EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[Pensmaster]

Then you have to breed and select for those characteristics they were originally bred for. It takes hatching and culling big numbers.

I really like my White Cornish they are the closest I have to standards. Not much on eggs but I knew that. Really good meat.
The Bielefelder eat disproportionately to the weight gain. Lay eggs as they are said to and also closest to standard. So far they are heat tolerant which I was told they weren’t.

The Altsteirers that I used to have are not long lived as well as the Bresse.

The Pita Pintas are supposed to be hardy large and lay eggs abundantly. If they hatch and if they are hardy. Lots of ifs here but there is interest in them in my area and I think I have another line available if needed for diversity.

 

[Pensmaster]

My only chicken news is extra roosters will be going to a neighbor's in a little over a month.

A few less roosters isn’t a bad thing.

 

[BullChick]

Happy Valentines day to the only men in my life.

 

[Pensmaster]

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

[Uff Da]

I know there are differences of opinion on hatching pullet eggs, but...I am thinking of trying. I figure it can't be any worse than trying to hatch shipped eggs, right? Or no?

 

[BullChick]

It’s just that the eggs are typically too small for proper growth.

 

[Pensmaster]

Good morning Sally.
@Sally Sunshine

 

[Uff Da]

I've decided to go ahead and set some pullet eggs. There are a few that are as large as Icelandics generally set. Mostly I'm doing it to try out the Janoel 12 I got as a cheap backup for my Brinsea. Just playing with it, I've had a hard time with temperature--I have it set at 37.5 (recommended C alternative to 99.5). One of my digital thermometers measures 99.5, the one on the opposite side of the incubator reads 97.5, my digital food thermometer reads 105.6, and my digital BBT (basal body temp) therm reads 103.2. I stuck both the food therm and the BBT therm in my armpit, and the BBT read 97.6 and the food therm 97.3. So, I think I will use my BBT for my standard--they're supposed to be accurate to a hundredth of a degree because they are used for tracking reproductive cycles. I'll knock the temp down a few decimals and check it again before setting my eggs in tomorrow....

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Late Good Morning to everyone. Thanks to an ER visit Friday and a ton of meds, I am on the mend, time to clean clean clean and wash wash wash so the baby doesnt get this crap when she returns thurs.

Kidding starts Thurs as well, I pray it stays warm if Mother cannot come to help watch baby if a doe decides to kid on babytime. Which I am sure both that are due will, never fails their timing.

Anything new? was outside with the goats a bit this am, goose will be laying soon, she is starting to come to me again, weird how she is fine during her laying season and summer and then come fall she will refused to come near me. fickle Goose. So the way she is acting is a good promise of spring springing soon.

hugs and enjoy your days all, sunshine plentiful here, although chilly the sun felt good this am outside!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I've decided to go ahead and set some pullet eggs. There are a few that are as large as Icelandics generally set. Mostly I'm doing it to try out the Janoel 12 I got as a cheap backup for my Brinsea. Just playing with it, I've had a hard time with temperature--I have it set at 37.5 (recommended C alternative to 99.5). One of my digital thermometers measures 99.5, the one on the opposite side of the incubator reads 97.5, my digital food thermometer reads 105.6, and my digital BBT (basal body temp) therm reads 103.2. I stuck both the food therm and the BBT therm in my armpit, and the BBT read 97.6 and the food therm 97.3. So, I think I will use my BBT for my standard--they're supposed to be accurate to a hundredth of a degree because they are used for tracking reproductive cycles. I'll knock the temp down a few decimals and check it again before setting my eggs in tomorrow....

thermometers are such a pain in the bum at times, it took me some time to figure out what worked for me and what didint. Its easy to tell someone to calibrate and know which is the good reading etc, but we dont have control of the environment outside our baters most times, I use a coal stove for heat, so humidity has always been a pain for me. The wafer thermostats and the coolers I used were so amazing for the situation here with such flux in humidity as well as temps. Nothing I used, even the expensive brinsea yall helped me get has been as trustworthy as my wafer thermostats. I had many times accidently left the lid on the cooler a crack open and the temp never faultered, if I had done that on the brinsea or styros those eggs be doomed lol. Good Luck and I hope you figure it out! I always ran at a calibrated 100.5 100.8 and lowered after day 18