tips and secrets of the GQF 1502 sportsman...

[cmom]

Can't remember if I posted to this thread but if I did regarding hatching the AUSTRALIAN BLACK SWAN and 4 EGYPTIAN GOSLINGS want to report they are doing great at a little over 3 weeks old. The geese went to a new home today and I believe the Swan is not lonely at all but instead enjoying the peace and quiet. Those goslings were so bothersome to the swan. I love my GQF Cabinet Incubator I bought a few years ago. It's working well hatching peafowl and now rare waterfowl. I started using the 5 gallon bucket on top last year and that is a huge time saver not having to constantly fill the water tray. I'm actually thinking about getting another but my husband is reminding me this is a hobby and I'm nuts wanting to hatch more eggs, LOL!! Problem is the swan eggs are large so don't know how I'm going to have enough room with peafowl breeding starting soon. Love this thread and all the photos shared. Thanks much.

I bought one then two GQF cabinets too several years ago. My hubby also reminded me that this was a hobby and that I really didn't need 2 so I did sell one. Sometimes I wish I still had it but the past couple of years I have cut down on my hatching and one incubator is enough. I have the water bucket too and you are right it is a huge time saver. I pretty much dry incubate but like to have a little moisture in the incubator when incubating. Good luck and have fun...

 

[bdfive]

CMOM, Please explain to me what you mean by dry incubating. You say you like a little moisture.....what would be the reading of 'a little moisture?'

With Peafowl eggs humidity is suggested at 60 raised to 70 the last 3 days. I stay anywhere from 50 to 60 then raise it from 60 to 70.

With the Swan eggs it's suggested 55 to 65 and raised 65 to 80. AND it's said to best to spray the eggs with a fine mist at least once a day.

Is your humidity naturally high there? What is the humidity reading while 'dry incubating' you eggs?

I know I could read the thread but going to be lazy and ask what eggs you incubate. I'm so exhausted from caring for the cygnet and 4 goslings. No goose hatching anymore for me. They are so rambuncious and brutal toward each other. Geese went to a new home yesterday. Just have the swan that I thought would be lonely but I believe it's happy to be shed of them too, LOL!! They are all going on 4 weeks old.

I love the pictures of your set-up. Is it always that neat and tidy? My closed in back porch looks like a disaster zone, LOL!!! Need to get out there and straighten it up today.

 

[bdfive]

OK Farmer Rhonda, what's this with a standing ovation? I did or said something really stupid and you're being sarcastic, LOL!!! Sorry, I have so many things going on my mind is spinning. I get way to much email and belong to to many forums and get everything all mixed up. The fact I'm 71 doesn't help much. I might add I'm a young senior.........going going all the time. I want to purchase of those pedometers to register my movement. I'm going all day except when I plop in my recliner from exhaustion but am soon up and going again. All my animals are very well cared for consisting of 30 peafowl, 3 pheasant, 2 mini aussie dogs, 2 outside cats and now a swan. OH YES, and a husband, LOL!!! He pretty much fins for himself but likes doing it.

SO!!!.... do you think under the circumstances I probably shouldn't get another GQF Incubator, haha!!!

 

[cmom]

OK Farmer Rhonda, what's this with a standing ovation? I did or said something really stupid and you're being sarcastic, LOL!!! Sorry, I have so many things going on my mind is spinning. I get way to much email and belong to to many forums and get everything all mixed up. The fact I'm 71 doesn't help much. I might add I'm a young senior.........going going all the time. I want to purchase of those pedometers to register my movement. I'm going all day except when I plop in my recliner from exhaustion but am soon up and going again. All my animals are very well cared for consisting of 30 peafowl, 3 pheasant, 2 mini aussie dogs, 2 outside cats and now a swan. OH YES, and a husband, LOL!!! He pretty much fins for himself but likes doing it.

SO!!!.... do you think under the circumstances I probably shouldn't get another GQF Incubator, haha!!!

I'm glad there are us oldies (young seniors) but goodies around. One of my daughters is 45 and the other about to turn 50.

 

[Farmer Rhonda]

Okay, I'm 50 and didn't in any way mean to be sarcastic, I was just glad you shared, Thats all. I don't recall a standing ovation. You did write your animals were doing good. Whatever and by the way we all have very busy lives and im not on a talk forum to fight with people period.

