Egg storage

[CarolinaHen]

how to you measure your humidity?

We use two hygrometers. Depending on the type of chicks I am hatching, I either do a dry incubation and 60% lockdown or 45% incubation and 65% lockdown. When you are doing a staggered hatch, you can drown chicks in the shell if the humidity is too high, and you can shrink wrap them if the humidity drops too much by opening the incubator to take hatchlings out.

 

[GoldK9]

It removes the 'bloom' off the egg that is there to protect the egg from bacteria etc.

 

[shawnakapete]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-store-fresh-eggs-zmaz77ndzgoe.aspx

here's the article

 

[marilyn1954]

what is a float test

 

[shawnakapete]

Basically put the egg in water if it sinks, its good, if it floats its bad, if it sinks but sits on end it starting to go bad, if it hovers in the water its bad.

 

[bruceha2000]

I never realized chickens could be so fun and calming to watch!

Me either until I got mine June 1012. Very theraputic.

Here is what my husband helped me make for them today to play with:
We took down an old decorative fence on our property, so I used the posts and panels to make a compost bin for them to play in! Gave them some old in the process of mulching hay, threw some seed on top, tossed a few hens in... they were having fun. I figure if/when this one rots, I have plenty more posts and boards where they came from .

PERFECT! Make 2 more and you'll have a traditional 3 bin compost set up with chickens to "turn" the compost. Good for them (all the goodies) and good for the compost (chicken poop) and good for you, no turning! (They don't need the branch to get out. Any of those chickens could get to the top of the sides even if the bin were empty)

I think 7-10 days is the max I'd hold hatching eggs before putting them in the bator.

That would likely be about what a hen would do left to her own devices.

Bruce

 

[JennaLynn122]

We use two hygrometers. Depending on the type of chicks I am hatching, I either do a dry incubation and 60% lockdown or 45% incubation and 65% lockdown. When you are doing a staggered hatch, you can drown chicks in the shell if the humidity is too high, and you can shrink wrap them if the humidity drops too much by opening the incubator to take hatchlings out.

oh wow. I probably wont stagger then since im not experienced

 

[CarolinaHen]

oh wow. I probably wont stagger then since im not experienced

Staggered hatches are a pain unless you have two incubators. Then you use one for incubating days 1-18 and move them to the other one just for hatching. We only have one, so it's more challenging. The best thing to do is take some eggs and hatch them. Figure out your incubator and what works for you in your home. Then put in the ones you really want to hatch. Some people start off with expensive eggs and then get discouraged after spending money on the incubator and expensive eggs when they get little or no chicks to hatch.

 

[JennaLynn122]

Staggered hatches are a pain unless you have two incubators. Then you use one for incubating days 1-18 and move them to the other one just for hatching. We only have one, so it's more challenging. The best thing to do is take some eggs and hatch them. Figure out your incubator and what works for you in your home. Then put in the ones you really want to hatch. Some people start off with expensive eggs and then get discouraged after spending money on the incubator and expensive eggs when they get little or no chicks to hatch.

oh i refuse to buy hatching eggs. Im hatching my own and hopefully they are fertile. Ive seen "the dirty" happening so im gonna say some are.

 

[CarolinaHen]

oh i refuse to buy hatching eggs. Im hatching my own and hopefully they are fertile. Ive seen "the dirty" happening so im gonna say some are.

I didn't think I would ever buy hatching eggs either.............. but.......... there are so many wonderful breeds and colors that I don't have!!

Hatching is the most addictive part of having chickens! There's always something else to try