Hatching Eggs / Paypal CHAT Thread

[CelticOaksFarm]

I need some opinions. I wanted to get an incubator just for hatching, once the eggs pip. I was thinking of getting a still air hova bator, but I hatch so few eggs at a time, I was thinking I might get off cheap with one of these: I know its a crappo incubator, but all I need is to be able to hold humidity and temp for a day or so right. If I'm only hatching 3 or 4 eggs at a time, does this seem like a crazy idea? Should I just go for the Hova bator?

Waiting till they pip to move them is too late. You run the risk of shrink wrapping them. They should be in the hatcher for lockdown and not waiting for pips.

I'm making DH eggs but all I have are rhodebars,legbars,Isbars,cuckoo silkies, Russian Orlaff, OD, tolbunt.....

BM6 brought me some leghorn eggs yesterday. I can just use those right, leghorns aren't special, they are just some regular white birds, right?

They all eat the same, if they are selling, shipping, swapping or incubating they are being eaten

Thanks, I have to say I think he's going to make it. He's got a lot of pluck if you'll excuse the pun. He is not happy about not being allowed out of the egg.

I have to thank you all for your help. I was so tired last night, I don't have a hatching incubator, so I was up every hour the night before, taking chicks out of the incubator and putting them in the brooder. Then this happened and I thought I was going to have a dead baby on top of being exhausted.

I don't understand how this happened. I put eggs into an empty incubator and then I went away on vacation for two weeks. Why am I having eggs hatch over a period of three days now? The only thing I can think of is that my husband put eggs in after I left, but why would he do that? He has some chicken enabling tendencies, but that just seems a bit over the top for him without being given specific instructions by me to do so. I am mystified.

by constantly opening the bator and removing chicks you are introducing blasts of cooler drier air every time. Unless you have very good equipment and very stable conditions where the bator recovers humidity and temp within seconds I dont recommend removing new hatchlings in oneies twosies.

go with a styro bator as a hatcher if given the choice, seen lots of disgruntled buyers of that cheaper one pictured above

 

[KPenley]

This is what my rooster's comb looks like.

Seriously? On a roo? Even across the pond that would get disqualified in a second...I bet it's from one of the double breeders (you know, one flock to raise ideal roos and one to raise ideal hens). They do have gorgeous tails though.

 

[cluckitall]

Thanks, I have to say I think he's going to make it. He's got a lot of pluck if you'll excuse the pun. He is not happy about not being allowed out of the egg.

I have to thank you all for your help. I was so tired last night, I don't have a hatching incubator, so I was up every hour the night before, taking chicks out of the incubator and putting them in the brooder. Then this happened and I thought I was going to have a dead baby on top of being exhausted.

I don't understand how this happened. I put eggs into an empty incubator and then I went away on vacation for two weeks. Why am I having eggs hatch over a period of three days now? The only thing I can think of is that my husband put eggs in after I left, but why would he do that? He has some chicken enabling tendencies, but that just seems a bit over the top for him without being given specific instructions by me to do so. I am mystified.

That's not unusual at all -- very often a clutch of eggs will take two, three, or even four days to all hatch, even under a hen. In an incubator, some can be in a warmer spot, some can just be fast developers -- there's all kinds of small variables that can make a chick develop more or less quickly. So it's totally normal (although a husband who sneaks extra eggs into the bator for you would be a definite keeper!

)

 

[tdhenson86]

Well, I thought Rachael was going to be putting up a picture for you all to see, but since she hasn't I will!

Look what we are getting!

There are 5 pens on each side WITH 4x12x6 foot high dog kennels attached to each side, with free delivery as well! I cannot WAIT!!!

Ours looks like this, but it has 10 pens instead of 12 and red trim around each door. There are pens inside as well (4x4) with a center walkway.

WOW!!! That is AWESOME!!!

I love the USPS...sent profti her eggs, and it says they left the sorting on 2/22 with an expected delivery date of 2/21....guess they are getting into time travel

That sounds just about right for the USPS.

Quote:

 

[cluckitall]

Waiting till they pip to move them is too late. You run the risk of shrink wrapping them. They should be in the hatcher for lockdown and not waiting for pips.

They all eat the same, if they are selling, shipping, swapping or incubating they are being eaten


by constantly opening the bator and removing chicks you are introducing blasts of cooler drier air every time. Unless you have very good equipment and very stable conditions where the bator recovers humidity and temp within seconds I dont recommend removing new hatchlings in oneies twosies.

go with a styro bator as a hatcher if given the choice, seen lots of disgruntled buyers of that cheaper one pictured above

Yeah, the loss of humidity is a real issue. You actually don't need to take them out that quickly -- newly-hatched chicks can go up to three days comfortably without food or water, so they can stay right in the incubator till everyone's hatched. If you do a forum search here you'll find lots of pictures and diagrams for home-made incubators that will work at least as well as the one you have and hold more eggs (always a bonus!) and can be built very inexpensively!

A good styrofoam 'bator for hatching is a really good idea, but like COF said, you want to get them into the hatching bator sooner -- day 18 is ideal. There's a ton of good info on incubation techniques here, too!

 

[madamwlf]

Seriously? On a roo? Even across the pond that would get disqualified in a second...I bet it's from one of the double breeders (you know, one flock to raise ideal roos and one to raise ideal hens). They do have gorgeous tails though.

Ummm...those are champion birds from someone's flock across the pond. I don't like them and will not be using my NL roo.

 

[KPenley]

Really? Emilie De Gray (sp?)'s birds looked nothing like those! Nor do the other 2 breeders who have won the majority of contests the past 3 years! I'm going to have to do some investigating...

Bonnie's bird here is what I'm used to seeing taking the prizes.

 

[madamwlf]

Really? Emilie De Gray (sp?)'s birds looked nothing like those! Nor do the other 2 breeders who have won the majority of contests the past 3 years! I'm going to have to do some investigating...

This is from GFF newsletter:


A few miles from the town we came to the home of Jill Rees, one of the top legbar breeders in the UK. Jill was gracious, patient, and highly informative as she gave us a tour of her property and generously let us get acquainted with her flocks of legbars. Jill is currently winning ribbons in major British poultry shows with her legbar hens, and here you can see a bird that recently took the top slot in its category.

 

[madamwlf]

I can honestly say I don't like that hen's comb either.

 

[KPenley]

Want to see the pic Jill shows on her site? The roo is second column, third row down (all the rest are hen or chicks pics)
http://www.jillscreamlegbars.co.uk/#/gallery/4573536975
And she has the SOP on there too: http://www.jillscreamlegbars.co.uk/#/cream-legbars/4573759443

I'm fairly certain she one of those breeding to two lines (one for hens, one for roos)