Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Texasmja]

. What incubators would you suggest to a beginner to purchase. Brinsea Eco 20

 

[Hangtown Farms]

"The New Incubation Book," by Dr. A.F. Anderson Brown & G.E.S. Robbins (Hancock House publisher) just about covers every aspect of hatching any kind of egg from chickens, geese, falcons, ducks to even penguin eggs.




[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Brincea has a wide selection of very good incubators for the beginner to the most experienced (all ranges of prices & features). I use broody hens to hatch in Spring & that is my prferred method of hatching. However, even though I have a Buckeye broody available right now, when I start hatching early & it is too cold to have chicks raised in the middle of winter, as I have my La Fleche (due January 1), I use a Brincea Octagon 40 (can hold up to 48 chicken eggs & not expensive), & I move to a Hovabator (styrofoam) Genesis as a hatcher the last 3 days. I also use the Genesis if I am hatching small numbers of eggs (say 12 or less). Sometimes, I hand turn in the Genesis, but I do have one of those turners I can put in there. The Genesis is a good, cheap incubator for a beginner. It has digitally controlled temperature and has a built in hygrometer (humidity). Whatever incubator one chooses, the best single advice I would give is to follow the manufacturer's written instructions on temperature and where & when to add water. [/FONT]

I am going for the R-Com 20. I have a foam GQF works get on my eggs or eggs I pick up but not so good on shipped eggs. I get temp. flux. from 101-102 to 98 sometimes 97 on cold nights.
No way to dial it in. when you think you have it set it changes

 

[Fred's Hens]

X2 Just hatched these 14 Red chicks this week. However, if I needed more head room and larger batches, I'd choose the Hovaboator Genesis 1588, I believe that's the model, with the clear top, good electronics and auto turning. I'd also have BOTH and incubate them in the Brinsea and hatch them in the Genesis, if money were no object.

 

[Chris09]

A commercial feed is just fine IF you have average chickens and want average production out of them.

I can't think of one breeder that I know that feeds a sole diet of a commercial feed, most of the breeders I know (myself included) use a "semi-custom" mix because we know that not all chickens have the same needs. What I feed my Red is no where close to what I feed my Gamefowl or even my Ducks.

Now I'm not saying that you need to jump into this "custom feed" mix thing head first, it takes time to learn what your fowl need and don't need and lots of homework.
If you are going to try mixing a custom mix take baby steps, try feeding a Game Bird Feed (which should have animal proteins in it) instead of that nasty Layer Feed that has a high Calcium level that a Cock bird doesn't need. After you get them on a Game Bird Feed then you can start adding Soaked Oat and maybe a little Floating Fish Pellet as a supplement.


Chris

 

[Fred's Hens]

Soaking alfalfa pellets, for added greens is very inexpensive and they go a long, long way.
I typically crack an egg or two back into the feed everyday or every other day. We have them to spare. Especially, if they are not top grade.

Then, household meat left overs, juice from the crockpot meats, bacon grease, really anything that supplements the commercial feed, especially in our snow covered winters.

 

[Chris09]

Fred,
I have some "up grading" to do with some of my incubators, I just use one of the GQF Hovabator and a homemade cabinet incubator.

Here is the cabinet incubator, I have some up grading to do to it.








Chris

 

[Fred's Hens]

Chris, I turned down a 300-400 egg, redwood incubator a month or two back. I simply don't have a need for that level of instant production. LOL.

I'm probably one of the few guys who remember taking eggs to "guy", often a Mennonite gentleman, who'd incubate your eggs for you in a Kerosene fired incubator. When they hatched, you went back and picked them up and paid him a dime or 20 cents an egg for his effort. There are still a few places left in the US where this is still done, but not many.

 

[Chris09]

You mean incubator like this,

https://www.lehmans.com/p-1273-kerosene-powered-chicken-egg-incubator.aspx

I know a kid out here that hatches egg in a sportsman, I send about 70 to 80 egg to him a year. It gives him some spending money. lol

Chris

 

[gjensen]

I think a beginner should start with the Genesis.

I was however, very satisfied with the performance of my Dickey's incubator. I think it is the Devil though. I just keep putting eggs in, and I can't stop.

Chris, I get what you are saying. There is a never ending search for better. I do feel that what I am doing works though. My birds are in as good or better condition than any that I have come across. I am probably not smart enough to do anything more complicated.

 

[gjensen]

You mean incubator like this,

https://www.lehmans.com/p-1273-kerosene-powered-chicken-egg-incubator.aspx

I know a kid out here that hatches egg in a sportsman, I send about 70 to 80 egg to him a year. It gives him some spending money. lol

Chris

That is nice. I wonder what kind of success that could be had with something like this?