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

[Cynthia12]

Just an FYI if you are using a Little Giant Incubator.

I was trying to find something to hold water (alot of water, not take up too much room) during lockdown. And something the chicks could not get into after they hatch.

Husband offered be a Plastic Mud Pan (used for holding the mud when installing sheet rock).

Fits perfectly under the heating coil and little ones can not get in.


http://www.lowes.com/pd_243939-5183...n&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=drywall+pan&facetInfo=

I use a glass. Not a large of course, won't fit. But one of those half sized ones. Fits right under the middle of the heating elements. It's tall enough for sure that the babies can't get in. I can do this when I don't have a lot of eggs in for lock down. Doesn't really take up much room though. Then I spread a long brand new dish towel across the back. I don't use the wells. I don't like what the water does to the foam. Plus, if any blood or goop gets into the wells during hatching, it sets right in there..harder to get clean. I do use the plastic kitchen cabinet liners to help keep the bator clean, but sometimes goop gets through.

 

[Penny Hen]

Well I got a stinker out this morning. It was one of Cinders. None of the others seem to smell. I think the smallest of the quail eggs (9 grams) is just a dried mummy. All the rest have liquid in them when I shift them. I have upped the humidity to 38%. I will do an eggtopsy tomorrow on the stinker. It was also seeping I wiped the cup of the egg carton out and then sprayed some bleach water and wiped it again. I am going to see about getting the humidity into the 40's until the 1st when the quail hatch and then I will lockdown for the chicks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

so my birthday is January 11 and my boyfriend is on vacation from work so for an early bday present he is going to build me a brooder/coop for my chickies

does anyone have any good ideas? I'm going to brood in the house for the first couple weeks then move them to the shed or their new coop depending on how many hatch, then after a while I'll let them free range with my pullets and slowly get them used to each other and then they could all move into the same run

~~Happy early birthday!
How many eggs do you have cooking now? How many pullets do you currently have?

Don't forget this page with both coops and brooders.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

My hover brooders are smaller versions of the Ohio brooder.
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/hkmw/downloads/46524.pdf

You have a great boyfriend!

My Birthday is January 8th.

Happy early birthday!

...Wife wasn't that impressed till I pointed out I'm using Christmas money. Even then I could see the flames and smoke building up ... I don't think I'm forgiven...

Wow, does that ever sound familiar!

Ok, no one is talking, I may as well go on! Ok, so, have to share. Check out what Pawtraitart has invented. I was sent one to give feedback while they got things in order for it to be all there idea..patent. No leaking water into the brooder! So, no wet shavings! No poop in the water either.

Comes with a bracket as well. If this looks like something you might like, shoot her a pm.

I have some of those horizontal drinkers in 1/4 in. PVC pipes in my brooder house. They aren't active now because I had to shut the automatic water systems down for winter. I'll try to get a picture of the system tomorrow.

Check out post #30 in this thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/607605/chicken-water-nipples-reviews/20
I also like the ones in post #8 in the same thread.

So my problems are not as bad as I thought - I just have a crappy thermometer. I have three in there, but I was going off the one that I could calibrate. When I first got it, it was reading about .1-.2 degrees high. So then I started having problems, decided to check it again, and it was a whole degree low. Ugh...so all this time I have been adding a degree. Well, I just checked it again, and it's .5 degrees high.

Needless to say, I'm sending that one back to Amazon, and just hoping the other two are right. Maybe I'll pick up another one while I'm out tomorrow.

How many ways can I say "crappy thermometer".
I have a box full of crappy thermometers. Keep in mind that most are only required to be ±2°F. That's a 4 degree swing.
Ron posted a tip early on about an oral thermometer, which is just about right for incubating. I think they have an accuracy of ±0.2°F
If you do buy one, try a meat thermometer probe and then compare it to an oral.

Man this little giant is touchy. I barely move the setting knob and bam it goes from 104 to 87-90. Wife is sitting there and I think by buying this I may have sold her on another 200+ incubator come tax season lol. She is talking about we need to return this thing. I feel a sportsman coming my way maybe. lol

I can't believe how many people use them. I'm actually on my second one to use as a backup to the homemade cabinet.
I recommend turning the knob so little it is almost imperceptible and wait a couple hours before you adjust again. If it is really high, open it briefly to let some heat out.

Just an FYI if you are using a Little Giant Incubator.

I was trying to find something to hold water (alot of water, not take up too much room) during lockdown. And something the chicks could not get into after they hatch.

Husband offered be a Plastic Mud Pan (used for holding the mud when installing sheet rock).

