Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Beekissed]

No! I was fascinated! I've never incubated chicks and it was great information, as I have never even read up on the subject. I'd read some info on threads on this forum but they never mentioned anything you have stated here....can't wait to hear from others on this subject.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Along the lines of this subject, I would also love to know the estimated hatch rate with eggs under a broody mom. I do not have roosters but have been thinking about buying some hatching eggs to put under my broody chabo she is relentless, I think she would be a good mom....maybe...willing to try it. Are there usually some that do not make it?

 

[Beekissed]

I've never had 100% hatch under my broodies, for one reason or another. That just seems to be the norm and the hens seem to know what to do. All the chicks I have hatched in this manner have survived.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't wash my eggs, but I don't incubate poop either. I only set reasonably clean eggs. I think the bloom helps some, but it is greatly overrated. What's more important is keeping the incubator and your hands as clean as you reasonably can.

I only hatch around 35 or so chicks a year in an incubator, two hatches a year in one of those lousy awful styrofoam 1588's. I only keep 6 or 7 laying hens and maybe one goes broody a year. A broody always gets eggs. That keeps me in meat.

Considering eggs I set, not taking out the clears, I probably hatch around 75% to 80%, whether in the incubator or under a broody. I'm not selling hatching eggs or anything like that. I want to know how many chicks I can expect if I set a certain number of eggs. Nothing fancier than that. These are eggs my hens lay, not shipped eggs or anybody else's eggs.

I agree that heat is the biggest cause of early or late hatching, but other things can affect it some. When I store hatching eggs when it is pretty warm, those tend to hatch a little early.

 

[jvls1942]

setting my own eggs is how I get the best %tage.. picking up eggs from other people is ok, as long as they are fresh ..

with other people's eggs, you never know what kind of breeding stock they have.. I have had more than one zero hatch from mailed eggs.. I do not do mailed eggs anymore..

I started out with 8 styrofoam incubators.. I had them all lined up on a bench in my shed.. I had very good luck with them.. If anybody has one they do not like, I will always take it off their hands.. I got most of mine from people who said they were no good.. I never paid more than $35.oo for one .. all of them that I bought had fans and turners included.. I have Little Gients and Hovabators.. they both work ezuall as well..

I agree with Ridgerunner, bluhm is vastly over rated..

Of the over 1500 eggs that I incubated last year, only about 3 went sour.. and come to find out, each one was cracked..

I do not candle very often.. at first I did, but that fascination wears off over time.. I might spot check a few out of a batch to see how they are coming along, if I feel the urge.. not often..

on hatch day, and the day before.... on the day before you might get one or two early pips.. on hatch day it is like "popcorn".. anything after the "popcorn" day is usually the distressed chicks and the ones weak and needing help.. I am about at the point where I am going to turn off the hatcher after "popcorn" day and toss any late hatchers.. Sorry, I don't buy into that belief that any egg that is set has a right to hatch.. I do not enjoy killing day old chicks because they are too sick or weak to survive..

do not "help" a chick to hatch.. it will die 98% of the time.. there is a right way to help a chick to hatch.. it takes a lot of practice and know how. most people do not understand when to quit helping.. at the sign of first blood, you have gone too far.. If it does not die right away, ylou will have to kill it within a day anyway.. there is NO EXTRA blood in that shell..

the second mistake is taking the chick out of the shell.. It has to work itself ut of the shell by itself.. that is all part of the hatching process.. people are not equiped with the patience to wait.. It is not a hurry up and it is all over process..

there I go again.... short story long..

..........jiminwisc.............

 

[loanwizard]

Quote:
well, so much for me not posting ..
I have 3 GQF sportsmans that run about 7 to 8 months of the year.. I have developed a method where I can go from the normal 280 eggs per unit up to almost 500.. (chicken)

I actually have 46 goose eggs going right now,, first ones due on the 19th.. I do not have a good record with goose eggs.. usually not more than 50%.. despite my overactive ganders, I end up with a lot of clears..

with chickens I get easily 80% and seldom 100%.. I include the clears as part of the failures.. I have had people tell me that they constatly get 100% hatches.. to them I say, good for you, and don't try to Bull S--t me..

I don't go nutsy about humidity, or turning.. I hold 99F as I cannot read 99.5% on any of my thermometers..

I keep the humidity at 45% to 55% during incubation.. If I can raise it during hatching, I do, but usually I don't have sticky chicks..

If I have to stop the turners during hatching for some eggs, I don't feel that it hurts the incubating eggs to not turn for a day..

I constantly have staggered hatches.

No matter what people on the incubating thread say, if their eggs are hatching on day 19/20, despite what they claim their thermometer reads, the temperature is too high..

also if a chick gets glued inside it's shell, 99% of the time, you opened the hatcher when it was pipped.. I know you did, and you know you did.. fresh air will turn albumen instantly to glue..
even Superman is not fast enough to open and close an incubator to prevent this..

