I am a urban chicken keeper, and as such, have to limit my flock. Ideally, 12 bantams is my desire. 6 to live at my city home, and 6 to live at my brothers country home. I had 6 assorted hatchery bantams(started with 12, long story about weak sickly chicks), and well, after a raccoon attack, I have 3. I love them, but I would like a bit more hardiness, quality and variety. Also, I have decided I would like colored eggs, and dual purpose. So they must be Bantams due to space at my home in the city, Ameracauna's/Aracauna/EE (sp?) and Favorolles seem to be the two breeds/varieties I would like most.
Ok, so this weekends project is building a incubator. Materials have been gathered and tools await. I have poured through this wonderful site and I have a few questions and need some encouragement as the last time I built any electrical based thing was Physics class in high school! And, well, lives didn't depend on it.....
I plan on putting it together, turning it on and keeping a log of periodic readings of temp, humidity etc for several times a day, over a week, until tweeked to stable conditions.
I notice most listings for hatching eggs is a dozen, is it unusual to ship only 6 eggs? Does number of eggs shipped make a difference in hatch rate/viability? I don't want to 'shoot myself in the foot' by not getting enough, just don't want too many, if possible, either
I would like to egg test the 'bator before I buy, and pay for shipping of quality eggs. Quite rightly, good quality breeder eggs are not cheap.
I know several threads put forward Trader Joe's fertile eggs, we do have one here but all the eggs are refrigerated. Will this still work??? What kind of hatch rate could I expect? (Babies will be re-homed to family members in search of egg layers). Also, a local Asian grocery carries quail eggs, could those be viable? They are also refrigerated. My brother would prefer the quails to leghorns.
How few test eggs can I realistically get away with? I know if I get pips they need a buddy or two or three. Would 4 be enough? Any suggestions or other ideas???
Thank you all for such a great site!!!!
Ok, so this weekends project is building a incubator. Materials have been gathered and tools await. I have poured through this wonderful site and I have a few questions and need some encouragement as the last time I built any electrical based thing was Physics class in high school! And, well, lives didn't depend on it.....
I plan on putting it together, turning it on and keeping a log of periodic readings of temp, humidity etc for several times a day, over a week, until tweeked to stable conditions.
I notice most listings for hatching eggs is a dozen, is it unusual to ship only 6 eggs? Does number of eggs shipped make a difference in hatch rate/viability? I don't want to 'shoot myself in the foot' by not getting enough, just don't want too many, if possible, either
I would like to egg test the 'bator before I buy, and pay for shipping of quality eggs. Quite rightly, good quality breeder eggs are not cheap.
I know several threads put forward Trader Joe's fertile eggs, we do have one here but all the eggs are refrigerated. Will this still work??? What kind of hatch rate could I expect? (Babies will be re-homed to family members in search of egg layers). Also, a local Asian grocery carries quail eggs, could those be viable? They are also refrigerated. My brother would prefer the quails to leghorns.
Thank you all for such a great site!!!!
