Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Arielle]

Quote: How do you prewarm your eggs?

Before I add any eggs to my incubator I use one of several methods. I either :
Add bottles of hot water to the container and cover with a towel,
or I microwave those rice bags and wrap in a towel, top with the eggs and a towel,
or I dampen a towel and microwave it for 30 seconds and wrap the eggs in that.
I like to warm my eggs slowly, to not shock the embryo. I store my own eggs in the basement ( 50 degrees) and then move them to the incubating room (65-75 degrees) for about 12 hours then p lace them in the incubator which is about 100. If I have shipped eggs, I unpack asap to make sure the eggs have access to air ( these eggs breathe) and set them upright in a paper egg carton with bottoms opened on the egg carton ; often the eggs are in the carton every which way. Sometimes eggs are very cold sometimes not, either way I put them in the incubating room ( 65-75) to acclimate, then into hatcher in the same cartons. I let the eggs sit for several days before I start turning. I do touch them, and spin them slowly. I do this because an attentive hen would be pestering those eggs regularly, and I try to give that impression to the egg during the non-turning time. I can't be sure that this truly improves the hatching as so many factors are in play before the eggs get to me. I'm sure I have more to learn , too.

As I remember day 5 is when the embryo settles into position so it needs to know what end is up before that.

I have an LG and a homemade incubator.

 

[vebyrd36]

I like to warm my eggs slowly, to not shock the embryo. I store my own eggs in the basement ( 50 degrees) and then move them to the incubating room (65-75 degrees) for about 12 hours then p lace them in the incubator which is about 100. If I have shipped eggs, I unpack asap to make sure the eggs have access to air ( these eggs breathe) and set them upright in a paper egg carton with bottoms opened on the egg carton ; often the eggs are in the carton every which way. Sometimes eggs are very cold sometimes not, either way I put them in the incubating room ( 65-75) to acclimate, then into hatcher in the same cartons. I let the eggs sit for several days before I start turning. I do touch them, and spin them slowly. I do this because an attentive hen would be pestering those eggs regularly, and I try to give that impression to the egg during the non-turning time. I can't be sure that this truly improves the hatching as so many factors are in play before the eggs get to me. I'm sure I have more to learn , too.

As I remember day 5 is when the embryo settles into position so it needs to know what end is up before that.

I have an LG and a homemade incubator.

I prefer the paper cartons to hatch in. I hatch in a normal position on some eggs.

 

[gjensen]

I like to read other's thoughts on this, and the actual facts are helpful.

At the same time, I am happy to know that my eggs are forgiving. I do not get too complicated.

For those that have been shipped to me, I just set them that evening. I do not think that I have ever just put an egg in from outside. They have been collected over the week, and stored tilted in a cabinet . Rotated a couple to three times a day, and set when I am ready.

So far the results have been favorable. I like keeping it simple. I am not smart enough for much more.

 

[vebyrd36]

I like to read other's thoughts on this, and the actual facts are helpful.

At the same time, I am happy to know that my eggs are forgiving. I do not get too complicated.

For those that have been shipped to me, I just set them that evening. I do not think that I have ever just put an egg in from outside. They have been collected over the week, and stored tilted in a cabinet . Rotated a couple to three times a day, and set when I am ready.

So far the results have been favorable. I like keeping it simple. I am not smart enough for much more.

I hear you. You know you watch an old broody they come and go and their hatches are pretty good.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I like to read other's thoughts on this, and the actual facts are helpful.

At the same time, I am happy to know that my eggs are forgiving. I do not get too complicated.

For those that have been shipped to me, I just set them that evening. I do not think that I have ever just put an egg in from outside. They have been collected over the week, and stored tilted in a cabinet . Rotated a couple to three times a day, and set when I am ready.

So far the results have been favorable. I like keeping it simple. I am not smart enough for much more.

That was more of a point I was (trying) to get at, some of my points can be quite dull/short sometimes, LOL. If you have too many rules to follow you just make more room to err. It is whole lot easier just to keep it simple an not complicate the matter any worse than it already is. This is especially true for the beginners as too much info can be overwhelming and lead to mess ups is all. It is simple operation to do, but still there are a few parameters/quide lines to follow, not many but the few are very important, all the rest is a matter of choice and EXTRAS. Doesn't mean they don't work or do. It all depends on how many motions one wants to make. To me the "lesser" is best.

Jeff

 

[catdaddyfro]

I hear you. You know you watch an old broody they come and go and their hatches are pretty good.

Yeah mine do a lot better job than me(I don't ever remember getting a 100% hatch rate) they do and under not so much of what a lot of folks try to make an ideal situation/surroundings either. You can't copy them with artificially man-made materials, or info, for sure.