I am willing to bet that nobody on BYC has a thermometer delicate enough to measure the difference of temperature from the top of an egg to the bottom.. or even from the top of a styrofoam incubator to the bottom..

If your incubator is properly preset for temperature before you add eggs, you will not have 110F temperature spikes.. Unless the room you have the incubator in goes to 110F.. If you have a temp spike, it is bause you fiddled with the temp setting after the eggs are installed..

the main cause of styrofoam temperature settings and humidity settings fluctuating is not because of the settings.. It is because of air leakage mainly around the seam where the top sets on the bottom.. tape it with duct tape all around.. problem solved..

sorry this went into book form..

...jiminwisc............

yes I wash my eggs.. I am not in the business of incubation pooh..

I loved this post. Picked up 2 things from it. I consistently hatch 60-80% on days 19 and 20. Two thermometers, one digital reads 98.5 and the old mercury one reads 101. From your post I am guessing the old mercury one is right.

Also I guess I need to fix leaks with some good old Duct Tape.

Strange thing to me is, if I set 24 eggs in my old air circulating styrofoam bator, I get 16 to 20 hatched. If I set 42 eggs.... I still get from 16 to 22 chicks.... Hmmm......

 

[Clay Mudd]

Quote:
And a highly appreciated long story! Thanks for the info.

 

[jvls1942]

loanwizard, you just hit on another main rule.. Only use ONE thermometer.. one that you trust.. two only confuses the issue.people say, I use two of them and average the readings..

what if they are both saying one thing, but they are both actually high? I do not understand where the average is..

I would try a batch with the mercury one set at 99.5F.. leave the digital one in for comparison only.. If your hatch comes out good, stay with the mercury one but note the reading on the digital one.. You can use the digital one also, only set it at the false reading that matches the mercury one..

ie, if your digital says 94F,, it is really 99.5F from now on..

the more I go on, the more confusing it will become..

tape your joints and I will almost guarantee the hatch % will go up..

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
well, so much for me not posting ..
I have 3 GQF sportsmans that run about 7 to 8 months of the year.. I have developed a method where I can go from the normal 280 eggs per unit up to almost 500.. (chicken)

I actually have 46 goose eggs going right now,, first ones due on the 19th.. I do not have a good record with goose eggs.. usually not more than 50%.. despite my overactive ganders, I end up with a lot of clears..

with chickens I get easily 80% and seldom 100%.. I include the clears as part of the failures.. I have had people tell me that they constatly get 100% hatches.. to them I say, good for you, and don't try to Bull S--t me..

I don't go nutsy about humidity, or turning.. I hold 99F as I cannot read 99.5% on any of my thermometers..

I keep the humidity at 45% to 55% during incubation.. If I can raise it during hatching, I do, but usually I don't have sticky chicks..

If I have to stop the turners during hatching for some eggs, I don't feel that it hurts the incubating eggs to not turn for a day..

I constantly have staggered hatches.

No matter what people on the incubating thread say, if their eggs are hatching on day 19/20, despite what they claim their thermometer reads, the temperature is too high..

also if a chick gets glued inside it's shell, 99% of the time, you opened the hatcher when it was pipped.. I know you did, and you know you did.. fresh air will turn albumen instantly to glue..
even Superman is not fast enough to open and close an incubator to prevent this..

I am willing to bet that nobody on BYC has a thermometer delicate enough to measure the difference of temperature from the top of an egg to the bottom.. or even from the top of a styrofoam incubator to the bottom..

If your incubator is properly preset for temperature before you add eggs, you will not have 110F temperature spikes.. Unless the room you have the incubator in goes to 110F.. If you have a temp spike, it is bause you fiddled with the temp setting after the eggs are installed..

the main cause of styrofoam temperature settings and humidity settings fluctuating is not because of the settings.. It is because of air leakage mainly around the seam where the top sets on the bottom.. tape it with duct tape all around.. problem solved..

sorry this went into book form..

...jiminwisc............

yes I wash my eggs.. I am not in the business of incubation pooh..

This is the way that works for me.

I do not wash my eggs for incubation, I never set any dirty eggs. I have 3 types of incubators I use. An old Lyons transparent hen that is a still air, a 1583 forced air Hovabator and an older Brinsea 40. All have been set to temps that work in my house and never adjusted. 99.8 I use a digital temp/hygrometer in each. I keep my humidity levels around the 40% mark the first 18 days. Bump to 65 to 70% the last 3. If I hand turn as I do in the old Lyons or the Brinsea 9i don't use the cradle that is with it) I try to turn 3 times a day. I have forgotten before or was away and could turn for a day without any ill results. I've never had sticky chicks, I do not help chicks out of the shell and mine usually hatch on day 21. I have had at times 100% hatches from shipped or my own. I do not takes the chicks out of the incubators til the hatch is done.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Some reason it double posted!