Thanks. Guess I will return this one and get a new one. Should I calibrate it with ice bath then check it against boiling water? I am so scared to trim the fluffy butt and messing something up. I don't really have any help with them so no one that would be willing to hold or trim I don't think so it would be on me to hold AND trim at the same time and I am scared to do that. I swear I saw a bullseye in the egg that I cracked open the other day but it was on the light side but was there so I just don't know.
Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!
- Thread starter CluckNDoodle
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- #2,942
I only calibrated mine with ice but it shouldn't hurt anything to do both. Especially since these thermometers are really trying to challenge you.
I trim butts by myself. It's easier when someone holds the chicken for you but it's really unlikely that you'll hurt anything other than their ego because they have funny hair cuts on their butt. I love fat fluffy chickens and I have a couple that will make a mess back there if I don't trim it and I'd rather look at silly trimmed butts than dirty butts. lol
I read how to do it and think I saw a video on it (maybe just read), it may have been you that posted up how to do it. I am just afraid I will cut too low on the feathers or she will move and I will stab her. Most of mine all have fluffy butts and a few have dirty butts from their fluff so I should probably trim them anyways but they seem to clean up a bit better in the warmer weather when they can dust bathe, well besides one Lt Brahma that has been dust bathing in damp dirt so coming out even worse. haahaa. She looked splash the other day after a dust bath she was so dirty!
And really thank you for all your help. I promise I am really not normally this Whiny. I was just so excited to hatch eggs since I REALLY want a splash Cochin and no where here sells them, and shipping is WAY too much for a small order to be shipped here. I haven't hatched eggs since I was a kid so years and years ago. I am also picking up my chicks from the local feed store on April 15/16 so was hoping to have all the chicks around the same age so I didn't have to worry about adding to the flock more than once (I will be brooding in the coop so hope that helps some but still adding to it). So this one just not looking like it is going to work out just really has me down. Especially after I thought the egg from the other day was fertilized so was hoping at least SOME in the incubator were.
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- #2,944
You don't sound whiney at all! You're trying to be thorough and these thermometers and fluffy butts are throwing you curveballs, lol!
I'm not kidding when I tell you I went through this like 3 years ago. I'm pretty confident @aart was one of the kind and patient BYC members that talked me down from my complete fit when I was on thermometer number THIRTEEN!
Let's just say it was a rough road getting to where I am today. We all start somewhere. lol!I could also tell you a story about my friend's rooster that we were POSITIVE was sterile. I mean, we did all the things and even considered manual means of fertilizing that were shared with us as a last ditch effort (believe me you don't want the details, lol!). Anyway, just for giggles we put one last batch of eggs in the incubator, and low and behold, they were ALL fertilized, lol. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it I have 4 chicks outside with my broody hen that are his babies right now!
Thank you! ya not sure I want to hear the details about manual means of fertilizing. haahaa. My roo is on the younger size (technically still a cockerel) since he won't be a year until April 8th or so. He has beem mating the one that started laying first since Sept. I don't watch them 24/7 obviously but I do go out there (less now that i am working) and also peek in via the camera here and there and I very rarely catch him mating anyone. He will dance for them and most times they run away and he looks all sad and dejected (poor handsome dude!). But I did see him mate the pullet whose eggs I am trying to hatch so know he has done the deed at least once with her, but I am guessing more as they are together most of the time so she seems to be one of his favorites. I did check one of my non fluffy butt girls eggs and it looked the same as the cochins eggs I am trying to hatch as far as fertility. IDK maybe I will try again but with getting chicks in 2 1/2 weeks so I start collecting the eggs now and try again in a week (if these do nothing) so if those hatch they are only a couple weeks behind the ones I get or wait till later in the spring and try then and have the chicks a month or two apart in age??You don't sound whiney at all! You're trying to be thorough and these thermometers and fluffy butts are throwing you curveballs, lol!
