Does anyone else continuously incubate?

[LTygress]

I don't have that many laying eggs just yet! But I'm getting there. And I can put a roo in the freezer, but I can't actually be the one to take his life. Unfortunately, no one else here at my sister's house will either. So I tend to just give them away.

I do rotate mine amongst the trays depending on who is supposed to hatch also, and number mine with the due date. However, the incubator can still get dirty. I'm thinking about investing in another one just to go back and forth so I always have a clean incubator. Right now I just wait a few months for many of them to hatch, then take a break and clean it out. In the meantime, everyone who might want a chick wants to call me during the time I am taking a break to clean it!

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

I have 5 batches going right now of 5-12 eggs each, but my bator is huge. The biggest "batch" is 12 eggs collected over 5 days from 3bantams and a leghorn. I haven't had any successful hatches yet, hatched 3 chicks that didn't make it past 24hours and others that appeared to have just stopped growing around mid set, been having humidity issues so I've decided to try dry hatching, so far 75% of the fertile ones have visible movement and appear to be growing so I have hope. I know most peoples first hatches are probably disastrous, but if a broody can do it so can I... With a little practice of course=)

 

[janurism]

I put mine in immediately after gathering.. I leave them in one incubator for about 1 1/2 weeks, then candle before putting in the next.. I don't hold any to get a batch, if I get 1 egg extra that day, it goes right in... I always have eggs hatching.. i did try and get a little ahead of myself at one point, tried to double layer the eggs, noticed a huge decrease in hatch rates doing it that way, that's why I got a 2nd incubator... Too much of a discrepency in temperature between the two layers I would imagine...

 

[LTygress]

I tried that before as well. But in my experience, the second layer wouldn't get turned as much as I thought it did.

 

[Emcrowston]

Wow, this could be my next adventure! Sounds great!

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

my first hatch leghorn white rock cross

 

[LTygress]

Aww! SO CUTE!

I think part of the reason I raise so many chicks, is the fact that I can't stop seeing their cute little fuzzy butts when they first hatch! lol!

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

hatch 2 6hours later

 

[Mammachix]

What do you do with all the chicks? Sell them? Are you in an area where people buy them year-round? Up north here it seems to be mostly a spring thing, which I don't completely understand, as those pullets start laying just as the days are getting shorter.