HERE WE GO AGAIN Anyone SETTING Aug 30th - Sept 8th join me!!

[Kel35]

Thanks both xx

 

[tadpole98]

I set on the 8th!! My new brinsea is hopefully gonna hatch me some chooks!!
I have already began playing classical music to them

i figured they needed something to listen to bc they might get bored

 

[picanins]

Even if you build one and use it as your hatcher it helps so much to have a second one. If I could build 2 of them with no experience in wiring or building anything then you should have no problem.

I've got two Little Giants at the moment (I use one for hatching), but I am telling you I'm having SUCH problems maintaining steady temps after I opened the Bator on Day 4 (Sat) to candle .... I was going to buy some more eggs, but I think I'm going to make my own incubator first .... this Giant is LOTS of work this time round

 

[Brookhavens]

I've got two Little Giants at the moment (I use one for hatching), but I am telling you I'm having SUCH problems maintaining steady temps after I opened the Bator on Day 4 (Sat) to candle .... I was going to buy some more eggs, but I think I'm going to make my own incubator first .... this Giant is LOTS of work this time round

I am telling you my 2 coolers maintain the temps perfectly. I can open them up for candling and within a minute or less the temp is right back where it should be. Even when I plug them back in after not using them they will go right back to the temp I unplugged them at (as long as no one messes with the adjusters.) Humidity is no problem either. You just plug or unplug the drilled air holes as needed.

 

[mabhera]

Taking a stab at this. Here's my theory. When a hen sits on the eggs she rotates the eggs outward and then back in again. So the ones at the center are pushed outward and the outside eggs are pushed towards the center. This way the eggs are all exposed to various temperatures throughout the incubation process and in the end it pretty much equals out. Even though we maintain a constant 99.5 (hypothetically speaking) I would think the eggs towards the center are going to be warmer, even if only by a slight degree, and the ones towards the outside will be cooler. When we turn the eggs we shift the position that they are in but do not move their actual position in the bator. They stay in the same area of the bator for the entire process. I may just test this theory on my next hatch to see if it has any effect on the hatching time.

Your theory makes sense to me....I'll try that. I was worried about moving them around the bator or turning more often but i'll do both in this incubation.

 

[picanins]

I am telling you my 2 coolers maintain the temps perfectly. I can open them up for candling and within a minute or less the temp is right back where it should be. Even when I plug them back in after not using them they will go right back to the temp I unplugged them at (as long as no one messes with the adjusters.) Humidity is no problem either. You just plug or unplug the drilled air holes as needed.

LUUUUUUVVVVVV that!!!! I am on day 6 here and because I've had 3 days of managing temps (I literally slept 4 hours on Sat night

) I candled my white eggs (coz they're easy to see) coz I was SURE that those temps had done some damage, but thank the Lord (I'm telling you its a miracle) - there's still life ... YAY!!! I took a video where if you look reeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaalllly closely you can see the little embryo moving) .... I didn't candle them all like last time because I didn't want the Bator open for any length of time .... I really wanted to candle every day and record progress this time (normally I candle on Day 6 and 10 and then I'm done) but I'm going on lock down now until Day 18 when I move them over to the other Bator !

 

[Chicken Tamer]

WOOT WOOT My silkie hen started sitting on eggs 2 days ago!!!! or yesterday I forgot LOL Count me in this!!!

 

[Brookhavens]

LUUUUUUVVVVVV that!!!! I am on day 6 here and because I've had 3 days of managing temps (I literally slept 4 hours on Sat night

) I candled my white eggs (coz they're easy to see) coz I was SURE that those temps had done some damage, but thank the Lord (I'm telling you its a miracle) - there's still life ... YAY!!! I took a video where if you look reeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaalllly closely you can see the little embryo moving) .... I didn't candle them all like last time because I didn't want the Bator open for any length of time .... I really wanted to candle every day and record progress this time (normally I candle on Day 6 and 10 and then I'm done) but I'm going on lock down now until Day 18 when I move them over to the other Bator !

That is the best feeling!!!

 

[swindledana]

My buff bantam cochin(Sunny) went broody today. I put 7 eggs under her including my husband new trio of Birchen marans started back laying today so I put that egg under her too. Hoping for a better hatch with her. Her sister(Brownie) didnot due very well. She abandon her baby chick after it hatched and it died. I can't even get near her pen with out her trying to attack me. So I got my husband to move the other hen out of there so she won't be disturbed. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Brookhavens]

So I decided to build myself an egg candler today. I went to our local cigar store and asked if they had any empty cigar boxes. The guy gave me 5 wooden boxes that are perfect for candlers. Next went to Walmart and bought an extension cord and light socket (less than $4.) Came home and drilled 2 holes in one of the boxes. One on the side for the socket and one on the top to cradle the egg. Took about an hour to complete and for the cost of the ext. cord and light socket I have a GREAT candler. I tested it out on my Araucana eggs and we have 3/10 good eggs on Day 9. I was a little bummed out at that number so I said what the heck let's try the Silkie eggs. I had just set them last Thursday and really wasn't expecting much. So I take out egg #1 place it on the candler and it is ALIVE!!! On to egg#2...ALIVE!!! and this goes on for the entire dozen. All 12 eggs have movement and veining!!! From what I have heard Maran eggs are very hard to candle because of their dark color. Well I decided to give it a shot and guess what... I can see through Maran eggs with my new candler and we have babies in those too. I am thinking from now on I will definitely go with local eggs. No more shipped ones.

Edit: Adding pics/Made an adapter so that I can candle small eggs better.