Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hello and welcome Gallus_domesticus! I wish you all the best with the chicken's eye. Bob's henhouse, good luck on the hatch.

Can you believe our weather?! I'm starting to remember again why I love living here.

 

[Bob's Henhouse]

Mahonri, congrats on the full schedule.

here is a pic of the first 4 out. the 3 light ones are the Ameraucanas, teh dark one is either the FBCM or FBCMxGCM. Because the eggs are the same color, (except one is lighter) I don't know which it is yet. But there are still more to come.

 

[NoSkiveez]

Bob's Henhouse :

Mahonri, congrats on the full schedule.

here is a pic of the first 4 out. the 3 light ones are the Ameraucanas, teh dark one is either the FBCM or FBCMxGCM. Because the eggs are the same color, (except one is lighter) I don't know which it is yet. But there are still more to come.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/67557_100_1032.jpg

Do you open the incubator during Lockdown/hatching to remove hatched chicks?​

 

[Bob's Henhouse]

NoSkiveez, yes, I pull them out afterr they have had a few hours to dry off. In my homemade one I'd leave them in a little longer, but only because I was in no hurry. I moved them into the new ( old but usable) incubator about a week ago, and it is REALLY noisy. The fan inside looks like it is about twice as big as it needs to be, but that's how they built it, who am I to argue. So, anyway, I pull them out as soon as they are dry to get them out of the noisy environment. I also have to open it every couple of days anyway to refill the water dishes until I move it to where I can plumb it with a cooler float. There seems to be enough mass to keep the temperature constant even after you open the door, so it only drops a couple of degrees and makes it back up in about 3 minutes. I'm actually pretty impressed. Makes my homemade one look pathetic! lol

 

[Bob's Henhouse]

NoSkiveez, here is a pick, it has a 1/2 to 5/8 thick plexiglass window, is about the same thickness particle on all sides, so it has a lot of weight to it. I opened it a few minutes ago to put a couple of cartons of eggs on a tray inside, it dropped 5 degrees, and was back at 99.5 in less than a minute. I'm really tickled with it.

 

[NoSkiveez]

You don't have issues from humidity loss?

Mine is similar to yours, except its home built. I used a mini bar fridge with a clear glass door. I drilled air holes in the sides. I made hatch racks so chicks can't fall off each shelf. I keep them in foam egg crates and prop one end or the other for turning. I have a tube going into one of the holes that fills my water pans so I don't have to open it. I typically leave all the hatched chicks until everyone is done hatching. I always thought opening it would harm unhatched chicks. I'll take a picture of the one I made.

 

[Bob's Henhouse]

I haven't checked the humidity in the bator yet, can't find my electronic sling psychrometer. I bought it for work, but it works really well for checking the incubator. But I try to make up for the loss by adding hot water to the water trays when I open it, adds humidity fast, plus the fan blows right over the top of the water trays, and it blows like CRAZY! My homemade one witha computer fan is no comparison. It works, but this one is way better. This one has an automatic turner, which is pretty cool.

 

[NoSkiveez]

I use a $7 mini 4 inch fan from Target in my Bator. I think its a bit powerful. I've been noticing that certain pips are not hatching completely. Its the ones that pip a big hole. When I gave my silkie some chicks I gave her the one that I helped out and she didn't want it.

I had another new layer today. I got a green egg. I'm going to move the two EE pullets in with the rooster now. I'm getting anxious for everyone to lay.

 

[Bob's Henhouse]

I have helped some out that have pipped, but seemed to have gotten stuck at that stage for over a day and others I haven't helped and they didn't make it. A couple I've helped have had problems with their legs where one leg was not able to bend correctly, so they couldn't walk, but others have been ok, so I don't know if there is any rhyme or reason to it.

 

[NoSkiveez]

That's something I've been running into also. My first blue polish looked like it had a leg issue, then it seemed fine the next day and then died. I have a SLW I have been watching that I didn't think would make it but its okay now. I also had several eggs pip at the wrong end but I expected something like that after having a very low 86* temp in my Bator when I got up one morning. I think they were around day 10 when that happened. I was lucky anything hatched. It seems I have a great fertility rate and a poor hatch rate. Eggtopsies show fully formed dead chicks. One egg had signs that it died before Lockdown. I'm thinking its something I'm doing wrong.