Cochin Thread!!!

[jen85]

X2 on the the crappy LG incubators.


Does anyone have luck using LF Cochins for hatching eggs? Mine are so fat. I've tried in the past but they played musical nest boxes and then stepped on the hatching eggs. So after finding 3 dead babies and a scalped one, I haven't tried since. I've got three broody already and last summer I had eight at once. That would be a lot of babies!

 

[SimpleHarmony]

x 3 on the LG incubators. My first couple hatches were great and then the temperature started fluctuating wildly. I don't hatch enough to justify a cabinet incubator (yet)

so I purchased a Brinsea Octagon Advance 20 with the auto turner and I have Buff Barred Bantam Cochins in there now and I love it. It is worth the investment! It fluctuates between 99.4 and 99.6

They go into lockdown on the 6th but I plan to use the LG as a hatcher. I will post pics after they arrive.

I forgot to add that the egg dividers are adjustable so you can have different size eggs in the same hatch.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Congratulations Craig!
I am happy to hear your hatching improved! And look at those lovely chicks!

I on the other hand started off with great hatches and the last 2 have been terrible! This last hatch I lost all 3 buff columbians that were in there. These darn crappy little giant incubators are the worst! My humidity and temps have been way out of control. One of the buff columbian chicks started to zip but was too dry and he was shrink wrapped and the other 2 didn't even make it that far!

I am seriously thinking about investing in a nice incubator! I don't have near enough eggs to keep it full but I am tired of losing chicks!

I set 2 buff columbian eggs under a broody mottled hen so I hope she does a good job. I have a few more buff columbian eggs to put in the incubator and they have been laying well so hopefully I will get some buff columbian chicks soon.

If you end up having some chicks to sell later please let me know.
Tony

I used LG incubators for years and with a stable basement temp and somewhere between regular and constant monitoring I had decent hatch rates.

In 2011 I bought my 1st Hovabator Genesis. I soon bought a 2nd one. Digiatal preset. I can not speak for any other incubators but the Genesis is simple to use and I have not had temp fluctuations in over 2 years. The piece of mind that comes with that stability can not be overstated.

The Cabinet incubator I have is a digital GQF but not any better at hatching than a Genesis. It just holds more eggs than a foam incubator.

 

[lilcrow]

Congratulations Craig!
I am happy to hear your hatching improved! And look at those lovely chicks!

I on the other hand started off with great hatches and the last 2 have been terrible! This last hatch I lost all 3 buff columbians that were in there. These darn crappy little giant incubators are the worst! My humidity and temps have been way out of control. One of the buff columbian chicks started to zip but was too dry and he was shrink wrapped and the other 2 didn't even make it that far!

I am seriously thinking about investing in a nice incubator! I don't have near enough eggs to keep it full but I am tired of losing chicks!

I set 2 buff columbian eggs under a broody mottled hen so I hope she does a good job. I have a few more buff columbian eggs to put in the incubator and they have been laying well so hopefully I will get some buff columbian chicks soon.

If you end up having some chicks to sell later please let me know.
Tony

I don't know if you've ever tried this, but I've had some "shrink wrapped" babies before and have saved them. I get a paper towel and wet it with very warm water, while holding the egg in my hand while it is cradled in the warm paper towel, I stand at the sink and run very warm water. While dampening my fingers I start to moisten the membrane and gently work it around until it becomes slippery and then begin to work it back away from the head first, then I start peeling shell - WITHOUT - membrane. If you just remove the shell so that you can see the membrane you won't be so likely to break a blood vessel and then lose the chick to bleeding to death. It's a process of remove a little shell, then remove the membrane under it. If you get to a point where you can see blood vessels - STOP!!! Warm up your paper towel and set the wet paper towel with the chick in it back in the incubator.
I usually only get in trouble that way if I open the incubator too much. They say to leave it closed for a good reason and I've had to find that out the hard way. There are times I will open the incub. but it must be a life or death call and no chicks that have pipped or are zipping. I've got some Birchens that are hatching as we speak and the first time I saw them this AM there were still a few that were working on their entrance, but now they have all hatched and there are 3 eggs that haven't done anything. I'm going to guess they won't but I'm still not going to open the 'bator probably till late afternoon. I hope this helps a bit and I don't want to insult anyone that already knows this.

 

[K Epp]

My first Cochin. Is it a pullet? What color would you call it? its been we so her feet are a mess, but they have tones of feathers and are very fluffy when they are clean.

 

[ki4got]

X2 on the the crappy LG incubators.


Does anyone have luck using LF Cochins for hatching eggs? Mine are so fat. I've tried in the past but they played musical nest boxes and then stepped on the hatching eggs. So after finding 3 dead babies and a scalped one, I haven't tried since. I've got three broody already and last summer I had eight at once. That would be a lot of babies!

i've got 4 of the hovabators and they work great for me. can't say anything for the lg other than the thermostats seem to be twitchy...

the trick with broodies is to give them their own house and pen away from all the other birds, and only 1 nest to choose from... raising chicks in a coop-type environment is iffy at best, but usually the other birds see the 'intruders' and will dispose of them quickly.

 

[ki4got]

My first Cochin. Is it a pullet? What color would you call it? its been we so her feet are a mess, but they have tones of feathers and are very fluffy when they are clean.

i'd say she looks like a blue barred...

 

[K Epp]

i'd say she looks like a blue barred...

I picked her out of a bend of Standard Cochin Pullets. I was getting worried that I had got the 1% out of 99 they get wrong. I love the color though and it would be hard to get rid of it even if its a roo. I keep saying her and keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[aceschix]

My first Cochin. Is it a pullet? What color would you call it? its been we so her feet are a mess, but they have tones of feathers and are very fluffy when they are clean.

How old is it? Those waddles look rooish to me. I would love to see it standing naturally by itself.

 

[K Epp]

How old is it? Those waddles look rooish to me. I would love to see it standing naturally by itself.

A months or so. I have gotten so many chicks I cant remember who I got when. I'm pretty sure I got this one before Easter.