5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[SoManyHats]

I really want to join this, but I don't have a rooster and I can't afford shipping on shipped eggs. So, I'm in if I can find eggs I can pick up - near Winchester VA, WV Panhandle, Frederick MD or even parts of SW PA.

 

[mstricer]

Well I only got 4 eggs today... I usually get 11. I keep a heat lamp on them at night which is a normal light color, not red. Not really sure why they didn't lay toady. Weather has been in the 50's this week with the low being not under 40. Food has been the same. Fodder and layer. The water was empty yesterday but hadn't been empty long. Any ideas as to why they didn't lay? If they keep that up there is no way I will be able to fill two incubators...

They don't need that much light and don't need heat. I don't heat my bantam d'Uccle coops and it has gotten pretty cold. I will be adding some LED rope lights to the Ameraucana coop though so I can hopefully get eggs for this hatch.

I really want to join this, but I don't have a rooster and I can't afford shipping on shipped eggs. So, I'm in if I can find eggs I can pick up - near Winchester VA, WV Panhandle, Frederick MD or even parts of SE PA.

You could put up an ad in the BSA for eggs wanted for the hatch.

 

[Aphrael]

Squeeeee!!

The lady with the Lav Orps will have eggs available and is fine with me picking them up rather than shipping. So it looks like I'll have some of those to put in for the hatch-a-long.

 

[Avlana]

I'm torn on what I should hatch for the hatch-a-long. Ducks or chickens??? Both?

 

[Peep-Chicken]

I'm torn on what I should hatch for the hatch-a-long. Ducks or chickens??? Both?

Both!

 

[Scottyhorse]

I made my incubator with one of those. Make sure you place I correctly (close to bulb) and drill the extra holes. Here's mine: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/831687/pink-zebra-incubator-miss-prissy-style-lots-of-pics

That's exactly what I'm thinking of doing, besides the fan. Thanks!! How did you splice the thermostat into the light?

 

[ronott1]

I'm torn on what I should hatch for the hatch-a-long. Ducks or chickens??? Both?

Hatch both!

The timing is tricky--ducks hatch early for me

 

[fosterson]

That's exactly what I'm thinking of doing, besides the fan. Thanks!! How did you splice the thermostat into the light?

If you go up to the 'Coops' tab and look, there's a link to home made incubators. Several of them show how they did the splicing.

 

[Avlana]

Hatch both!

The timing is tricky--ducks hatch early for me

Same here, especially with mallards. It may have been the strain I had, but they always hatched out on day 25-26. If I hatch any ducks for the hatch-a-long, they'll be khaki campbells. Undecided what chicken breed to put in. I have lavender orpingtons in the bator now and due to hatch in 5 days. But I'd like to start a campine or vorwerk flock. Very hard to find hatching eggs for those breeds at any time of the year!

 

[SoManyHats]

That's exactly what I'm thinking of doing, besides the fan. Thanks!! How did you splice the thermostat into the light?

Post number 483 of this thread has the diagram I used. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/8510/chic-chick-bator-updated/480

You'll have to have wire strippers or similar to cut off the outer coating of the wire, exposing the metal inside. It's that metal that you wrap around your terminals.

Remember that for still air incubators, the temp has to be a little higher- 102, I think, but you should look it up. Good luck with your project!