I've gotten so excited about acquiring eggs for my next hatch that I've accidentally acquired more than my incubator can accommodate. I wanted some of these, and some of those, and a few of those... and you know how it is when they throw in extras! That can be a good thing... but it can also be a bad thing. I have more OE and BCM eggs than I was originally planning to hatch... she threw in a LOT of extra eggs (like, 10 total). Did you guys ever get more eggs than you can hatch? What do you end up doing? Thank goodness a friend and I are sharing these eggs! My bator is going to be full to the max as it is. I believe it will hold up to 40 eggs, and I think I'm going to have it fairly close. Lemme think... I'm going to have 36 eggs in the bator this time! That's WAY close to capacity. And yes, I am already positioning myself to acquire the eggs for my next hatch which will be the Easter hatch. We're going to be hatching out welsummers, white faced black Spanish, and minorcas for Easter. After that, I would really *like* to start focusing on just the WFBS and minorcas for a while.
At least Im not the only one I just got 2 incubators and I just built another last night. I was only buying enough for one, then I decided to get 2 and well I went a little overboard. Te he he. I also got a variety. I can't wait until they hatch!
Well, here's MY story: I had purchased my first incubator and it was on the shelf in the box. Then I started perusing the egg auctions, here on BYC and over on eBay. I bid on some BYC eggs without any hope of winning that auction. The eBay auction was a long one, many days away. Yawn. Someone will outbid me there before this is over. No biggie, I wasn't really into this, yet. Then I won the BYC auction! OH MY! Quick, open that box and start learning about the danged 'bator. It holds seven eggs. I had been bidding on 6 egg auctions, good, good. The BYCer sent me 9 eggs. Crap. If that happens often, I better get another MiniAdvance... which I ordered. (Fed the extra two eggs to the dogs.... what else was I to do with 'em?) Then I won the eBay auction before the second 'bator arrived. Crap. So those were "old" eggs I set, and still hatched 5. Hatched 6 of the 7 in the first 'bator. And so I thought, jeez, they keep sending extras, how do I choose which to incubate? Buy another 'bator that holds more eggs! Meanwhile, order another MiniAdvance and get it with the humidity pump. Heck, get two. Save that 24 egg incubator for special circumstances and use all the MinAdvance units. Riiiight.
Let me see, I bought a Brinsea Octo 20 and got a few eggs. Hens started laying so I borrowed a friends Dickey that held 288 eggs. Then built a 144 egg cabinet, then another 144 egg cabinet, then a 200 egg hatcher. Plans on the table to build another 6tray bator and another 6 tray hatcher, and I still have the Dickey borrowed. Also have built 6 large moveable coops, a 12x8 brooder house just to house baby chicks and everything is already over crowded. Dagnabit addiction, I need serious help. Note to self, Self, sell some of the hens and eat some of the roosters, and for Gods sake, stop hoarding eggs. Chicken Auctions are Every Friday and Saturday somewhere and are for selling purposes only, never take any money when you go and leave the checkbook at home.
This happens to me ALL THE TIME!!! I have 2 bators and I always run staggered hatches so I am always candeling to make room. I ALWAYS have more eggs in the bator then what it is "supposed" to hold. I don't use an auto turner. The turner takes up valuable egg space! Good luck!
