Got a surprise today!!!

[ozexpat]

Oh YAY more exciting news! A new package arrived just now, another christmas present. And my husband let me open it. He also got me the automatic egg turner. YAY! Hes great I cant wait to to fire it up and start hatching.

happiness is....an egg turner

i told my wife I wanted an egg turner - she gift wrapped a spatula

 

[AlivianAcres]

happiness is....an egg turner

i told my wife I wanted an egg turner - she gift wrapped a spatula 

Hahahaha!!!! I seriously LOL'd!!!!!

 

[ozexpat]

I am dark on mondays

Seriously - she was in country and gave me a spatula. She has a sense of humor. A real LG egg turner arrived the day later. When a search for egg turners is done on amazon - you get a choice between one to turn hatching eggs and one to turn the eggs with heat on high

 

[chicken pickin]

That is really funny. Your wife is hilarious

 

[Roxannemc]

SOOO I got a wonderful surprise today! I walked by my kitchen window and sitting on my front deck was and incubator. A Genesis Hova-Bator 1588

. I text my Husband and asked him if a magic chicken fairy dropped it at our doorstep lol. He was trying to be sneaky and he ordered it for me for a christmas present. But it came early and in its original box that says INCUBATOR very boldly lol so I got an early gift YAY!

Now if I can ask a few questions
1. Is this incubator a good reliable one
2. Im new to chickens and have never hatched before Is it difficult to do
3. How do you bring your self to not keep all the chicks lol

Im nervous to start using it but very excited. Any tips, pointers, or advice is welcome or even any links or other threads that someone can steer me toward would be appreciated.

Lucky girl to have such a nice thoughtful husband!
I have this bator and it spoils you to not even LOOKING at what the temp is.I completely reccomend to everyone.
It holds exactly even 99.5 with variations of 2 /10th usually if that. Awesome.I LOVE the full window too. when your eggs are hatching i hate to have to crane my neck tryng to see into the 2 small windows on my other Hovabator.Genesis is totally open to veiw but for the fan or heater somethng in the middle of the bator

Wish I had gotten this one FIRST but its nice to have 2...In fact imperative if you are starting to newly hatch eggs as .you WILL want more hatches shortly..... hatching is SO totally addicting! 2 are bators are needed for overlapping incubations.
One for lockdown One for the first 18.
NOW if someone would add a humidfier and not raise it to a boocoo price PPPPPPERFECT! HAHA Anyway GOOD LUCK!

(Sorry about the waving smiley somehow he jumped from the bottom line to the middle and i cant move him for some reason.)


OH...tips...
If you havent incubated before nothing to do first 18 days but turn them 3 times a day in a carton or laying down or a turner

Lockdown is the most stressful .Hard to keep the humdity up high enough i found rather than a lot of sponges that dont work well for me anyway add 2 very wet wash rags opened a little to get your humidity to 65-75.
Then add water thru a STRAW with a syringe or baster thru the vent hole to keep the humidity up the 4 days of Lockdown
.
Opening the bator to candled and turn first 18 doesnt hurt the eggs at all
.Brinsea has a bator out now that has a "cool down "setting to let you eggs cool down as a hen gets off to eat etc..and they cool somewhat daily .
.
Only too high 103 etc...high and cosntant wild variations hurt.
Genesis will automatically avoid..high and low and keep the eggs a toasty right 99.5 temp. You will love it
.Last thing...shipped eggs have a low hatch rate.Dont expect a lot like at did at flrst. the trucks scramble them well.I usually get 3-5 chicks from 12 or 14 eggs.Sometimes none!!! But fun to try and to me 1 or 2 is a victory..

 

[chicken pickin]

Lol

. Thanks for the feedback on the incubator. I was hoping people would say it stays at a stable temp. Im nervous to botch my first batch. And im sure it is addicting just like chickens themselves. Im in the process of building my 4th coop I also have a chicken tractor and we are getting a used coop and run from friends to use as a grow out pen. Also I heard word from my father that he may help me build a small poultry barn this spring

. And ive only just started with chickens 9 months ago and turkeys 6 months ago. Hello my name is Kristin and I think Im addicted to poultry.


Oh speaking of turkeys WIll their eggs do fine in this incubator also? Im sure they are probably universal but want to make sure.

 

[mstricer]

Quote:

 

[mstricer]

Lol

. Thanks for the feedback on the incubator. I was hoping people would say it stays at a stable temp. Im nervous to botch my first batch. And im sure it is addicting just like chickens themselves. Im in the process of building my 4th coop I also have a chicken tractor and we are getting a used coop and run from friends to use as a grow out pen. Also I heard word from my father that he may help me build a small poultry barn this spring

. And ive only just started with chickens 9 months ago and turkeys 6 months ago. Hello my name is Kristin and I think Im addicted to poultry.


Oh speaking of turkeys WIll their eggs do fine in this incubator also? Im sure they are probably universal but want to make sure.

Yes they should do fine, that is what I'm hatching mine in, in the spring.

 

[Roxannemc]

Just read the rest of the replys...i wil l have a Xmas hatch too!! You should have a good first hatch as yours arent shipped..

I am setting BBS Part english ORp eggs i bought from slackwater on BYC. (my xmas present to me haha)
I had one hatch of slackwaters They are fabulously gorgeous chickens.. this is my first hatched EVER chick Midnight part english BBS Roo
You cant see his green and blue sheen in this photo. SO pretty! (sorry for the bragging) SAdly they have to be penned b/c of the hawks here are numerous

 

[chicken pickin]

WHat day are you setting your eggs on?