Incubators Anonymous

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Notice the question mark after "I only want something samll???????????????

When we built my first bator I thought one tray would be plenty.... then we added a second tray. Well now I have 3 trays, more than 6x's as a big as my first bator. Holds 540 eggs.... BUT I AM DONE, I will NOT BUILD A BIGGER ONE!!!!

lol im still planning my new one out but i think ~1000 eggs LOLOL

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Personally I would not spend that much on a bator that only holds 7 eggs. Even if you do not plan on hatching much, esp if you are starting out with shipped eggs that does not give yourself a very good chance to have something hatch. Unless you are like *really* tight for counter space, I would get a HB Genesis for just a little more and forgo the mini. Or get one of the larger Brinseas.

x2

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:

Not me, I don't think there is a big market for chicks to hatch that many around here. As long as I can make their feed with chicks and eggs I am happy.

 

[cadams]

Not me, I don't think there is a big market for chicks to hatch that many around here. As long as I can make their feed with chicks and eggs I am happy.

Thats where I'm at now. Still hatching but five others started hatching and selling chicks after I did but started to big imho with no stock to supply the bators. hatch on the halfs.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

Not me, I don't think there is a big market for chicks to hatch that many around here. As long as I can make their feed with chicks and eggs I am happy.
ditto... i keep 3 hovabators running. 2 for incubation 1 for hatching, with another in the wings for backup incase something happens to one of the others (or i have more clients want to hatch eggs than i have room for currently). as it is, i can set 84 eggs right now, and can also use the hatcher to incubate, if nothing is hatching. i've done that before, when i had 1 batch due to go to lockdown in a week, i just put the new eggs in an egg crate and tilted it by hand until it was time to swap out for the hatching ones. i only add water to it when i put eggs in for lockdown, so humidity isn't a problem either.

as for continual hatching, I'm done with my cochins for the year, and will now concentrate on the blrw (lf and bantam) and my dorkings now. i think. 8) i'm leaving the mille fleur cochins penned, because i've had interest in their eggs. at least for now. tho i could really use their pen.

IMO this is a great time to hatch, because they'll be laying by early spring. just in time to cull down to the best breeders and sell off everyone else because people are wanting to start a flock. 8)

 

[Pyrates4Poultry]

This has been a lonnnng and interesting thread. Hi, my name is Angie and I definitely have it bad. I've built 2 incubators in the last couple of months and have had an incubator running non stop since about mid-september. I purchased some rather pricey heritage turkey eggs and completely fried those while learning the very important NEED for a thermostat. "It'll be fine" doesn't work very well in an old drafty house without central heating. Then my own turkeys started laying and attempting to mate and in the incubator they went with LOTS of improvements made to the incubator. Drastic times call for drastic measures and a faithful BYC member came to my aid and drove about 5 hours to bring me babies, a good 4 month old BLRW roo and a half dozen eggs. (Not like I was 'hurting' for poultry with a flock of a dozen chickens and a dozen turkeys) She also brought along an ovoscope to check fertility on the turkey eggs I had in the incubator at the time. All the eggs in the incubator were duds and so, we began a hatch with 6 of her eggs. 2 silver duck wing banties, 3 BLRW, and 1 buff orp. That was October the 16th. We go into lockdown tomorrow. Upon candling last night, we can for sure see clear movement in one wyandotte egg. My eyes are bad and I don't own my own ovoscope as of yet but even if I get one baby out of this hatch, I will consider it a success and likely move on to a brinsea machine or something else if any of you have recommendations as to which bator you like the most.
Now then, I've told you my tale. Here's the lunacy part. I live in Weed. California. It's a tiny lumber mill town nestled at the base of Mount Shasta. SNOW country. We are expecting our first snow of the season next week. Oh good. The rest of the flock is 6 months old and live in a nice big water tight coop. They will do fine throughout the winter outdoors. However, these (5 new chicks)almost 3 week old babies and the ones in the bator that should soon begin pipping will have to live indoors. We won't see the far end of winter til well into may, possibly even june around here. (Elevation 3,600 ft).
They start out little and cute but 6 or so poop machines indoors all winter may upset one's family members. What's a girl to do? I can't possibly heat the outdoors, and while that extra draftiness isn't a bad thing for adult birds, a chill like that would kill little ones. For now they live in a horse trough in the livingroom (Boy, matches NICE with the furniture) but that will only suffice for so long. Seriously considering a re-make for the guest bedroom :/
Thanks for listening. I just wondered how many of you find yourself with too many birds in the house and your "remedies" for such occasions! Peace and Happy Incubating,
Angie

