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

[mstricer]

So here are my first questions. First I should tell you the type of incubator, It is a little giant still are foam box. Should I use the egg rotator or flip them myself? Should I fill both of the bottom compartments with water? What temperature should I shoot for? Ok that is all for now.

Find an area where there isn't a lot of air drafts, I put my foam incubators in my closet, use an egg turner. I would do a dry hatch, put just a little bit of water in the bottom, and have the hydrometer at 35% and don't add water until in goes down to 26%. ( I do mine different, I add no water until last 3 days, I have a hovabator, well two and a big farm master incubator, both have fans) you can always put a fan in your incubator by getting a computer fan and follow directions online) temp should be at top of egg between 101 and 101.5 watch closely as someone else said
Have fun and don't panic

 

[mstricer]

Quote: Oh Yeah! PA Chicken people rock! ~ how busy are you? we are thinking of seeing a movie..wanna come? 14 year old wants to see Hunger Games, but 10 year old will be with, so we may end up at the animated turkey movie whose name escapes me at this time.

Here's a lil of PA today...



Nice picture. We don't get much sunlight here in this part of Ohio in the winter, does nothing for the winter blahhhhhs. I just bought light bulbs the replicate the sun.

 

[Avlana]

My preferred method is incubation..

Keep a close eye on the temps with your LG, I've noticed mine to get a bit wonkie. They spike without notice.

Oh Yeah! PA Chicken people rock! ~ how busy are you? we are thinking of seeing a movie..wanna come? 14 year old wants to see Hunger Games, but 10 year old will be with, so we may end up at the animated turkey movie whose name escapes me at this time.

Here's a lil of PA today...

Beautiful! I'll have to check out the PA thread and be nosey

It's cold and windy where I am. Think some areas of PA may see some flurries tonight. I'm nice and warm in my house with the fireplace going. This is the first year I've ever hatched eggs during winter.

 

[mstricer]

Quote: I makes the days go by faster. So to get winter done quicker you have to set every 21 day

 

[mstricer]

Little d'Uccle pullets are shooting me some eggs, shooting would be the right word they are the shape of bullets. I got 2 nice shaped eggs, thinking they are from the older hen. Now I need to do a test hatch to see if they are fertile. My 3 bantam Mottled Cochins are getting ready to go into lock down tomorrow YaY for me. Never had cochins before but they are so darn fluffy couldn't resit trying to get some live incubators

 

[msladyhawke]

[COLOR=0000FF]My preferred method is incubation..[/COLOR] [COLOR=0000FF]Keep a close eye on the temps with your LG, I've noticed mine to get a bit wonkie. They spike without notice.[/COLOR] [COLOR=0000FF]Oh Yeah! PA Chicken people rock! ~ how busy are you? we are thinking of seeing a movie..wanna come? 14 year old wants to see Hunger Games, but 10 year old will be with, so we may end up at the animated turkey movie whose name escapes me at this time.[/COLOR] [COLOR=0000FF]Here's a lil of PA today...[/COLOR]

Gorgeous shot Blarney! Sorry to miss the movies!

 

[mstricer]

So who's done with their Christmas shopping?

 

[carriebain]

Ha everyone is getting a baby chick!

 

[mstricer]

Ha everyone is getting a baby chick!

 

[Gardeningmama]

So here are my first questions. First I should tell you the type of incubator, It is a little giant still are foam box. Should I use the egg rotator or flip them myself? Should I fill both of the bottom compartments with water? What temperature should I shoot for? Ok that is all for now.

I had a terrible time trying to use the turner in my still air. My issue was humidity...With it in place I couldn't reach or see the wells to fill them, and there wasn't adequate room around the edges to hold enough containers of water. My hatch was a disaster, the chicks were stuck in the shells. If I had a larger incubator, or it had been summer, when the humidity isn't nearly such an issue, I would use it then. But never again in winter. If you do, I'd leave a couple spaces around the motor empty, it's warmer in that corner.

Quote: My blue eggs are the easiest for me to see into the earliest, but then one day it's like someone shuts the lights off and they become the hardest to see into.

Is it true that a lower temperature, (within range) result in more pullets?? Has anyone else heard this??

I've read it's not true, even though some people swear it is.

Quote:
It is a wonderful thread with great folks, though I haven't popped in in a while

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Little d'Uccle pullets are shooting me some eggs, shooting would be the right word they are the shape of bullets. I got 2 nice shaped eggs, thinking they are from the older hen. Now I need to do a test hatch to see if they are fertile. My 3 bantam Mottled Cochins are getting ready to go into lock down tomorrow YaY for me. Never had cochins before but they are so darn fluffy couldn't resit trying to get some live incubators

I got Cochin eggs from Sally Sunshine in the spring and those babies pipped to zip in about 15 minutes flat. It was like popcorn. I think I maybe saw 1 hatch...I would walk away, and come back to a new chick.