

THANKS!
Rita

 

[bdfive]

Might be the paper towels are reducing air flow. Also I'd think the chicks would not get proper traction on those paper towels. Their feet can slide on the surface giving them spalyed leg and they can hurt their hips. I use the shelf liner that is kinda rubbery and can be washed. Duck Brand is one that is available. You can look it up to see what I mean. Air goes through the little holes and the chicks won't slide around. Usually one side is less slippery then the other so put non-slip side up for chicks feet. Some brands are better then others so feel them at the store. Keep in mind you want air flow and chicks feet not to slide.

Congratulations on the hatches.

 

[cmom]

We're doing our first hatch in a new GQF Hacther and we've have two questions.
1) Only our top tray is hatching. Seems more than strange. The other two trays haven't had one chick hatch. They started hatching this morning (Day 21). Is there any reason to change the order of the tray?
2) We are hatching Large Fowl Barred Rocks. Should we remove the wire lids to give the chicks more room? Or will they be OK for 24 hours with the lids on?


THANKS!
Rita

I don't have a GQFcabinet hatcher but I do have a GQF cabinet incubator with a hatching tray in the bottom. I have put the wrong date on the calendar for setting eggs (I was a week off) and the eggs started hatching in the cabinet. I found several chicks in the bottom of the incubator. The lids are on the trays to keep the chicks in the trays and not in the bottom of the incubator. I incubate in my cabinet and hatch in my styrofoam incubators.

 

[rharwellnc]

I'd wondered about air flow. I used the rubberized shelf liners in our Little Giants. I'd actually planned to use them, but the idea of "trash" filtering down on the tray(s) below didn't make me happy. I read on the GQF site about using paper towels to protect the chicks feet when they first hatch. (I can't find the reference now .... of course )

 

[cmom]

I'd wondered about air flow. I used the rubberized shelf liners in our Little Giants. I'd actually planned to use them, but the idea of "trash" filtering down on the tray(s) below didn't make me happy. I read on the GQF site about using paper towels to protect the chicks feet when they first hatch. (I can't find the reference now .... of course )

I use paper towels for their first couple of days and put the rougher side up for them to walk on. If I have had any with leg problems it was not caused by the paper towels but was when they hatched and if I try to correct the foot or leg problem within the first few days, most of the time it works and sometimes it doesn't. I have had a few chicks hatch with different issues over the years but they are very few and far between. There are going to be issues now and then with every species regardless. Some people as well as all animals now and then are born with problems.

My incubator is an older incubator that I have had for years, I do have a tray in the bottom that catches most of the shell fragments and such that fall down through the trays.

 

[turkeyguy123]

Hopefully someone can help. I just bought a used 1502. At first everything was working great, then I started getting an alarm code for not being able to read the outside temp. Does anyone have a tip or trick to try and remedy the situation before I spend more to order a new part? Is reading the outside temp that important? Thanks for the help.