4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[chiqita]

I really want one of these
http://www.brinsea.com/prod-OvaScope_egg_scope-236.aspx
Has anyone ever used one?
We are hveing a little activity on the pip atm seems he is trying t make a square hole instead of a zip though

I got a Cree q 5 off of amazon. Cheaper then eBay 400 lumes and can see through a marans egg just fine. 9.25 can't beat that!!! Put a dark 2l pop bottle top on it to make a egg holder and its perfect. Had a 200 lumes one before and it worked for non marans eggs before but it cost more. This is the best I have found.

Mini Mag Light (I have 2 but can't find either)

[COLOR=808080]Looks like I won't be joining after all, wasn't planning on more than a dozen Polish eggs but they have stopped laying all together [/COLOR] [COLOR=808080] blah[/COLOR]

I'm doing a ton of trader joes eggs. I went today to ask them to pull fresh eggs for me and pt them outside the fridge. Didn't even phase them when I said I was hatching them! I'm doing 6 dz from them and 4.5 from save mart. Something should hatch!

Snow means cold and frozen hoses and frozen waterers and frozen toes and frozen fingers and diesels not wanting to start and...

I haven't lived in the snow since I was a wee thing. I used to walk 2 miles in the unplowed snow to school. N one ever believes me. But snow makes me sleep. I never did anything but read and sleep and try to keep the pipes from freezing. I don't envy you.

Ugh! I'm fretting! No eggs!!! Gah! I might give up and just start saving up a month before next yr.

See fertile store gig quote above. Also do a wtb ad n craigslist this weekend and were if you get any bites.

I'm getting super excited!!!

 

[PerfectPoultry]

I'll go ahead and try

 

[gabrielle1976]

After I go shopping and to the movies with my son and nieces you all can send me all the snow you dont want I will be well stocked for at least 3 or 4 weeks and happy as a clam.

 

[RavenWood]

I'm going to pick up my BCMaran eggs tomorrow! Whoot! Then my batch of Ameraucana crosses and a few bantys comes on Monday. I took the day off for the Tuesday set so I can be there to monitor temps and humidity.

I'm a bit confused though - what should the humidity be set at for the first 18 days? Also, what trough on my Hova-bator do I use? The diagram that came with it shows the outside troughs and then to fill the inside one for the last three when the humidity increases, but others have said I should use the centre trough with a sponge in it for the first 18 instead. So now I'm confused. I believe the temp should be 99-100 degrees F. I hope I have placed the bator in a good location, but that's so hard in our house as we are constantly opening doors to let my 9 dogs in and out and we heat the house with a wood stove which dries the air and fluctuates considerable. At the moment I have it set up in our mud room and the temp does change a bit when dogs come in and out, but it seems to hold fairly steady despite this so I may keep it there.

Also, lockdown .. what is this? As near as I can figure this is the last 3 days ... can someone tell me what is involved in this? And what kind of brooders do people have for after they chicks have hatched?

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

I have the second one. I prefer my Mini Maglight better.

x2 for the mini mag

 

[Daloorashens]

Seriously this is one busy thread..

Not much to say except I'm really excited to set my eggs on Tuesday and I have also been trying to figure out some magical algebraic equation for the total number eggs set, lol

 

[cluck-cluck]

I'm going to pick up my BCMaran eggs tomorrow! Whoot! Then my batch of Ameraucana crosses and a few bantys comes on Monday. I took the day off for the Tuesday set so I can be there to monitor temps and humidity.

I'm a bit confused though - what should the humidity be set at for the first 18 days? Also, what trough on my Hova-bator do I use? The diagram that came with it shows the outside troughs and then to fill the inside one for the last three when the humidity increases, but others have said I should use the centre trough with a sponge in it for the first 18 instead. So now I'm confused. I believe the temp should be 99-100 degrees F. I hope I have placed the bator in a good location, but that's so hard in our house as we are constantly opening doors to let my 9 dogs in and out and we heat the house with a wood stove which dries the air and fluctuates considerable. At the moment I have it set up in our mud room and the temp does change a bit when dogs come in and out, but it seems to hold fairly steady despite this so I may keep it there.

Also, lockdown .. what is this? As near as I can figure this is the last 3 days ... can someone tell me what is involved in this? And what kind of brooders do people have for after they chicks have hatched?

Everyone has a different theory on humidity. If everything is very humid where you live right now, go light on the water. I think the consensus here is under 45 and over 25 percent humidity (dept of agriculture says 50-60 percent) Most everyone thinks that's way too high. The last three days, up it really high, over 65 percent and under 80 should be ok.

For temp, try to keep it as close to 99.5, or between 99 and 100.

This is from what I've read since coming to BYC.

Lockdown is day 18 until hatch. The eggs are no longer turned, and usually taken out of any contraption you might have them in, such as a turner, or an egg carton, etc... and laid flat on the bottom of the incubator (I use paper towels under them to keep gunk from getting on everything, clean up is so much easier that way.

For a brooder, I've had something as simple as a big box, with shavings 2inches deep (min) and more paper towels on top. which I keep there for 3-4 days. Newspaper is too slippery, chicks can get spradle legs (sp?) but paper towels are easier for them to walk on, and keep them out of the shavings (never saw one eat the shavings, but some worry they will) After 3-4 days, the chicks are better on their feet, and the paper towel looks pretty soiled, so I take it away. Or I wait until it's soiled pretty bad, make it last as long as I can. Then I have a heat lamp from home depot hanging right above them. I use a 100 watt red bulb, it's all you need for under 25 chicks, IMO. Set the heat lamp at a height that makes the area around 95 degrees, then raise it every week so as to lower that temperature 5 degrees a week.

 

[cluck-cluck]

Seriously this is one busy thread..

Not much to say except I'm really excited to set my eggs on Tuesday and I have also been trying to figure out some magical algebraic equation for the total number eggs set, lol

I did that, but I think my guess is going to be too high, LOL

 

[gabrielle1976]

I am please to introduce to you

The babies some of you watched hatch or pip today.

Its simply amazeing how cute and tiny they are

Eggnog , and Gingerbread

 

[PerfectPoultry]