Getting the Sportsman Ready...tips, tricks, advice???

[zazouse]

I had thought of that with the padding, but I think it will grip enough that sitting higher will be okay. Of course I will test this theory before risking a whole batch of eggs. I have no tray for the bottom... 2 racks that hold 44 eggs is way more than I need. I was thinking about a rectangular tupperware container for water down there, narrow and long to keep it away from the sides when the auto-turner is engaged. My chickens are all 100% free ranged and I've never seen a louse on one of them( and I've looked pretty closely since I used to hold my Roo a lot), if I did I would Sevin dust them. I am a firm believer in Sevin having used it for at least 10 years now, I've never used Ivermec pour on.

RIP

Placing padding under the eggs may not be a good idea there is a reason the trays are made with hardware cloth and trays with holes, it is to keep an even and plenty of fresh warm air circulating around the eggs

PS my chicken size racks will not hold peafowl eggs i had to use the goose size trays that only hold 36 upright, i could see a peafowl egg rolling out of a chicken egg rack

 

[DylansMom]

Placing padding under the eggs may not be a good idea there is a reason the trays are made with hardware cloth and trays with holes, it is to keep an even and plenty of fresh warm air circulating around the eggs

PS my chicken size racks will not hold peafowl eggs i had to use the goose size trays that only hold 36 upright, i could see a peafowl egg rolling out of a chicken egg rack

The padding is foam that is full of holes, I've used it in my incubator and hatcher the past 2 years, the air flows right thru it. And my racks are Goose racks not chicken racks.
This is not the best picture, but the padding I'm talking about is this white stuff I have on the bottom of this hatcher.

 

[zazouse]

The padding is foam that is full of holes, I've used it in my incubator and hatcher the past 2 years, the air flows right thru it. And my racks are Goose racks not chicken racks.
This is not the best picture, but the padding I'm talking about is this white stuff I have on the bottom of this hatcher.

Oh ok my goose racks only hold 36 but my chicken racks hold 48

I see now you are talking about shelf liner but as Kingsbee noted it could raise the height of the eggs in the tray which if it is to high could send the rolling out, just place one in there and see what happens

 

[KsKingBee]

Those are goose egg trays and they hold 36 upright peafowl eggs but i can't remember how many pea eggs it would hold side ways

, i did a test and they hatched just as well when incubated upright as they did on their sides .
I run my humidity at 55% and increase to 65 at hatch time but i had them hatch in the tray the first year at a humidity of 55% I have to fill my resivor every day no matter what, i could never go 2 days it would be bone dry.

I had a brain fart. Yes, it is the blue ones that hold 48, the green ones I just got in the mail hold 36, that would be 72 per rack if I don't lay them down. Thanks for the report on setting them down compared to laying on the side. I have heard both ways but feel more comfortable trying pointy side down now that you have said that. And I will not have to hand turn them everyday....

I have the bucket it never kept my reservoir full i had to come up with a way to fill my bator without opening it and i came up with the funnel and hose idea, i have to add water every day to the reservoir when i run my bators.

I have used every size rack available from quail size to goose size and not one egg has ever fallen out of them

I am a bit confused. The five gallon bucket would not keep the reservoir full for a day?

 

[KsKingBee]

I also use the shelf liners in my hatchers and little brooders. Then they graduate to wood chips in the larger brooders.

 

[DylansMom]

Oh ok my goose racks only hold 36 but my chicken racks hold 48

I see now you are talking about shelf liner but as Kingsbee noted it could raise the height of the eggs in the tray which if it is to high could send the rolling out, just place one in there and see what happens

Yes, shelf liner, I love that stuff and use lots of it. It goes in the bator, the hatcher and the brooder boxes. Last year I used the hovabator without racks in it so I could squeeze in more eggs, they kept rolling around on the wire so I put the shelf liner on the bottom and no more rolling eggs. I figured I'd do a test run with 1 egg and see if it rolls out or stays put. I think mine are only supposed to hold 36 as well, I was repeating what KKB said about 44, but now that you mention it I think he may be mistaken on those numbers. Even so, 2 trays of 36 is more than I need. I only hatched 25 last summer, 44 the year before that. I get too attached to them so selling eggs is easier on me.

 

[KsKingBee]

The metal racks like in your first post will hold ten or eleven eggs per row. That makes 40 to 44 eggs per rack.

 

[zazouse]

I had a brain fart. Yes, it is the blue ones that hold 48, the green ones I just got in the mail hold 36, that would be 72 per rack if I don't lay them down. Thanks for the report on setting them down compared to laying on the side. I have heard both ways but feel more comfortable trying pointy side down now that you have said that. And I will not have to hand turn them everyday....


I am a bit confused. The five gallon bucket would not keep the reservoir full for a day?

Nope still had to fill it by hand

 

[DylansMom]

The metal racks like in your first post will hold ten or eleven eggs per row. That makes 40 to 44 eggs per rack.

Nope still had to fill it by hand

I am confused! I went back and looked at my paperwork and it clearly says 36 goose eggs, but the picture shows 3 rows in each rack, not 4. Should I have only used 3 of those dividers and is the 4th intended to be an extra or are all 4 supposed to be used, which would make it a 48 egg rack? KKB please keep me informed on the bucket reservoir, if it doesn't work and you still need to refill everyday I am not gonna bother getting it, I'll be in that bator once a day to turn eggs so I can refill daily if I have to, it just seemed like a nice option to not have to dump water everyday.

 

[zazouse]

I am confused! I went back and looked at my paperwork and it clearly says 36 goose eggs, but the picture shows 3 rows in each rack, not 4. Should I have only used 3 of those dividers and is the 4th intended to be an extra or are all 4 supposed to be used, which would make it a 48 egg rack? KKB please keep me informed on the bucket reservoir, if it doesn't work and you still need to refill everyday I am not gonna bother getting it, I'll be in that bator once a day to turn eggs so I can refill daily if I have to, it just seemed like a nice option to not have to dump water everyday.

Perhaps they are extras if you want to hatch quail or something small like that if you are reffering to those rows of wire in your turner photos, i never seen any like those i figured they were something new as i was only offered the option of paper or plastic racks to go in the turner when i got my GOF back in 2008