Incubators Anonymous

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A few more weeks and I will no longer just be stalking this forum again. I am getting out the incubator and getting it warmed up will have my first spring hatch loaded by the middle of February Girlies willing. It will be so good to have some peeps around the house again I can't wait!!!

Going to collect Light Brahma eggs, Cochin Brahma Mix eggs and Delaware eggs. It should be interesting. I know the eggs are fertile already just have to start collecting them so I have enough to hatch out once I am ready to get started.
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Arielle said:
Most of my hens are on vaca. At best 6 eggs a day. No EE, NO marans. Just a few dedicated layers. Seems like since the extreme cold of 8 degrees a few more girls quit laying. Can't see any other reason for it as the days are getting longer-- aren't they? DH bought eggs for us so I can sell the farm fresh eggs to customers. It's been too cold to work on the breeding pens.
I 'm dreaming of warm spring and lots of eggs to hatch . . .
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Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, New Edition, says on page 192 that when daily sun light falls below 15 hours per day supplemental light should be provided in the coops to make the chickens believe they are getting 15 hours of sunlight per day. However even if you start light supplementation tomorrow it may well take 2 to 3 weeks before you will see an increase in their laying. I had my girls quit laying early this last December (2011). I finally realized that my light timers were off schedual because of a tripped circuit breaker. I got everything reset about mid December and I am now back to 12 to 15 eggs a day. The number is slowly going up but it takes time and won't increase the first week or so. I have my timers set to give them 16 hours of light per day. Light shut off time is in the evening at dusk (5:15 PM or so). Yes that means they come on at 2 AM. Use a 100 watt equivalent CFL bulb, they only draw 23 or so watts. Unless you put the CFL in a enclosed light fixture you will have to dust them fairly often, as dust cuts the light output of the CFL drasticaly. Inexpensive Pint mason jar size back door light fixtures can be purchased at Home Depot for about $5.00. They come in black or white, I suggest the white as it will reflect more light in the coop. Timers will probably be least expensive at a Wall Mart unless Home Depot is having a sale.

Hope this helps.
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berniezahm said:
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, New Edition, says on page 192 that when daily sun light falls below 15 hours per day supplemental light should be provided in the coops to make the chickens believe they are getting 15 hours of sunlight per day. However even if you start light supplementation tomorrow it may well take 2 to 3 weeks before you will see an increase in their laying. I had my girls quit laying early this last December (2011). I finally realized that my light timers were off schedual because of a tripped circuit breaker. I got everything reset about mid December and I am now back to 12 to 15 eggs a day. The number is slowly going up but it takes time and won't increase the first week or so. I have my timers set to give them 16 hours of light per day. Light shut off time is in the evening at dusk (5:15 PM or so). Yes that means they come on at 2 AM. Use a 100 watt equivalent CFL bulb, they only draw 23 or so watts. Unless you put the CFL in a enclosed light fixture you will have to dust them fairly often, as dust cuts the light output of the CFL drasticaly. Inexpensive Pint mason jar size back door light fixtures can be purchased at Home Depot for about $5.00. They come in black or white, I suggest the white as it will reflect more light in the coop. Timers will probably be least expensive at a Wall Mart unless Home Depot is having a sale.

Hope this helps.
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I get mine up at 2 am too
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I turn the lights off at 3 in the afternoon so they can get ready for bed naturally with the sunset. The only reason I leave them on during the day is because it is so cloudy and raining most of the time. I might not have any eggs if we didn't have supplemental light. I sure didn't get any eggs today from my breeders that don't have lights. It rained yesterday and will for the next three days.... so no eggs to speak of anyway... but that is ok.... I have enough in the incubator.... some more lav/lav splits would be good since I lost my last hatch.
 
Hey Donna, Those chickies I got from you are growing like weeds, they are in the outdoor brooder and loving it. I am getting 1-2 eggs a day now from the Lav/black Ams. It has been fairly warm here, so my girls are laying well. Got the latest coop up and full of cochins, so I will clean that old coop and put Light Sussex hens with the Coro. rooster in there. They have been taking up a pen in the barn, i need it for my youngsters. The first three Silver Sussex I hatched are two pullets and a cockerel. I really wanted more girls, since I have only three hens. They are easy to sex because the girls have way more black.
 
Hot2Pot said:
Hey Donna, Those chickies I got from you are growing like weeds, they are in the outdoor brooder and loving it. I am getting 1-2 eggs a day now from the Lav/black Ams. It has been fairly warm here, so my girls are laying well. Got the latest coop up and full of cochins, so I will clean that old coop and put Light Sussex hens with the Coro. rooster in there. They have been taking up a pen in the barn, i need it for my youngsters. The first three Silver Sussex I hatched are two pullets and a cockerel. I really wanted more girls, since I have only three hens. They are easy to sex because the girls have way more black.
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I was thinking the other day you must have gotten two of the layers. I am just getting eggs from one of the girl that was in that pen maybe 2-3 a week. I have another girl that finally started to lay. She was in with the roo you got for me. So I have two layers now... but that new girl is not laying in the nest box... so I have found several broken...
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with all this rain everybody in the back has quit laying. I have three pens for the Lavs right now. I put that Lav pullet in with that Black Am I had in the shop. I am going to Newnan, you need me to pick you up anything?
 
Got a new layer... a pullet in with my Lav roo laid her first egg today.
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Deb PM your number and if I find one maybe we can meet part way to you place when we come back.
 

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