I have a bone to pick with all you incubating ppl...

[TJAnonymous]

My incubator has become a permanent fixture on my kitchen table. I will put it away and it will miraculously reappear! I swear it whispers "use me....use me....you know you want to...."

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm so curious! Why are call ducks so needy to hatch?? Please learn me somethin lol

Show qualitynones have beaks too short to hatch naturally

 

[luckycluk]

Last big hatch, I had 2/3 little roos. No exaggeration. I did a couple small hatches early in the year then a large one (large for me). I forget the exact number but 2/3 of nearly 60 babies that hatched were cockerels.

I would of ran away

 

[luckycluk]

I don't sweat it anymore, I control what I can and whatever happens....happens. The one 'pet peve' I have is the term "lockdown", h_ll, their not in prison....it's just one phase of the incubation processe...everyone seems to sweat, fret, anguish over it.

I’ve never tried incubating any eggs. I’ve hatched them under a broody hen n got 2 cockerels. I hat does lockdown mean and what is it for? Don’t mean to sound stupid.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

My incubator has become a permanent fixture on my kitchen table. I will put it away and it will miraculously reappear! I swear it whispers "use me....use me....you know you want to...."

I have a tent like pop up brooder that has been a permanent fixture in my living room. I'm on my second one. Good thing I live alone.
Edit: I keep getting chicks

 

[Painted Calls]

Show qualitynones have beaks too short to hatch naturally

Necks too.

 

[007Sean]

I’ve never tried incubating any eggs. I’ve hatched them under a broody hen n got 2 cockerels. I hat does lockdown mean and what is it for? Don’t mean to sound stupid.

Lockdown is a relatively new term. It's what most people call the last 3 to 4 days of the incubation period. They call it "lockdown" because you aren't suppose to open the incubator after adding water and raising the humidity until after the eggs hatch, for fear of 'shrink wrapping' the hatching chick.

Problem is that most incubators will not 'hold' the humidity at the correct %Rh for that many days and will need to be opened to add more water to raise the humidity again. So, this leads to another problem of peeps not adding water because they were told to not open the incubator for any reason until the eggs have hatched, thus alot of chicks will be shrink wrapped, because of low %Rh.
There in lies another problem! Most people will over fill the troughs, creating to much humidity, also alot of beginners don't realize it's surface area not the amount of water that's added is what makes the difference. The larger the surface area, the greater the %Rh.

 

[WallyG74]

Show qualitynones have beaks too short to hatch naturally

Just think about what you’re saying. Show quality can’t even hatch by itself??? Y’all that’s crazy. If it’s the best of the breed, it better dang well be able to get out of the shell on its own. I think standards may need to be re-examined.

 

[Painted Calls]

Just think about what you’re saying. Show quality can’t even hatch by itself??? Y’all that’s crazy. If it’s the best of the breed, it better dang well be able to get out of the shell on its own. I think standards may need to be re-examined.

We like the way they look.

 

[WallyG74]

We like the way they look.

I totally understand that. It’s just so backwards. The pretty one can’t possibly be the on the LQ end of the scale. Let’s say the one that can actually start life without help… yeah that’s the crappy one. Reminds me of the cute little show goats. Look at one wrong and it dies! As a child, I saw goats as one of the toughest critters on the farm. So sad what they’ve been reduced to.