Hatching Eggs with Vintage Marsh Automatic Incubator!

[SiTran]

Hey all,

I am using this vintage Marsh Incubator to hatch some Jumbo Brown eggs I got from a really awesome guy. I would like for you to follow me on my journey.




In it is 24 jumbo brown eggs.

1 - 17g
9 - 16g
14 - 15g

I have to get a more accurate scale.

The humidity is:

Day 1: 47% from 0 to 24 hrs

Day 2: 60% from 24 to 48 hrs (After reading some more I decided to increase the humidity!)

Day 3: @ 48hrs of incubation Fat Daddy hinted me to shoot for 35% to 40% humidity and stand the eggs up right. So I took most of the water out of this incubator(Marsh) and switched the eggs out to the LG incubator with eggs < 14g. (which I have taken out all the water for dry incubation, the humidity in it is however still at 63%. I guess there is still water in there because it's not completely dried off when I poured the water out).

So basically the eggs are switch to another incubator with
eggs < 14g because I don't know how this thing will do. I don't want to take the risk with the eggs > 14g.

The temperature is 99.5 F

Set date: 7/15/2012 @ 9:00pm






I also have two Little Giant setup for eggs >14g and eggs <14g (switch with eggs >14g from Marsh incubator).


I haven't checked the humidity (guessing around 47% like the first day) in the Marsh incubator, but the humidity the LGs with eggs racks and fans are:

Dry Incubation

Day 3

Temperature: 100 F or 37.8 C

37% humidity room humidity: 55% room temp: 76 F

Day 4

41% humidity room humidity: 56% room temp: 77 F



I will continually edit this post.

 

[Caribear]

Awesome, I hope it does well for you! Have you used the Marsh before, or is this your first hatch in it? I will be interested to see how the vintage machine performs. Good luck!

 

[GAQuail]

I'm feeling really old. I remember a much older version of that incubator. Yours is a fairly modern one except for the Marsh name. At least it has an electronic thermostat, auto turner and the adjustable water bottle. Its a great little incubator compared to the LG. Good luck!

 

[SiTran]

That thing is about 20 years old. It had been laying in a barn for a long time. I had to clean it up a little. It's my wife's elementary teacher incubator. They used to hatch chickens in it when she was in 2nd grade. It hold the temp. great and everything still works! Man they don't build things like they used to.

Hey QAQuail this is my first time hatching in it. I am not sure if the cloth wick is supposed to be in the water or not. Do you know?

 

[GAQuail]

The wick needs to be in the water to read the wet bulb temperature. The wet bulb is used to accurately calculate the humidity when also used with a dry bulb thermometer. Using a dry bulb thermometer (without the wick) will give you the actual air temperature. With the wet bulb and dry bulb reading you can then compute the humidity by using a chart that can be found on the internet like this one http://quackershomepage.tripod.com/chart.html

Also if the wick is as old as the incubator and has been used before it may not give you a correct wet bulb reading. Wicks can clog up from the minerals found in the water. You should be able to find new wicks at most poultry supply companies i.e. Cutler Supply Company or you can use a new white cloth shoe lace cut to the needed length.

 

[gabrielle1976]

20 years old lol that use to be a lifetime now I have clothes that old

 

[Fat Daddy]

If it were me, I'd shoot for a humidity of around 35 to 40% for incubation. The first 14-15 days... Then bump it up to 60%+ the last 3.... I would also suggest sitting the eggs up right, in a carton or tray. I get a higher hatch rate this way.... chicks that die just as they pip usually die due to drowning or suffocation. With the eggs in a upright position, These problems are alot less of a factor. Good luck, Bill

 

[GAQuail]

If it were me, I'd shoot for a humidity of around 35 to 40% for incubation. The first 14-15 days... Then bump it up to 60%+ the last 3.... I would also suggest sitting the eggs up right, in a carton or tray. I get a higher hatch rate this way.... chicks that die just as they pip usually die due to drowning or suffocation. With the eggs in a upright position, These problems are alot less of a factor. Good luck, Bill

x2 on the humidity.

 

[SiTran]

Thank you guys.... I have switched it over to dry incubation now. Let's see what the humidity will be like tomorrow. The humidity in the house is 47% right now.

 

[UndergroundQuailRoad]

That is a pretty sweet incubator! Now I know where Brinsea stole the design for their Mini!