Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Hawkeye, I got two of those therm/hygrometers like IVY has, they're just the perfect size for our Brinsea & I use the 2nd one in my Hovabator that I'm using for the hatcher. Here is the link for them on eBay if you want to get one because shipping is cheaper there than on the web site: http://www.ebay.com/itm/140392479707?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649. I don't remember doing much to my Brinsea before using it, I just set it up & started trying to get temps & such regulated. I had problems with the bigger therm/hygrometer I got at Wal Mart, it was just too big for that incubator & kept causing problems with sliding around & the lid wouldn't sit right with the bator full of eggs & that in there. I think I have the bator set about right now & you can really adjust the humidity by sliding the little vent back & forth. I only fill one slot in the bottom of the Brinsea with water & not all the way or it will slosh when it tilts. I have the auto turner in mine that is the only difference between what you & I have, I don't have the higher priced one either. Danz, do you wash your eggs if they're dirty before you put them in the bator? I haven't had any that I thought needed to be washed, but the eggs in the hatcher right now got kind of messy from the chicks that hatched before dragging stuff around on them when they hatched. I haven't bothered them because they're in lockdown now. I have 4 eggs from the batch that hatched that aren't doing anything at all & today is day 23, so I'm thinking something happened to those & they're dead. What do you all think?

The 9 chicks that are out in the brooder in the garage are doing great so far. I was a little worried that they would get too cold since it's been so cool out at night, but they evidently can cuddle up together under the light & keep warm enough. They were running all around when I went out this morning. IVY, these chicks that I have in the brooder are black with grey colored wings. Do you think they will change to all black when they get feathers? They sure are cute little things whatever color they will be. I have the blue wheaten Amerauacana eggs in the bator now, so we'll see how many if any hatch. They sent 3 extras, so that was nice. I haven't had them in there long enough to candle them yet. I would like to check & see how they're doing in a few days since I don't have enough space to keep them in there if they're not growing. Oh Danz, have you incubated turkey eggs before? I read that they should be at about the same temp & humidity as the chicken eggs, but they just take 28 days instead of 21.

Oh gosh, I just have to tell this on my granddaughter. We took the girl's Easter baskets over to them last night & they were messing around with this flarp stuff, Hawkeye maybe you have seen it since you have little kids. These girls love playing with it. Anyway my granddaughter was messing around & flipping it all over the place & a big huge blob landed in the front of her hair. She has long hair & she was really distressed because once it got there it just clung & the more she tried to get it out the worse it got. Oh gosh her mom was just dying laughing & I was trying not to because she was so upset, but it was hard. I had her come over & sit with us & started picking it out of her hair & it was really stuck on there all the way down the front length of it & some in the top. I picked as much as I could & finally told them to get a comb & started combing it out a little at a time. I finally got most of it out, but we were really wondering if it would come out or what was going to happen. The stuff is really gummy & weird stuff & this one was the color of that canned cheese stuff, so it looked like she had cheese in her hair. Leave it to this child to do something like that!

 

[chicken danz]

I call some of my mixed hens my designer hens. They are some of the most beautiful and some of the best egg layers I have.
No! I never wash eggs. That's why I was asking. If you wash them you remove that bloom so I was afraid you were doing that. When I quit trying to clean up dirty eggs my hatch rate went much higher. I guess if you aren't that isn't the problem. The only thing with the temp I would suggest is to get that 1 inch level up to 99.5 if you can, Hawkeye. That shouldn't keep the eggs from developing though. It would just slow down their development. I think you need to try some barnyard mutt eggs that you have nothing invested in and just let them run the 21 days and see what happens. Maybe it's like people who try for years to conceive, then as soon as they adopt and relax the gal gets pregnant.
Sounds like Seymore is really wanting to go broody. I think you should visit your neighbor and ask for some turkey eggs so she can hatch some out. At least if she made a nest at home you wouldn't have to worry about the coyotes getting her.
I sold 2 hens and a roo this morning to a kid, and gave one bantam cochin hen to a friend for hatching pheasant eggs. Both of the other hens were broody. I guess that is my way of downsizing some. I have to be careful not to eliminate too many of my egg layers right now until the new ones I am getting get here and start laying.
Yes Trish I have hatched turkey eggs. You basically incubate them the same but you have to raise the humidity and keep it up there for a successful hatch. I wouldn't think that spritzing them with some warm water would hurt at all once in a while the last couple days. I can't wait to get my midget white eggs next week. I am so anxious to get started with them. Those are the ones I really really want.

 

[tweetysvoice]

Hawkeye - As you know, I've never incubated, but I think others have the same thought I did about Zorro possibly being a bit "slow" in the department. I'd try what everyone else is suggesting and incubate some other eggs from another roo and see if that makes in difference.

 

[Hawkeye95]

OKay, I'm home! I'm armed with 3 more thermometers! I stuck them all in there. Two are at the inch level and one is on the tray. We'll see what's going on in there now. Two are digital and one is the mercury kind. I did exactly like someone told me-- I checked all the mercury therms and pulled out like 5 of them to see if they all read exactly the same. Out of 5, only 4 read accurate. Then between those, I just eye balled them and went with my "gut" feeling on which was the better. The digital-- I guessed on.

There's no way to test a digital in the box.

They are all in there and I'll check them in a bit. Going to break open one of my BR's eggs and be sure they are fertile... I'm really betting they are and then I'll throw one in tomorrow or the next day when I get this incubator settled down. Sigh. I hope I don't hatch a rooster.

