Anyone else setting eggs this weekend? 8-3-12?

[WyoChickenMamma]

I am going to set 30 eggs tonight around midnight, anyone else setting that wants to hatch along? These eggs will be to help replenish my general laying flock. I am setting a mix batch of white leghorns, jersey giansts, black copper marans, partridge penedesencas, barred rocks, brahmas and some ameraucanas.

The more the merrier, join along if you have just set or will be setting.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Anyone?

 

[aussie pete]

hi sunday 8/5/12 here downunder have just set 15 in incubator ,10 light sussex & 5 leghorn x australorp.first try at incubation have used broodies up to now .

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Well this will be a fun three weeks for you if it is your first time incubating. I have had my incubator going pretty much non stop since April. I did give it about a three week rest in July.

Welcome aboard aussie pete! Maybe some others will join in too!

 

[Nicole01]

Only 6 bought from eBay. True Ameracauna's.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Welcome Nicole01.

Do you know what color or colors they will be? I have three of them in my incubator too....will be fun to see them compared to my EE hens in my laying flock.

Happy Hatching!!!!

 

[Nicole01]

Thanks. All 6 eggs are blue. The hens are suppose to be blue, black and splash. 3 eggs are a nice deep blue and the other 3 are a lighter sky blue.

I'm hoping to get more. I'm waiting on a reply to pick up 6 more on an add I posted on CL locally. She says she has nice bloodlines.

 

[2cMyBellyAcres]

Just about to put 81 eggs in mine for a friend. Just here to check temp. and humidity to make sure I don't screw it up. First batch of chicken eggs for me. hoping to get a better turn over rate than the last batch of quail eggs.

 

[aussie pete]

Well this will be a fun three weeks for you if it is your first time incubating. I have had my incubator going pretty much non stop since April. I did give it about a three week rest in July.

Welcome aboard aussie pete! Maybe some others will join in too!

hi wyochickenmamma - thanks ,things going ok ,a bit worried as temp takes awhile to regain after turning eggs (manual turn) its drops to 36.5 C that's 97.7 F in yr language .what do u use for a brooder if u hatch so many?

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

I would not worry about the temp drops from turning. If you think about a broody hen, they have to get off the eggs daily to go eat and get a drink, take dust bath etc. My incubator has an automatic turning cradle, but it also has a cool down feature that lets the eggs cool day for 2 hours each day starting on day seven through day 18. In my readings it is heat spikes rather than dips that cause problems.

As for the brooder, we built a 4x8 foot enclosed brooder a while ago. It works out quite nice, when it was cold we had it in our unfinished basement, but in May we moved it up to our garage. I also have a grow out pen, so when the little ones are too big for the brooder, I can move them outside where they have a small little coop and a fenced yard where they can see the big chickens, but are not actually in with them. This helps with integration. Right now I have fourteen 4-6 week old chicks in the grow out pen. In my brooder I have a hen, her baby that has a broken leg and another little orphan chick that a broody hatched for me, then abandoned. The brooder is working great as a little hospital for that hen and her baby. I actually think she may have stepped on her baby and hurt the leg. She is getting around nicely and starting to put some weight on it. I will leave them in there for at least another week and then clean it up and get it ready for the eggs in the incubator.

As for the number in my incubator, they are all shipped eggs that come from low elevation to me, at 6400 feet above sea level. This creates some challenges with hatching, I would be over the moon if all of them hatched. Realistically, I would be happy with a 30%-45% hatch rate.

Welcome to the hatch along everyone!!!!