Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[BenlynFarm]

The brand is called 'Happy Egg Company'. You can check out their website and see if they sell eggs in your area.

https://happyegg.com/

Their farm is located in Rogers, Arkansas which is about 3 hours from me. I have seen posts on BYC and other forums where people all over the country have been successful in incubating and hatching out eggs from store bought Happy Egg.... And they have a pretty cool selection of birds so I figured "what the heck? Let's try it." I did try to find a package with blue or green eggs which would indicate a Speckled Legbar but no luck. There were only 8 or 9 packages left to begin with and all were brown eggs. Oh well....still worth a try.

There was also another brand from 'Vital Farms' which looked interesting. Vital Farms seems to be a collection of small farmers who sell their eggs together under one brand. I am purely speculating here, but I thought perhaps the chances are good that those eggs are likely fertilized too. However, I haven't tried them so I can't say for certain....

https://vitalfarms.com/about-us/

Yes, I’ve heard of them and even tried some for eating once! I had no idea they were fertilized, that’s really cool! I also didn’t know they had different breeds, just assumed they were like production reds or something. I’ll check out the website! I’m actually in Arkansas but I haven’t ever seen any of the blue eggs yet. I’ll be keeping a close eye out now for them! Keep us posted on how yours turn out.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Yes, I’ve heard of them and even tried some for eating once! I had no idea they were fertilized, that’s really cool! I also didn’t know they had different breeds, just assumed they were like production reds or something. I’ll check out the website! I’m actually in Arkansas but I haven’t ever seen any of the blue eggs yet. I’ll be keeping a close eye out now for them! Keep us posted on how yours turn out.

Which part of Arkansas are you in? I'm in Faulkner County.

 

[BenlynFarm]

@TJAnonymous I’m in Northwest Arkansas!!! So I’m hoping if I can find the Heritage breed eggs that they should be really fresh since it’s right here! Hope I can find some to give them a try!

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Quick update.

I'm still having quite low hatch rates from my pullet eggs (as expected)...though it's been four hatch cycles counting the current one (one cycle none hatched at all). All of the cycles were 18-21 eggs, with the current hatch being 21 eggs. Three of those were from barred rock hens to fill the slots, with random roosters (either Ayam Cemani, or Ameraucana). Today was my day 14 candling, and I'm down to 7 developing, and I even lost one of the barred rock eggs (all three made it through day 7, at which point 15 total eggs of the 21 were viable).

When do pullet eggs stop being pullet eggs lol? I've got all six of my blue/black/splash Ameraucana pullets in the breeding pen with my Ayam Cemani rooster (proven adult breeder). All have nice red combs but only one is laying. The younger four are pushing 7mos, and the older two are pushing 8mos. I still consistently get 4-5 eggs a week from the one layer (no supplemental light), and I'm getting 6-12 eggs a day from the 25 or so layers in the big coop. This is despite being between two LARGE Appalachian foothills, with the sun rising around 8-9, and setting by 5-6 lol.

I'm going to be setting another 21 tomorrow, 18 Ameraucana or Ayam Cemani, and 3 barred rocks (likely Easter eggers). I'm figuring I'll keep running a full incubator until I get a decent hatch (averaging 25-30% now)...then choose how I want to proceed. Easter Eggers of any type are VERY popular in my area, and started fibro/Easter Eggers will be even more valuable...so its not wasteful or burdensome to keep hatching.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Quick update.

I'm still having quite low hatch rates from my pullet eggs (as expected)...though it's been four hatch cycles counting the current one (one cycle none hatched at all). All of the cycles were 18-21 eggs, with the current hatch being 21 eggs. Three of those were from barred rock hens to fill the slots, with random roosters (either Ayam Cemani, or Ameraucana). Today was my day 14 candling, and I'm down to 7 developing, and I even lost one of the barred rock eggs (all three made it through day 7, at which point 15 total eggs of the 21 were viable).

When do pullet eggs stop being pullet eggs lol? I've got all six of my blue/black/splash Ameraucana pullets in the breeding pen with my Ayam Cemani rooster (proven adult breeder). All have nice red combs but only one is laying. The younger four are pushing 7mos, and the older two are pushing 8mos. I still consistently get 4-5 eggs a week from the one layer (no supplemental light), and I'm getting 6-12 eggs a day from the 25 or so layers in the big coop. This is despite being between two LARGE Appalachian foothills, with the sun rising around 8-9, and setting by 5-6 lol.

I'm going to be setting another 21 tomorrow, 18 Ameraucana or Ayam Cemani, and 3 barred rocks (likely Easter eggers). I'm figuring I'll keep running a full incubator until I get a decent hatch (averaging 25-30% now)...then choose how I want to proceed. Easter Eggers of any type are VERY popular in my area, and started fibro/Easter Eggers will be even more valuable...so its not wasteful or burdensome to keep hatching.

Hmm, I would think by now you wouldn't be having the low hatch rates from your pullets. I stop calling them "pullet eggs" once they're regular size eggs but technically I guess they're pullets for the first year of their life and then after they're referred to as hens.
I hatched some early pullet eggs in August and I had an 83% hatch rate of the fertilized eggs. The rooster was also young.

8/1/20: 83% (started with 15, 3 infertile, 2 quitters, 10 live chicks)

Is it possible that your Ayam Cemani rooster is fertilizing all of these eggs? I only ask because I've heard of lower hatch rates with them and that's the only thing I can think of since it has been consistent in your hatches from your own flock. I have yet to hatch any Ayam Cemanis myself though.
If you know someone local that you can get hatching eggs from I would try that next. It would remove the possible issues from shipping eggs and would give you an opportunity to hatch some chicks from another flock to compare. This would be made even better if they hatch chicks from their own flock and know what their current hatch rates are like.
Keep in mind fertility does seem to drop in the winter as well but it's the quitters you're experiencing that I'm questioning.

 

[cluckingheck]

Just picked mine up today and it’s actually my first ever incubator. I’m already putting it through it’s paces. This is a picture from earlier, but the humidity has settled on 57%. Does that sound like where it should be? The humidity in the room usually stays around 34%

 

[TJAnonymous]

I have tried keeping my humidity between 40-50% based on advice from Tonyroo. I'm finding though that is easier said than done in the NR 360. I just opened my vent all the way and my humidity is STILL 48%

 

[CluckNDoodle]

View attachment 2471991
Just picked mine up today and it’s actually my first ever incubator. I’m already putting it through it’s paces. This is a picture from earlier, but the humidity has settled on 57%. Does that sound like where it should be? The humidity in the room usually stays around 34%

I run my NR360 anywhere from 35%-55% for the first 18 days, most of the time right at 45%. I adjust this up or down based on the air cell growth. I leave the vent open all the way through the entire incubation and sometimes I will remove the red plug if needed.

 

[cluckingheck]

I run my NR360 anywhere from 35%-55% for the first 18 days, most of the time right at 45%. I adjust this up or down based on the air cell growth. I leave the vent open all the way through the entire incubation and sometimes I will remove the red plug if needed.

Ah, okay, so I should probably open the vent a little more? I have it halfway and 57% is what it seems to be settling on. Or should I even be concerned about the 57%? I know with it being winter and the heater running, it gets pretty dry in the house. Like, 23% humidity low

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Ah, okay, so I should probably open the vent a little more? I have it halfway and 57% is what it seems to be settling on. Or should I even be concerned about the 57%? I know with it being winter and the heater running, it gets pretty dry in the house. Like, 23% humidity low

I would open it more, yes. I aim for 45% almost all the time and then I adjust it after my first candling if needed.