Fits perfectly under the heating coil and little ones can not get in.


http://www.lowes.com/pd_243939-5183...n&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=drywall+pan&facetInfo=

I don't know if they still do but the big blocks of Velveeta cheese used to come in a plastic rectangular tub like the mud pan but a little smaller with vertical sides.
I just found mine in the refrigerator one day. I thought, "wow I can put that to good use." It now has a couple sponges sticking out of it in my hatcher with a length of CPVC pipe running into it I can fill from outside.

I use a glass. Not a large of course, won't fit. But one of those half sized ones. Fits right under the middle of the heating elements. It's tall enough for sure that the babies can't get in. I can do this when I don't have a lot of eggs in for lock down. Doesn't really take up much room though. Then I spread a long brand new dish towel across the back. I don't use the wells. I don't like what the water does to the foam. Plus, if any blood or goop gets into the wells during hatching, it sets right in there..harder to get clean. I do use the plastic kitchen cabinet liners to help keep the bator clean, but sometimes goop gets through.

If anyone is having trouble getting humidity up, remember that it is surface area rather than volume that is key. A sponge or something that is absorbent sticking up out of the water helps.

 

[draye]

5 more days until hatch day.

 

[Pozees]

5 more days until hatch day.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Quote:

Quote: Oh, you're saying that now…wait till those fuzzy butts are running around stealing your heart.

so my birthday is January 11 and my boyfriend is on vacation from work so for an early bday present he is going to build me a brooder/coop for my chickies

does anyone have any good ideas? I'm going to brood in the house for the first couple weeks then move them to the shed or their new coop depending on how many hatch, then after a while I'll let them free range with my pullets and slowly get them used to each other and then they could all move into the same run

Personally, I would have him build the more permanent structure for outside as long as you have someone building for you. It's no picnic brooding chicks in the house during winter, but it is a temporary situation and an outside structure would something you'd have for a long time.

Man this little giant is touchy. I barely move the setting knob and bam it goes from 104 to 87-90. Wife is sitting there and I think by buying this I may have sold her on another 200+ incubator come tax season lol. She is talking about we need to return this thing. I feel a sportsman coming my way maybe. lol

Wow! While I was catching up, you went from just about talking the wife into the LG, to shopping for a liner to getting a SPORTSMAN, Good job!

Well I got a stinker out this morning. It was one of Cinders. None of the others seem to smell. I think the smallest of the quail eggs (9 grams) is just a dried mummy. All the rest have liquid in them when I shift them. I have upped the humidity to 38%. I will do an eggtopsy tomorrow on the stinker. It was also seeping I wiped the cup of the egg carton out and then sprayed some bleach water and wiped it again. I am going to see about getting the humidity into the 40's until the 1st when the quail hatch and then I will lockdown for the chicks.

Eggtopsy on a stinker…now that's brave.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

I'm feeling a bit heart broken right now, the pip that started christmas night still has not hatched. i think I've got to get it out and help, it's been over 36 hours and is still in the same position. There is one more egg that zipped and then stopped. These are both OEs from my coop, not ONE of the other eggs has so much as a pip and I really thought this hatch was going well. So bummed right now

So I pulled the OE out and the membrane was very dry with no veining. The membrane around the beak was hardened like glue, so I slathered triple antibiotic ointment on there and am hoping that does the trick. I put the egg back in the incubator and hoping when I check after chores that there is a chick.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Can anyone take a look at my air cells and tell me if they are large enough now that I can add some humidity, since I've been running dry for a week? I posted before and no one specifically said if the air cells looked like the right size. The smallest circle is at 7 days, the middle lines are at 10 days, the biggest circles are from yesterday...day 14. Thanks!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

I'm feeling a bit heart broken right now, the pip that started christmas night still has not hatched. i think I've got to get it out and help, it's been over 36 hours and is still in the same position. There is one more egg that zipped and then stopped. These are both OEs from my coop, not ONE of the other eggs has so much as a pip and I really thought this hatch was going well. So bummed right now

So I pulled the OE out and the membrane was very dry with no veining. The membrane around the beak was hardened like glue, so I slathered triple antibiotic ointment on there and am hoping that does the trick. I put the egg back in the incubator and hoping when I check after chores that there is a chick.

Oh goodness, I hope she's gonna be ok!! Keep us posted!!

 

[JLaw]

Just an FYI if you are using a Little Giant Incubator.

I was trying to find something to hold water (alot of water, not take up too much room) during lockdown. And something the chicks could not get into after they hatch.

Husband offered be a Plastic Mud Pan (used for holding the mud when installing sheet rock).

Fits perfectly under the heating coil and little ones can not get in.


http://www.lowes.com/pd_243939-5183...n&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=drywall+pan&facetInfo=

I have these screwed to the wall of my coop. I use them for fermented feed but had to stop cause it froze in there so probably only a summer thing.