Colorado

[Pozees]

Thanks Pozees,
I'm so grateful for your experience.
I worked years in the catering business and we would keep food warm for hours in 'coolers' for transporting by pouring boiling water in the cooler for a half hour or so. Like you do your thermous for coffee or hot chocolate. It's not just a cooler, it's a warmer too.
Great idea about the 'cooler'. I think it will work just fine.
Now, everyone keep thier fingers crossed for some of those little 'gals' to hatch!!

There you go! You know what to do!

I am really interested in seeing what hatches Adam7, I love the homemade incubator and if you are still seeing development at this late stage it's a great sign. Don't forget to boost your humidity above 50% starting Day 18. The recommendations I've seen are 55%-65%, the highest I got my hatcher was 64% except a spike right after a hatch. Don't open it unless you absolutely must after you stop turning Day 18. If the chicks hatch across several days, they can stay in the incubator up to 48 hours after hatch. Based on how close your eggs were laid to where you are, I would imagine they will hatch pretty close together.

This hatching stuff is addictive, BTW I have some Blue/Black Sumatra and Salmon Faverolle eggs in the 'bator going to hatcher next Wednesday (although not very many look like they will make it there), and have 6 Old English Game eggs coming in the next few days, and some truly nice heritage RIR eggs the week of the 4th from a breeder who has hatched some gorgeous chicks this year. Later I will have some Buttercup eggs from here in CO to try with. Totally addictive. Totally.

 

[Pozees]

Th
Thank you, one more question. Once they are outside I plan to let them free range as much as possible. We don't have any grass. We have dirt, some weeds and a ALOT of little round stickers. Can they eat them? I'm not sure but thought hopefully it will be ok and they can use their gizzards to digest them. Probably sounds like a stupid question. It's a big concern.

For the most part they won't eat what they can't digest. Once in a while you get one that isn't especially bright, and it ingests something it can't deal with, but overall it's pretty rare. Years ago I had chickens on property with NO planted grass, only indigenous grasses and weeds, and the chickens did fine, they chased grasshoppers all day and found plenty to graze on. They always had layer crumble to supplement, but used little of it in the spring and summer. Free choice oyster shell and grit will assist with digestion of anything hard or large.

 

[krcchickens]

The stickers won't kill them. We have ALOT of little round stickers. My poor dog gets them in her paws so everytime she's outside I have to pick them out

 

[suncatcher]

Quote:

Wonder if there is a Hatchers Anonymous! I read where some people have not turned the bators off in months!

 

[wsmith]

My breeding pens now have occupants!

Abe is currently in pen 3 (A) along with #4, #12, #9. and #33. Pen 4 (B) has #7, #30, #41, and #42. Abe gets to rotate to breeding pen B on Friday.

We start collecting breeding pen eggs for hatching on Monday. Hopefully we will have enough for an incubator load on Sunday.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Wonder if there is a Hatchers Anonymous! I read where some people have not turned the bators off in months!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/569950/incubators-anonymous/4560#post_10516940

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

So, one Mystery Chick is a Salmon Faverolles. The black chicks are Jersey Giants. There are two buff Orphingtons and the red chicks and second mystery chick will remain undefined.

I tried to do a photo shoot tonight but no one wanted to participate so I will have a re-do photo shoot tomorrow. Until then...

Top is a white rock, followed by a Red chick and the two buff orphingtons at the bottom. I finally seem to have gotten a shot that you can SEE the color difference.


The Barred Rock Chickies. The one in back just stood there but the other one tried to make a run for it every two seconds. Stinker...


This little Light Brahma was having none of it. She didn't run, but refused to face the camera.

Gotta love the feathers on the legs!

 

[Adam7]

There you go!  You know what to do!

I am really interested in seeing what hatches Adam7, I love the homemade incubator and if you are still seeing development at this late stage it's a great sign.  Don't forget to boost your humidity above 50% starting Day 18.  The recommendations I've seen are 55%-65%, the highest I got my hatcher was 64% except a spike right after a hatch.  Don't open it unless you absolutely must after you stop turning Day 18.  If the chicks hatch across several days, they can stay in the incubator up to 48 hours after hatch.  Based on how close your eggs were laid to where you are, I would imagine they will hatch pretty close together.

This hatching stuff is addictive, BTW   I have some Blue/Black Sumatra and Salmon Faverolle eggs in the 'bator going to hatcher next Wednesday (although not very many look like they will make it there), and have 6 Old English Game eggs coming in the next few days, and some truly nice heritage RIR eggs the week of the 4th from a breeder who has hatched some gorgeous chicks this year.  Later I will have some Buttercup eggs from here in CO to try with.  Totally addictive.  Totally.

Thanks for the tips . It been a lot of fun, stressful, but a lot of fun. I plan on setting some of samsr's eggs after this batch... Speaking of setting eggs..maggiemo, it would be totally awesome to swap you for a few fertile eggs if you have any .

I know I have learned a lot and hopefully my results get better and better. I am going to put a turner in my bator to make it easier for next time. I have been seriously slacking turning my eggs. Also I set my eggs before my bator had time to warm up all the way and the temp was swinging too much for my liking at the beginning. I also need to check my thermometers and find out what one is correct as all 3 of mine say something completely different...

Any way.. Eggs go into lockdown tomorrow evening when I get home from work. I'm leaving the 3 eggs I suspect are quitters. Who knows. I certainly am no expert! I haven't seen much for movement lately.. Not sure if that's due to the size of the chicks now or what. I'm going into lockdown with 13/16 I think might be viable down from 18 that I started with.

 

[maggiemo]

Fingers crossed Adam.
I don't have any fertile eggs

sorry. I I have a mortal fear of roosters. I must have been a hen in an other life

 

[krcchickens]

The stickers won't kill them. We have ALOT of little round stickers. My poor dog gets them in her paws so everytime she's outside I have to pick them out

That was suppose to be a question not a statement. Oops! The sticker won't kill them??