How to divide brooder--big and little eggs????

[JudyMcKinn]

I have one of the starfoam Little Giant 9200 incubators--no turner, no fan. Usually have pretty good luck with it. I have gotten 11 Serama eggs thru the mail. 3 are tiny!!, 3 are medium, and 5 are large (for a Serama, I mean) The large ones are still quite a bit smaller than my silkie eggs. I have never hatched Seramas, but understand they are difficult to hatch, so I put 6 Silkie eggs in the bator a couple days ahead, because I am told the Seramas hatch in a couple days less time than the Silkies. 4 of the Silkie eggs are still viable. About 7 or 8 of the Seramas look like they are hopeful, also. I thought if just one SErama hatches, there will be a couple Silkie chicks to keep it company, as it grows.
But, my worry is that we will be gone all day to a Thanksgiving dinner the 23rd, which is the day they should be hatching. If the tiny Seramas hatch, they will be much smaller than the Silkies, and I am afraid they may be stomped or wallowed around enough to hurt them. I am wondering if there is a way to divide the incubator in half, with the Silkies on one side and Seramas on the other. Of course I know I could just put something a couple inches high across the middle, but will it be too close to the heating unit, if it is tall enough to keep the chicks from getting over it? Anyone have any experience with this, or have any suggestions?

 

[JudyMcKinn]

Anyone? Any ideas?

 

[willowcol]

I think they should be ok, maybe they will hatch a day early mine seem to always hatch on day 19 or 20. I think it would be hard to divide the bator without it getting to close to the heating element. Thought they don't really get to hot I would be to scacred to try it.

 

[Wildsky]

I think they'll be fine, they won't be running around at that age, they'll be sitting around drying off.

Good Luck (serama's are on my HAVE TO HAVE list)

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have a butter bowl that is cut in half that I use to put around new babies that get picked on too badly. Just cut it in half and it will fit right in. But they should be fine. I hatch standard and bantam chicks at the same time all the time, and nobody gets squished!

 

[therealsilkiechick]

i raise my seramas in with my silkies and showgirls ect till they r old enough to go to the grow out pens. if they r raised together from the start they will be fine. seramas can lay up to 25% of their body weight so yes their eggs can be man sizes.

 

[SGM]

I hatched some Seramas with Silkies and even large fowl. No problems. At 4 weeks I had to rearrange my brooders due to other hatches as well and wound up putting the little seramas with younger chicks just for the sake of reducing the number of brooders.

 

[Fudgie]

can you use a sock drawer divider, it is kind of plastic but it would be tall enough to separate them but not tall enough to get melted by the heater element.

Another idea is make a wooden divider that looks like a plus sign or X. You would have 4 divisions then. Just make a slot in each piece of wood near the middle where they can sit inside each other and put it in the incubator. The wood would not melt as easily from the element...if necessary, you could put a v slot where the element would make contact with the wood so you have room to put it right up near the top of the bator.

If you only need 2 divisions and not 4, for one side of the x just use a 1X4 with a slot to match into another 1X1 or something to use for a stand to stabilize the other side of the x. the chicks can climb over that pretty easilywithout getting hurt (like climbing on an egg carton). Chicks are pretty resilient and can climb over things easily and get into most trouble easily!!!

Just an idea!