HEchicken-- your silkie cross is gorgeous!! WOW! I'm betting mine won't come out looking like that though. Obviously my luck is horrendous on everything incubation/hatching.

Trish, I'll go check out that therm. I think you all mentioned it to me before and I looked and then never bought. Don't know what I was thinking.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye - As you know, I've never incubated, but I think others have the same thought I did about Zorro possibly being a bit "slow" in the department. I'd try what everyone else is suggesting and incubate some other eggs from another roo and see if that makes in difference.

Yes, that will be sad if he can't reproduce... except that he does have a baby growing under Yoda. After she hatches that one... I'll have to see if she wants to stay broody, because I'd love to just throw more under her. But I do have those two wild silkie roos out in my layer pen. They're breeding machines out there. I've just been ignoring them. I haven't told my family that most of those eggs are fertile, I think they'd freak. (I've been giving them fresh eggs off those girls) LOL! There's no taste difference. I just don't want them grossed out. They are really city since they are on my DH's side. My family would not care in the least.

 

[JosieChick]

OKay, I don't know WHAT to think. I checked 1 inch above the tray like Brinsea just told me to do on my temperature and it is 98.7. When I check the tray level-- it is 99.5.... WHAT!??!?! So I'm obviously having temperature issues still. As in... NOT knowing what they are. That does it, I'm going to WalMart and I'm going to go buy 3 more therms and stick them in there. ARGH!

Have you tried my homemade egg thermometer yet? I have the same bator as you and I tried in vain to adjust based on air temp alone and botched several batches of eggs. Take a non fertilized egg and make a small hole in the top and push a thermometer down through the air cell into the egg. (be sure you are in the liquid part of the egg or you will be taking another air temp) Let it sit in the bator for 24 hours and don't touch it. After 24 hours adjust your temp dial slightly if you are too low or too high inside the egg. Don't rely on any of the air temps in the bator. They will be all over the place but I have used this egg thermometer and have had fabulous hatches from that bator ever since I set it to the inside egg thermometer. My "egg temp" stays at 99.5 rock solid even with temp swings in the house. Give it a try, it really does work. Eggs don't swing like air temps especially with the degree to which this bator turns.

 

[tweetysvoice]

Yes, that will be sad if he can't reproduce... except that he does have a baby growing under Yoda. After she hatches that one... I'll have to see if she wants to stay broody, because I'd love to just throw more under her. But I do have those two wild silkie roos out in my layer pen. They're breeding machines out there. I've just been ignoring them. I haven't told my family that most of those eggs are fertile, I think they'd freak. (I've been giving them fresh eggs off those girls) LOL! There's no taste difference. I just don't want them grossed out. They are really city since they are on my DH's side. My family would not care in the least.

This made me laugh because we had a conversation like this with my neighbors this weekend. They saw us building and had to come check it out - so we broke the news to them about us having ducks and chicks. They were excited and wanted to know if their grandkids could stop in sometime to see. I was so relieved that they didn't mind at all. I mentioned that we'd be more than happy to share some of the eggs when they start laying and the neighbor said "Only if they are infertile. The other kind makes me sick to my stomach" LOL. At least we do just have pullets, but who knows on the ducks. I just won't tell them if we do get a drake. LOL Doesn't bother me any, just means i'd have to use them up faster.

 

[sapphireblu76]

Sapphire here is a duplicate message from my answer on chicken chatter. Except I need to specify this is what I do when we are down to the last few days before hatching.
Those LG incubators aren't really great for the hatching stage as they are set up. This is what I did with mine when using them: 1.Remove the turner and just leave the screen 2. I took a glue gun and filled the little holes in the bottom so I could put water all the way across the bottom. 3. Then take either a couple of wet sponges or even better a couple of drippy wet washrags wadded up and set them on the tray with the eggs. Be sure to use very warm water. If it is too hot it will raise the temp in the incubator or too cold it will cool it down. You don't want extremes either way. Your hatching humidity is just about right when the little view windows fog over after putting the water in. Make sure the rags or sponges stay wet and there is water in the bottom and you should be good to go. Don't give up. Hatching is wonderful.

That was Jamie's post you commented on (I'm Amanda

), but works for me, too. Mine is a LG, too. I don't think mine has holes in the bottom, though. I know I've accidentally gotten water outside of the water ring, but it didn't leak. I'll have to check when I get it ready for lock down.
I do find it is hard to see how much water is in it with the egg turner in. Hopefully I'm not over filling it. What happens if the humidity is too high? I need to find an hygrometer....

I won't give up on them!

After googling images of candled eggs, I think what I'm seeing is the yolk sac and the embryo is in there somewhere. I hate to mess with them too much, but I think I will candle one more time tonight and take pictures, now that I know what I'm looking for. Then I'll leave them alone until day 16 before looking again.

I plan on doing some more work on framing the coop today, I'll try to remember to take pics. After all this rain, it looks like I'm going to have to adjust the foundation blocks, the back ones don't look very level anymore, lol.

 

[Hawkeye95]

OMGosh!!!!!!!!! MY egg is pipping under Yoda!!!!! I just looked!!! The shell has a little crack in it!!!!!

 

[HEChicken]

OMGosh!!!!!!!!! MY egg is pipping under Yoda!!!!! I just looked!!! The shell has a little crack in it!!!!!

Yay!!! Go Yoda & Zorro!