OK, Amy, since you seem to be the resident guru here, I've got one for you:
I had one of my Red Sex-links go broody on me back in June. We were going out of state for 3 weeks in July, so we took all her eggs from her til August 1st. After that, she was pretty much on the nest non-stop. She never hatched a single one, so I tossed them all this morning.
I've put 6 new ones under her this morning, and marked them so I can tell if she's drug any new ones in. I've also fired up my old Hova-bater as backup in case she, for whatever reason, quits the nest. It's running right around 100 degrees right now, so I backed it off a tad. I don't have a way of checking the humidity, so should I just fill the water channels in the bottom & keep them filled if I need to move the clutch to the incubator?
My incubator has an automatic turner on it. Can I just put the eggs in it, fat end up, and leave them alone 'til the 18th day?
I really don't want to resort to the incubator if I don't have to, due to not wanting to have to put up with the dust indoors (been down that road with quail in the past), if I can avoid it, Then there's the integration process, particularly with cold weather around the corner and no good way to put the babies outside so the older ones can get used to them w/o being able to get to them. I've never raised chicks before, but I understand there are no integration problems if the chicks are born into the flock & raised by momma, as nature intended.
Your thoughts?
Thanks
Ken
I had one of my Red Sex-links go broody on me back in June. We were going out of state for 3 weeks in July, so we took all her eggs from her til August 1st. After that, she was pretty much on the nest non-stop. She never hatched a single one, so I tossed them all this morning.
I've put 6 new ones under her this morning, and marked them so I can tell if she's drug any new ones in. I've also fired up my old Hova-bater as backup in case she, for whatever reason, quits the nest. It's running right around 100 degrees right now, so I backed it off a tad. I don't have a way of checking the humidity, so should I just fill the water channels in the bottom & keep them filled if I need to move the clutch to the incubator?
My incubator has an automatic turner on it. Can I just put the eggs in it, fat end up, and leave them alone 'til the 18th day?
I really don't want to resort to the incubator if I don't have to, due to not wanting to have to put up with the dust indoors (been down that road with quail in the past), if I can avoid it, Then there's the integration process, particularly with cold weather around the corner and no good way to put the babies outside so the older ones can get used to them w/o being able to get to them. I've never raised chicks before, but I understand there are no integration problems if the chicks are born into the flock & raised by momma, as nature intended.
Your thoughts?
Thanks
Ken
