6th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[ronott1]

Does this only apply to automatic incubators where they are never opened? I am opening the incubator 3 times a day to turn the eggs. Is that comparable to the 1-hour cooling period? Or should I turn off the incubator for 1-hour each day?

You should be getting enough cool down and air exchange that way for sure!

 

[Book]

Most people that do staggered hatches have 2 incubators, one is designated as the incubator and the other is designated the hatcher. This allows you to move eggs about to hatch to the hatcher.

If you are doing this in one incubator I would not turn the eggs until all the other eggs have hatched so you don't accidentally shrink wrap already pipped eggs. How do you plan to clean the incubator after the hatch with newly incubating eggs in it? Just curious since I have never done it this way.

We make our bathroom very warm (It has it's own heater) pull all the still incubating eggs out (egg carton) and then wash the incubator with super hot water in the laundry room sink and replace them all. It has worked so far but not the best way I am sure! I will put another incubator on the list of things needed!

 

[blackgoat]

You should be getting enough cool down and air exchange that way for sure!

Thanks. It seemed like that would be the case, but I wanted to make sure.

 

[bantambury]

please let us know how you like the premium one brooder! I'm considering getting one.

surely! a lot of people have been wondering and I had been doing the same. my friend @CCCCCCCCHICKENS has it and loves it for its much cheaper price. im also impressed with it being 1 foot by 1 foot, as a square unlike brinseas small rectangle. well see tomorrow if it gets here! ill be sure to let you all know!

What breed is Milkshake? He looks very much like a cockrel I hatched last spring.

hes a splash silkie BTW Japanese bantam cross. ive found a lot of Japanese crosses have the black and white lacing come through along with silkies having the penciled look. what was your roo looking like? can I see a pic??

Question for all the dark egg hatchers. I have never been successful at candling BCM eggs. Does anyone here just weigh them instead of candling?

so for the last NYD hatch I had olive eggs. I couldn't tell if there were babies or not but I traced the air sack every other day.
I would weigh them if I were you. to wouldn't hurt. im sure if they got heavier daily you should be good

In reading the post I think everyone needs a chick fix for our addiction I hatched these December 4th. They are half NN of unknown pedigree. By a gold brahma roo. Only got five or 6 NN But all chicks are either yellow or chipmonk colored. She lay a nice brown egg and lots of them. Shes Buff colored.\




Do you think they are sex linked in any way. Hoping They all have feathered legs like the brahmas tooo

I cant get over these guys!

I love the Show Girls too.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

 

[bantambury]

@chicken pickin you know what, ive been thinking this for a while. we should do it together to make staggered hatches easier

OK so instead of one big turner in a bator, turners will be half the size, so two turners are able to fit in the bator. that way you can do two hatches and take the turner out for the others lockdown while the other birds are still cookin. I don't raise my humidity or temperature if not 10 % for humidity but that wouldn't be too bad of an idea I don't think

 

[ronott1]

@chicken pickin you know what, ive been thinking this for a while. we should do it together to make staggered hatches easier

OK so instead of one big turner in a bator, turners will be half the size, so two turners are able to fit in the bator. that way you can do two hatches and take the turner out for the others lockdown while the other birds are still cookin. I don't raise my humidity or temperature if not 10 % for humidity but that wouldn't be too bad of an idea I don't think

The rails come off of turners--that part is easy to do!

 

[bantambury]

The rails come off of turners--that part is easy to do!

like the rails that hold the eggs? OMG YOUVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME

im so stupid

 

[Peep_Show]

@bantambury

Good idea IF the incubator is totally divided on both sides. Otherwise chicks might get crushed under the half turner when they wander over there and fall asleep on/in/under the rails.

Heartbreak, for sure...

 

[bantambury]

@bantambury

Good idea IF the incubator is totally divided on both sides. Otherwise chicks might get crushed under the half turner when they wander over there and fall asleep on/in/under the rails.

Heartbreak, for sure...

then id get crafty and come up with a bator divider like the premium one brooder poo cover

but yeah....didn't think of that....

 

[ronott1]

like the rails that hold the eggs? OMG YOUVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME

im so stupid

Taking the rails off and setting the eggs set to hatch in the now open space works great if you are stagger hatching. After the chicks hatch, add the rails back and set more egges....and so on....for many months.

Clean the incubator every so often though.