I concede defeat! I killed perfectly good showgirl hatching eggs.

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Excellent response!!!

 

[roche477]

Sorry they didn't make it Insider. I have an LG and hatch just fine, but I don't move to another bator to hatch. I hope your next hatch goes better.

 

[Andora]

I hope your next hatch goes better! I made my own bator out of a cooler (not styrofoam) using the Miss Prissy model. It works GREAT! Once I got it settled, it holds temps steady with in 2 degrees, and it cycles very very slowly. It holds humidity absolutely steady too. My last hatch I messed up by opening the bator after day 18. I had two eggs in there, one hatched and one peeped but never pipped. I think it's because I kept opening the bator. This time I am not opening it at all--today is day 18 and they are all set up to hatch!

 

[lotzahenz]

Quote:
TN Truly, HOW DID you talk you DH into that? Tell me? PLease please. My husband hates anything that eats. He can see no logic in keeping all these chickens just in case the economy gets so bad we may live on egg and fowl. I DO sell some eggs at my work but have a bad habit of giving them away to my friends. Heck, they are all my friends and I feel guilty selling them, I know, I know, I know. I just want to hatch eggs and sell a few chicks, or keep my friends and family in a few (ummm, dozen) chicks, and see what comes out of the shells, and see what they lay and see..........oh shoot I digress. How did you get him to even consider it? I can't even rank a pressure washer and I've been asking now for three years.

(this smiley says "drool" I had ta look) Henz

 

[lotzahenz]

Quote:
Hey Andora! I sent you a PM, I am ordering a very few hatchery chicks from Murray McMurray (well, 66 but who is counting) and wanted to know if you need more? Just let me know. If you need practice eggs, I have some of those RIR's from last fall. I braved it and bought some from eBay that are due to hatch on June 2 or 3. Silkies and Marans. I am so excited. I am hoping to get a hatcher too, but don't want another LG myself either. I may just have to build M. Prissy's cool, homemade bator. But I love the Genesis 1588, hatch rates have been 94% last month. See ya. Henz

 

[insiderart]

As it turns out I may have discovered the critical error with the HOD. I purchased another therm/hygro and put it at the bottom of the egg height. Turns out it's pretty cold there.

Now what is interesting is that I had 2 different thermometers in there already, one digital one mercury. One at top egg height, one at bottom egg ht. They were showing a fairly constant temp of 101F at the top, 100F at the bottom.

Well turns out when I put the new thermometer in there it was cold at the bottom!! About 97F!! This could explain all the hatcher problems.

So even though I had 2 thermometers in there, if they are both off... puh.

Both hygrometers are running about the same.