- Thread starter
- #11
Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :
Quote:
With any program, whether it's writing it on a calendar or using a computer program, you have to be diligent about noting when you set the eggs and when to stop turning them.
This is what works for me. I set eggs on the same day each week for each breed, so that everyone is hatching at relatively the same time. It gets a little trickier with all the different incubation times, but it can be done.
I use this simple excel spreadsheet to help me with the dates, instead of sitting there counting out days.
[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6962_egg_counts_inc_calendar.jpg[/URL]
I change the date in yellow to the first set date (Tuesdays) and all the others are automatically calculated. I then print the sheet, and write in how many eggs I set. (I have a separate sheet just for chicken eggs, but it can be easily incorporated into this sheet.)
I keep these sheets in a file, and pull the one that is the current hatch. I set the eggs the same days of the week, so that I know on Wednesdays I need to stop turning eggs. I don't have to worry about whether I had any that were due to stop turning on any other days of the week. I also have recurring reminders on my Outlook calendar... every Tuesday a note pops up to "set pheasant eggs"... Wednesdays a note to "set BW, Chukar and chicken eggs"... etc. It's easier with fewer species. LOL!
I also mark each egg with the set date in a circle, and keep them clumped together so that I can find them easily. I had two cabinet incubators and a Hovabator going at once, and remembering which incubator the eggs were in was hard, especially when you have tray after tray of quail eggs.
A large dry-erase Year-at-a-Glance calendar, or two month-at-a-glance, pinned to the wall works great, too, but the key is remembering to write in what you set and when to stop turning. Otherwise you have chicks hatching in the turner, like I did! LOL!
So, what exactly are you setting, and how often. Maybe we can come up with something that works for you that's fairly simple to remember.
Tori,
Those are some really great ideas. I would love to set up a table on Excel like you have but I am as new to Excel as a 16 year old is new to his / her first car. I just know how to type in the infos under certain categories but can't make it "automatically" change dates and all those good stuff...
Do you mind e-mailing me a "clear" copy of your eXcell and I can incorporate what I have on there? I don't hatch out much because I am not going it for a business or anything but now with so many breeds, I need to have something that I can keep a track of and is portable since I am not home all the time...
- Tommy
Quote:
With any program, whether it's writing it on a calendar or using a computer program, you have to be diligent about noting when you set the eggs and when to stop turning them.
This is what works for me. I set eggs on the same day each week for each breed, so that everyone is hatching at relatively the same time. It gets a little trickier with all the different incubation times, but it can be done.
I use this simple excel spreadsheet to help me with the dates, instead of sitting there counting out days.
[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6962_egg_counts_inc_calendar.jpg[/URL]
I change the date in yellow to the first set date (Tuesdays) and all the others are automatically calculated. I then print the sheet, and write in how many eggs I set. (I have a separate sheet just for chicken eggs, but it can be easily incorporated into this sheet.)
I keep these sheets in a file, and pull the one that is the current hatch. I set the eggs the same days of the week, so that I know on Wednesdays I need to stop turning eggs. I don't have to worry about whether I had any that were due to stop turning on any other days of the week. I also have recurring reminders on my Outlook calendar... every Tuesday a note pops up to "set pheasant eggs"... Wednesdays a note to "set BW, Chukar and chicken eggs"... etc. It's easier with fewer species. LOL!
I also mark each egg with the set date in a circle, and keep them clumped together so that I can find them easily. I had two cabinet incubators and a Hovabator going at once, and remembering which incubator the eggs were in was hard, especially when you have tray after tray of quail eggs.
A large dry-erase Year-at-a-Glance calendar, or two month-at-a-glance, pinned to the wall works great, too, but the key is remembering to write in what you set and when to stop turning. Otherwise you have chicks hatching in the turner, like I did! LOL!
So, what exactly are you setting, and how often. Maybe we can come up with something that works for you that's fairly simple to remember.
Tori,
Those are some really great ideas. I would love to set up a table on Excel like you have but I am as new to Excel as a 16 year old is new to his / her first car. I just know how to type in the infos under certain categories but can't make it "automatically" change dates and all those good stuff...
Do you mind e-mailing me a "clear" copy of your eXcell and I can incorporate what I have on there? I don't hatch out much because I am not going it for a business or anything but now with so many breeds, I need to have something that I can keep a track of and is portable since I am not home all the time...
- Tommy
![[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6962_egg_counts_inc_calendar.jpg](https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6962_egg_counts_inc_calendar.jpg){kind=link}