Hello Feathered Friends! This was our first attempt at incubating.
Used the cheapo LG with automatic turner but w/o fan and DH used the thermometer that came with it - at lockdown I put in a digital therm/hygrometer to verify temp and sure enough - it had been three degrees below what it was supposed to be for the whole 18 days!
Even with all of our first timer screw ups we were lucky enough to get
20 adorable babies - 12 females and 8 males!
We already have our 'perfect' flock ( their parents - 14 BR hens and
2 Roos ) and wanted to 'try' incubating as we sell our hatching eggs
locally from the farm only - no egg shipping - for $24 a dozen - people who use them claim 95 to 100 percent hatch rate w/our eggs so we just had to give it a whirl.
Advertised my expected babies on a 'pre-order' basis on three free
local web based sites and I couldn't believe the response of folks wanting to order our BR chicks!
I have 'pre-orders' now for over 100 chicks so DH ordered a fan kit for his cheapo LG and I set another 42 eggs in it today and I ordered a Hova Bator Genesis 1588 with the large picture window, automatic egg turner ( got the quail rails too as DH used to hatch and raise Bob White Quail and may do it again soon ) and digital humidity and temp factory presets and circulating fan. Cked around and ended up getting it from Stromberg's as they offered free shipping and cost of unit was the same as other places and they charged shipping.
I started saving eggs yesterday from the flock and should have another 42 to set in my new Hova Bator by end of week. If all goes
well with these two hatches plus the 20 we hatched this weekend
maybe I can 'catch up' with all my 'pre-orders'.
I was already addicted to having chickens but now I'm also addicted
to incubating and hatching out and selling my baby chicks! Oh well, I
guess if you have to have an addiction there are certainly more
harmful ones - Right?
Used the cheapo LG with automatic turner but w/o fan and DH used the thermometer that came with it - at lockdown I put in a digital therm/hygrometer to verify temp and sure enough - it had been three degrees below what it was supposed to be for the whole 18 days!
Even with all of our first timer screw ups we were lucky enough to get
20 adorable babies - 12 females and 8 males!
We already have our 'perfect' flock ( their parents - 14 BR hens and
2 Roos ) and wanted to 'try' incubating as we sell our hatching eggs
locally from the farm only - no egg shipping - for $24 a dozen - people who use them claim 95 to 100 percent hatch rate w/our eggs so we just had to give it a whirl.
Advertised my expected babies on a 'pre-order' basis on three free
local web based sites and I couldn't believe the response of folks wanting to order our BR chicks!
I have 'pre-orders' now for over 100 chicks so DH ordered a fan kit for his cheapo LG and I set another 42 eggs in it today and I ordered a Hova Bator Genesis 1588 with the large picture window, automatic egg turner ( got the quail rails too as DH used to hatch and raise Bob White Quail and may do it again soon ) and digital humidity and temp factory presets and circulating fan. Cked around and ended up getting it from Stromberg's as they offered free shipping and cost of unit was the same as other places and they charged shipping.
I started saving eggs yesterday from the flock and should have another 42 to set in my new Hova Bator by end of week. If all goes
well with these two hatches plus the 20 we hatched this weekend
maybe I can 'catch up' with all my 'pre-orders'.
I was already addicted to having chickens but now I'm also addicted
to incubating and hatching out and selling my baby chicks! Oh well, I
guess if you have to have an addiction there are certainly more
harmful ones - Right?
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