 

[bdfive]

I'm glad there are us oldies (young seniors) but goodies around. One of my daughters is 45 and the other about to turn 50.

____________________

Youngest of ours 45, oldest soon 54.

 

[bdfive]

Okay, I'm 50 and didn't in any way mean to be sarcastic, I was just glad you shared, Thats all. I don't recall a standing ovation. You did write your animals were doing good. Whatever and by the way we all have very busy lives and im not on a talk forum to fight with people period.

_____________________________-

The LOL (laughing out loud) after what I wrote meant I was kidding. Didn't mean it to sound like a fight at all. Sorry, I should have worded it different. My post was written in jest with my meaning of 'jest' being 'fun'.

SO, you didn't initiate an ovation? Maybe it's something BYC does after so many postings. I thought they came from individuals.

 

[Farmer Rhonda]

I didn't read far enough to see an lol and I know what it means. People need to realize messages can be easily misconstrued. Have a good day.

 

[Farmer Rhonda]

This means thumbs up.

 

[cmom]

CMOM, Please explain to me what you mean by dry incubating. You say you like a little moisture.....what would be the reading of 'a little moisture?'

With Peafowl eggs humidity is suggested at 60 raised to 70 the last 3 days. I stay anywhere from 50 to 60 then raise it from 60 to 70.

With the Swan eggs it's suggested 55 to 65 and raised 65 to 80. AND it's said to best to spray the eggs with a fine mist at least once a day.

Is your humidity naturally high there? What is the humidity reading while 'dry incubating' you eggs?

I know I could read the thread but going to be lazy and ask what eggs you incubate. I'm so exhausted from caring for the cygnet and 4 goslings. No goose hatching anymore for me. They are so rambuncious and brutal toward each other. Geese went to a new home yesterday. Just have the swan that I thought would be lonely but I believe it's happy to be shed of them too, LOL!! They are all going on 4 weeks old.

I love the pictures of your set-up. Is it always that neat and tidy? My closed in back porch looks like a disaster zone, LOL!!! Need to get out there and straighten it up today.

I have an apartment I use for my hatchery. If I have company the company uses the apartment and I move everything out into my garage, which I have done now because I have company coming but I'm not setting any eggs until the company leaves. I recently rearranged my breeding pens so I want the males I put in with the females to be the breeders.

From a lot of research I have done in the past most sources have suggested for chicken eggs to incubate around 50% humidity. In the past I had lousy hatches so I have played and played with my humidity and have had the best hatches when I have kept the humidity around 35%. I try to keep it around that and even around 30%. Usually the incubator will read anywhere from 15-35% during incubation, and that's just fine. I haven't hatched any pea fowl but have hatched many of the game birds such as Pheasants for example. (My avatar is a male Ringneck Pheasant I hatched) I just had better luck with lower humidity during incubation but raise it usually around 75% the last 3 days during lock down. If the humidity is lower I have misted the eggs. Most eggs do need to loose moisture during incubation when the embryos develop. Incubating with too high of humidity can cause condensation in the air sac in the egg and when the chick pips internally into the air sac the moisture from the condensation can drown them. I have had a greater increase of my hatches since I have been dry incubating. The relative humidity here usually is around 100% at night but goes down to 30% to around 40% during the day. The relative humidity can affect styrofoam incubators much more than the cabinets. I do have a bucket on my cabinet but I also cover the water tray somewhat too. I have used foil to partially cover my water tray. Here I just laid a license plate over it. I also do staggered hatches. It's an old incubator that I have had for many years.





I think this came from a post on one of the forums on BYC. I think these humidity's are a little high during incubation, but what ever works for you. I had better hatches with lower humidity.
Good luck and have fun...
Quote:
These are our average settings for a variety of breeds and species;
Geese - 37.3C/99.1F, Humidity 35 - 45%
Ducks - 37.5C/99.5F, Humidity - 55%
Chickens - 37.5C/99.5F, Humidity 45 - 50%
Parrots - 37.3C/99.1F, Humidity - 50%
Rheas - 36.3C/97.3F, Humidity - 50%