I'm not kidding when I tell you I went through this like 3 years ago. I'm pretty confident @aart was one of the kind and patient BYC members that talked me down from my complete fit when I was on thermometer number THIRTEEN!
I could also tell you a story about my friend's rooster that we were POSITIVE was sterile. I mean, we did all the things and even considered manual means of fertilizing that were shared with us as a last ditch effort (believe me you don't want the details, lol!). Anyway, just for giggles we put one last batch of eggs in the incubator, and low and behold, they were ALL fertilized, lol. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it I have 4 chicks outside with my broody hen that are his babies right now!
- Thread starter
- #2,946
Some breeds take longer to mature and he may still be trying to get the hang of wooing the ladies as well, lol. Trimming butts would really be the easiest first step though.
I've raised chicks of varying ages together. At 2 weeks they're not too territorial yet but they are much more rowdy so I typically keep newly hatched chicks separate for the first few days so they don't get trampled and then try supervised introductions after that.
Lemon-Drop
Let Your Light Shine ~ Matthew 5:16 🤍✝️
So far the incubator is working great! Maintaining humidity pretty well, too! Hoping to see development when I candle. (Day 3 would be tomorrow, correct, if they were set on Saturday?)
- Thread starter
- #2,948
Awesome! So glad to hear it! Yes, tomorrow would be day 3! I hope you can see some tiny spider babies!
well feeling a bit better this morning. I posted another thread asking people that have hatched Cochins if they had fertilization issues from fluffy butts and 3 answered and all said no.... Also I posted up the pic of Ditzy's egg from the other day and the 2 that saw it and answered said fertilized. So even if this batch doesn't work I am feeling better about future batches.
Also put the meat thermometer and the govee in my fridge overnight to see what they read. They both read right around the same (meat is hard to tell 100% but both were REALLY close) and also right about what my fridge said it was in there. Took them out and left them out on the counter and the meat one is reading about 5* higher than what it should be since I know my house is NOT 70. LOL So seems that reads low correctly but not higher... which I kind of knew but just wanted to see. The govee is still warming up, it seems to take FOREVER. It has been out over an hour and is still going up but it has flat lined for a few so may be done. right now it says 63.7 and my house is set at 65 so it is close with that too but may be 1* off..... BUT if the Govee is close on that then it means that it may be right that my temps dipped to 96.9's at times and held there for a bit and was also 97-98 for hours....... going to put it in the incubator standing up and see if that helps (if it stays standing with the turning) But if I bumped up the incubator temp then it was 101's.... so that doesn't help unless I exchange that incubator for a new one in hopes maybe that is off?
but at least feel like I am getting somewhere. I am going to try to get a new meat thermometer today.
Also put the meat thermometer and the govee in my fridge overnight to see what they read. They both read right around the same (meat is hard to tell 100% but both were REALLY close) and also right about what my fridge said it was in there. Took them out and left them out on the counter and the meat one is reading about 5* higher than what it should be since I know my house is NOT 70. LOL So seems that reads low correctly but not higher... which I kind of knew but just wanted to see. The govee is still warming up, it seems to take FOREVER. It has been out over an hour and is still going up but it has flat lined for a few so may be done. right now it says 63.7 and my house is set at 65 so it is close with that too but may be 1* off..... BUT if the Govee is close on that then it means that it may be right that my temps dipped to 96.9's at times and held there for a bit and was also 97-98 for hours....... going to put it in the incubator standing up and see if that helps (if it stays standing with the turning) But if I bumped up the incubator temp then it was 101's.... so that doesn't help unless I exchange that incubator for a new one in hopes maybe that is off?
but at least feel like I am getting somewhere. I am going to try to get a new meat thermometer today.
Your house maybe set at 65, but who knows what it really is
If your therms are matching, go with those for now.
...or just buy one of these
:https://www.thermoworks.com/rt301wa/?avad=55097_b27b74f45
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