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ladycat said:
My Seramas have started laying, and I want to set all the eggs, but I have the styros put up and I want to use just the Brinsea Octagon 20 ECO. I'm trying to figure the best way to stagger the eggs.

Thinking.... thinking....
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LadyCat, I am not familiar with the Brinsea----so "I" would set what I collect every 7 days(week) then pull the first batch when they get to day 18 and put them in the styrofoam that I would drag back out to use as a hatcher.
 
1zooman12 said:
Hello Lillian,
For my little  part, welcome to the nuthatch or should I say, the fowl hatch!  You do not have a problem; an obsession maybe but actually you are sane at least by our standards as BYC members. Okay, as for an incubator, almost anybody who has been in this forum for any length of time can tell you, this old farm boy and chicken devotee went through the incubator phase and gave it up for another one of those life's pains in the what-sit. This opinion was enhanced greatly when first introduced to the joys of the silkie hen 25 or so years ago.  The incubator's one plus is that it can handle far more eggs than even best hen or turkey can incubate. B-U-T  an incubator, unless it is one of those huge battery types, is very unstable and finicky duplicitous clutch wrecker requiring constant temp, humidity and all sorts of monitoring for such calamities as the dreaded power outage.  Let's say you are using a hen, especially a silkie for the chore.  She does not require any of those on-site constant watches and adjustments; nor does she plug into the wall!  She incubates, somehow adjusts for all environmental factors, hatches the little rascals, then leads them to food and water and broods them at first sign of coolness.  Mother Nature's own queen of the incubators in fact!  So she can only handle about 8 large eggs.  So what!?  You decide how many eggs you want to hatch at one go, divide by 8 and that's how many silkies one employs throwing in an extra or two to guarantee the numerical outcome.  What could be simpler?  The trick is to use fully mature hens which can be switched on by giving her a full clutch of eggs.  She'll go broody in 72 hours or less.  I have had many that if given 8 to 10 eggs this morning would be broody by the middle of the next day!  This is done by giving them a nest box of target eggs in an isolated quiet location.  Protection from marauding trouble making jealous types as well as from predators helps immensely.  You  can even put all your broody hens in one large completely inclosed safety cage, with sealed top and you are in business.  Constantly available food and water and you can go away and not worry about them except to check their food and water containers each day.  I have NEVER had one abandon the chore, ever, once they got started.  Let's see your incubator do that when the power goes off!  Oh, and did I tell you, I had one hatch and rear a pair of geese!  Certainly, all choices are yours but as for me, give me Mother Nature's handmaiden hatcher every time!!!!! 
No matter what you decide, you have my best wishes for a successful go!  And no matter what, let us all know how you fared.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman
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My Silkies aren't laying, never mind getting broody. Or do they not lay when broody? I have a hatchery-type Minorca who hasn't been coming out of the coop much, but neither has she been laying. Her comb is getting droopy, so I was worried she might be dehydrated so I took her out of the coop and feed and watered her. She was thirsty and hungry. I set up a little place for her in the shed with food water and a box. We'll see.
 
MrsFitzDarcy said:
My Silkies aren't laying, never mind getting broody. Or do they not lay when broody? I have a hatchery-type Minorca who hasn't been coming out of the coop much, but neither has she been laying. Her comb is getting droopy, so I was worried she might be dehydrated so I took her out of the coop and feed and watered her. She was thirsty and hungry. I set up a little place for her in the shed with food water and a box. We'll see.
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I only had one experience with a broody, & she too never got off the nest. I set up a box for her with food & water 1 step away from the nest. It worked very well. I moved her at night & covered the box with a blanket the 1st day. The second night I removed the blanket & by sunrise, she no longer remembered the old nest box.

Her biggest problem was that she never got off the nest. When I gently moved her off the eggs & she pooped right away. If I missed a day, I found poop in the nest. She ended up being a very dedicated mother.
 
NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!
Today is day 23 and I thought my shipped eggs were dead, saddle air cells and no movement. I poked a whole in one of the shells this morn and the membrane (inner) was white. When I touched the chick there was no wriggling or movement but then I noticed blood on the shell and the membrane started to go redish color. Is it alive? What would I do? I wrapped a wet paper towel around the opening I created and put it back in lockdown.
 
robgray said:
NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!
Today is day 23 and I thought my shipped eggs were dead, saddle air cells and no movement. I poked a whole in one of the shells this morn and the membrane (inner) was white. When I touched the chick there was no wriggling or movement but then I noticed blood on the shell and the membrane started to go redish color. Is it alive? What would I do? I wrapped a wet paper towel around the opening I created and put it back in lockdown.
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If it did not move-----good chance its dead. Another good chance is because its day 23(if your day "ONE" starts 24hours after the eggs were put in). Sure people say theirs hatch on day 23,24,25,26, etc--- out of the 1700+/- I have hatched in the last few months----none hatched after day 22 and in the beginning I broke open any that did not hatch---they would not have hatched either----so Now I just feed the unhatched egg/s after day 22 to the hogs. Wishing you Luck!
 
robgray said:
Yes beginning of day 23 today. You think I should open the other 3? I don't have any hogs to feed them to lol
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I would Toss them, But keep in mind I hatch every week---I can not tie up my hatcher for several more days and again in the beginning I open the ones that did not hatch and none would have. Now late in day 22 or early day 23---if they have not hatched/pipped---I would toss them to the neighbors hog, woods, something will eat them--LOL. They would be gone and I will clean up the bator for the next hatch!!

You can do as you feel-----thats whats good about doing your own----Do It Anyway You would Like!!

PS If one Blows in your incubator----Thats Yours TOO to Clean anyway you want---LOL.

"I" would Toss them---"I" would Not even crack them---but thats your call!
 
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