Jeff

 

[Robert Blosl]

I just woke up and someone is trying to locate Silver Dorkings. Something about they are a tasty eating chicken. All I know they are a quite looking chicken in need of a few folks to care for them. I know a nice lady in Californian has some and has been working on them hard for over five years maybe more. I know Urch has some and they are a old line. Any one else have any????????????????????? Any nice Pictures to share for us?

I could not find a picture of a good one in my computer but the first picture that showed up is some one sent to me a a while back a picture of these two chickens and wanted to know if they where Rhode Island Red female and a barred rock male. Answer kind of or trying to be.

How many LURKERS out there who read this thread have chickens that look like THIS? Do they look like your birds that you got at your local FEED STORE?

If so that's all right. These are nice healthy looking birds great leg color and should produce nice eggs for the family.

Now the question is if you have this kind of nice looking chicken would you like to move up to the Standard Breed version of these to breeds? Where do you get Standard Breed Rhode Island Reds or Standard Breed Barred Rocks. Do you want hatching eggs sent to your home? Do you want ten started Chicks about 10 days old sent to your home overnight express? Maybe you will wait till next summer and drive to someones home and pick up two males and three females that are about four or five months old. What or how you do will work for you.

Lots of good advice on hatching eggs. For me I collect every day write the pen number like pen one pen two or pen three on the egg and the date. I put them in a egg carton and put them in my craft room where I have my turning lathe for my pen making. Then on the fourth day I put the eggs in the incubator. I turn them by hand at a temp of 99.5 degrees. I use no humidity as I DRY incubate my eggs in my climate. On the tenth day I candle the eggs if the egg is dark it stays if it is clear it goes in the garbage can. On the 18th day I put the egg in a hatch er and I have three running and then on the 21st day or 22 day really I take them out and toe punch each chick to their breeding pen they came out of.

Any one have a toe punch chart for the Lurkers?

They then go into a brooder box all of them about ten to 15 chicks and they get water with suger in it but no feed till they are about 2 or three days old. Old wife's tale I want the yoke to be absorbed in their guts be for they eat. May be write or stupid but that's what I do. Don't want any pasty butts of gut disorders. I raise them up in a brooder box for about three weeks then its to a intermittent size room to grow and feather. That's it for now. What do you guys on the 18th day? Then after that. All secret will be appreciated by the Lurkers. Lurkers this thread is for you regardless if you ever own a Standard Breed FOWL or just like the feed store type birds.

Got to go to work got to give Mr. Silkie a can of Cat food its his birthday.

Hes Three years old. BOB

 

[buffalogal]

DO you have a link for us non-tech savy folks?

http://www.americanbuckeyeclub.blogspot.com/p/understanding-sop.html

Look Ash, an "Illustrated Standard" without a thong or waxed thigh in sight.

 

[Bentley]

I know I often throw out what is perceived as too much information and most people want to keep it all simple. I can and do adjust to adapting to whatever people can do with the equipment or time they have. I just hope that the intent and the information I throw out there can be taken and adapted in whatever means possible, if at all. For some, they might want know the reasons why we do things and why some things work and others don't.

As far as good ol mother hen? I am right there with you marveling at their success rate. I have put egg shaped thermometers that will take temperature readings at any interval you want under broody Silkies. I set them to record at 5 minutes intervals for the entire incubation period (I know, I need a life). Still amazes me, I can set my incubators to control temperature and humidity to the tenth of a degree and they will do it. If I mimic what she did, I still can't beat Mother Nature and mothers instincts. And yes, when I print out the data I can tell when she got off the nest, my birds got off much more frequently after 12-13 days of incubation, and there are reasons for this, but I will stop there.

So back into that puny nut shell, sometimes you just can't beat nature even with the very best equipment.

 

[melroseladi]

I know I often throw out what is perceived as too much information and most people want to keep it all simple. I can and do adjust to adapting to whatever people can do with the equipment or time they have. I just hope that the intent and the information I throw out there can be taken and adapted in whatever means possible, if at all. For some, they might want know the reasons why we do things and why some things work and others don't.
As far as good ol mother hen? I am right there with you marveling at their success rate. I have put egg shaped thermometers that will take temperature readings at any interval you want under broody Silkies. I set them to record at 5 minutes intervals for the entire incubation period (I know, I need a life). Still amazes me, I can set my incubators to control temperature and humidity to the tenth of a degree and they will do it. If I mimic what she did, I still can't beat Mother Nature and mothers instincts. And yes, when I print out the data I can tell when she got off the nest, my birds got off much more frequently after 12-13 days of incubation, and there are reasons for this, but I will stop there.
So back into that puny nut shell, sometimes you just can't beat nature even with the very best equipment.

Bentley have you ever checked/recorded the humidity level under a broody hen? I seem to have a harder time figuring out the humidity levels then temps. I know what works for my guinea eggs but I read so many different things about chick eggs, some say low humidity, some say higher, some say dry hatch, etc. It would be nice to know what the humidity levels are under a chicken when she is hatching eggs.

Penny