 

[Overoberyl]

Welcome! DMRippy has some really nice pallet grow out pens linked in her signature, if you have a spare room you could definitely set up something like that and not have them in your kitchen all winter

I am lucky, being in FL I can just put them outside when its time, actually the worse problem for us is heat in the summer. Even in the shade it can be brutal. I have several 4'x4' grow-out tractors made out of 24" x-pens covered in hardware cloth, with 12" of the hardware cloth extending out like a skirt, each one has an 8'x10' tarp that I stake down to either cover the whole pen or I fold back half to let the sun in. My biggest challenge is finding ground that won't flood but luckily we are in the dry part of the year now. It has been down to 60 degrees and so far my youngest out there are my four week old Lemon Cuckoo Orps and they are doing just fine even though they are feathering out pretty slow. Anyway I would definitely repurpose your guest room and put up some kind of grow out pens, at least that way you can close the door and won't have the dust all over the house, just in one contained space. Good luck!

 

[maryhysong]

I've been to Weed ;-) long time ago. Chickens can take a great deal of cold and don't need coddling. Check out these two threads for excellent old timers advice on keeping your chickens happy and healthy;
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-horrors-anyone-want-to-follow-their-progress

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...l-up-a-rockin-chair-and-lay-some-wisdom-on-us

 

[DMRippy]

Well my pallet coops lost about 10-12 young birds the last few night. 2 or so a day and then the other night it got down to 31 here and I found 6 dead. They were fully feathered maybe 4 months old. I don't really know why they died other than the cold, but really that should not have got them should it? I even lost a few in the shop with a 75 watt light. It was really cold for a long time. Most of the night in the 30's only in the 40's to 50's during the day so they could not get warmed up I guess. The big birds did fine. I hope it is a few more weeks before the next cold snap. I need to get the little guys outside

I MUST STOP HATCHING....

but they keep laying and I keep getting eggs in the mail.

Welcome to the TREAD you are in great company here!

 

[maryhysong]

Well my pallet coops lost about 10-12 young birds the last few night. 2 or so a day and then the other night it got down to 31 here and I found 6 dead. They were fully feathered maybe 4 months old. I don't really know why they died other than the cold, but really that should not have got them should it? I even lost a few in the shop with a 75 watt light. It was really cold for a long time. Most of the night in the 30's only in the 40's to 50's during the day so they could not get warmed up I guess. The big birds did fine. I hope it is a few more weeks before the next cold snap. I need to get the little guys outside

I MUST STOP HATCHING....

but they keep laying and I keep getting eggs in the mail.

Welcome to the TREAD you are in great company here!

Thanks, sorry to hear about your chickies; I lost a 5 month old pullet to an owl a few nights ago; first aireal attack I've ever had, (ugh, the spell checker here never works!) I have 4 Welsummer chicks in the living room and 32 eggs in the 'bator. What was I thinking?! Oh yea I know; thinking about how hatching in the fall means they will be laying in time for the farmer's market next summer! A brooder house is on the drawing board but there is a lot of work to be done in the area before I can even get started. I don't know how you are set up, but maybe make a smaller, enclosed area with your light, to help keep the heat in and give them a really warm spot to go to when they are cold?