Incubators Anonymous

[Puddin Fluff]

Got two pips on my 9 mixed banty eggs!!!! Unfortunatly I must work today so kids will get to be on egg watch.

 

[Dawnrenae]

No running the incubator for me this summer. Had two broodies hens and a broody goose. Who knew they would kill all the eggies. :'(!!!?

TOO HOT!!!

I am going to start again in October or Novemeber.

 

[marchick]

Got rid of my turkeys Saturday, did a few adjustments, and now the huge pen we had for them is a giant grow out pen for all these babies!! Got 12 out there now, 14 in the big kid brooder to go in a few weeks, 3 new tiny 4 day old silkies in the baby side of the brooder, and 41 eggs going to the hatcher tomorrow! Good thing I now have LOTS of grow out room!!

Depending on this hatch, & how many make it, I may set ONE more time before Feb or March.

ETA- Oh yeah, & we started setting posts yesterday for the coop/run for our Polish Pen!!! I was afraid the hubs would wanna use the turkey pen, and I'd be SOL on grow out. Lol

Are you getting different breeds of turkeys?The Two royal palm I hatched from your eggs are growing fast and I have a male and female!

I just got 5 around 5 week old narragansett turkeys an early birthday present.

The gal I got them from said they where 3 months old and they where only about 1/2 the size of my 8 week old royal palms.I don't know if it was because they didn't feed them the right feed or she was wrong on the age I am guessing around 5 weeks old.When I took them out of the cage they just dived in the food.My mistake was that I let them!When I took out the cage and came back they had huge crops.When I got them she had them in a cage in the grass with only water and they where eating the long grass and I don't think that was good. Then I let them eat all that feed my bad! (They are not tame like the royal palms, "Yet") My royal palm hen likes to sit in my lap and cuddle,she is so sweet.

I Just love her!!! His name is Goober and her name is peanut.

 

[sonderah]

Are you getting different breeds of turkeys?The Two royal palm I hatched from your eggs are growing fast and I have a male and female! I just got 5 around 5 week old narragansett turkeys an early birthday present. The gal I got them from said they where 3 months old and they where only about 1/2 the size of my 8 week old royal palms.I don't know if it was because they didn't feed them the right feed or she was wrong on the age I am guessing around 5 weeks old.When I took them out of the cage they just dived in the food.My mistake was that I let them!When I took out the cage and came back they had huge crops.I am now worried that the tom might have an impacted crop.They are not tame like the royal palms, "Yet".My royal palm hen likes to sit in my lap and cuddle,she is so sweet. I Just love her!!! His name is Goober and her name is peanut.

No. I've decided to get out of turkeys and just stick to my chickens.

 

[sonderah]

We want to start raising our own "meat chickens" next Spring. I remember seeing broiler chickens that u cull about 9 weeks old or they get to large and have a heart attack or something like that. So, that would be ok, but how the heck do you breed ur own if u have to kill them all?? I don't want to have to purchase new ones each year, or it kind of defeats the saving $$ purpose.

 

[ladycat]

We want to start raising our own "meat chickens" next Spring. I remember seeing broiler chickens that u cull about 9 weeks old or they get to large and have a heart attack or something like that. So, that would be ok, but how the heck do you breed ur own if u have to kill them all?? I don't want to have to purchase new ones each year, or it kind of defeats the saving $$ purpose.

I raise my own Freedom Rangers, I'm about 3 generations along. I do have to restrict their feed to keep them from getting obese. When they get obese is when they start having heart attacks. I give them a little feed at night to get them in their coop. The rest of the time they free range and find their own food. That way they get exercise and they don't cost much to feed. The chicks don't grow quite as fast as cornishX, but they make a nice size carcass when they're about 10 weeks old.

 

[TeaChick]

We want to start raising our own "meat chickens" next Spring. I remember seeing broiler chickens that u cull about 9 weeks old or they get to large and have a heart attack or something like that. So, that would be ok, but how the heck do you breed ur own if u have to kill them all?? I don't want to have to purchase new ones each year, or it kind of defeats the saving $$ purpose.

I just got some New Hampshire chicks for meat birds.
We free range (like @ladycat ) said she does and for similar reasoning (to save on feed; although my mutts and the NHs won't get obese either way).
I suggest buying a meat breed straight run and free ranging them; then whatever hens you want, you can keep for eggs and reproduction, and you can cull all the cockerels whenever you're ready to eat or freeze them. That's just what I would do based on what you said you want to do.
Also, if you buy Cornish Crosses each spring and free range them, then you probably won't be spending a lot of money on buying them each spring and then feeding them until you cull them.
Here's a link to Murray McMurray's chick selector: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html
You can enter the criteria you want in drop down menus and they show you which chicks they sell that match what you want.

 

[TeaChick]

I had to wrap an egg in a wet paper towel. Do I keep the paper towel wet? Do I remove it when it dries? Do I just leave it even after it's dry?

 

[ladycat]

I had to wrap an egg in a wet paper towel. Do I keep the paper towel wet? Do I remove it when it dries? Do I just leave it even after it's dry?

I just keep it on a couple hours or so.

 

[HugHess]

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Rolling all over my floor laughing my scrawny butt off. I WISH! Slobber, slobber too.