Incubators Anonymous

[SewChaos]

x2. 35% and above is time to get some humidity OUT. 35% is about where mine stays naturally.... and it works well. I incubate RARE breeds too and have almost 100% hatches when they make it to lockdown. If they develop they hatch. I have hatched Wyandottes, NH, EE, Ameraucanas, WL, Cream Legbars, Rhodebars, silkies, semeras, RIR, d'Uccles, Olive Eggers, Marans, Rocks, Orpingtons, I am sure I am missing something for ALL those breeds dry incubation worked best.... last year I hatched almost 2000 chicks (shipped eggs and mine) This year it will be MANY MORE.

As for the Marans eggs... their shells are not TOO thick for a chick to hatch. The SANDING is supposed to help the moisture evaporate. It is the COLOR of the egg that people assume causes the eggs not to hatch. In reality from hatching HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of marans.....it is the chicks DROWN from using too high a humidity. Dry incubation seems to be the universal hatch method with most people that raise marans. I have never sanded and have great hatches with my marans.

Way more chicks than I've hatched! I probably wouldn't mark and weigh all the eggs if I had a cabinet incubator. I probably won't mark and weigh all the eggs forever, but it's my own way of reassuring myself that I'm doing okay. I even built a spreadsheet to calculate how much the eggs should weigh as well as a place for candling notes. But then, I'm a nerd like that.

I

 

[GreenGirlGrammy]

x2. 35% and above is time to get some humidity OUT. 35% is about where mine stays naturally.... and it works well. I incubate RARE breeds too and have almost 100% hatches when they make it to lockdown. If they develop they hatch. I have hatched Wyandottes, NH, EE, Ameraucanas, WL, Cream Legbars, Rhodebars, silkies, semeras, RIR, d'Uccles, Olive Eggers, Marans, Rocks, Orpingtons, I am sure I am missing something for ALL those breeds dry incubation worked best.... last year I hatched almost 2000 chicks (shipped eggs and mine) This year it will be MANY MORE.

As for the Marans eggs... their shells are not TOO thick for a chick to hatch. The SANDING is supposed to help the moisture evaporate. It is the COLOR of the egg that people assume causes the eggs not to hatch. In reality from hatching HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of marans.....it is the chicks DROWN from using too high a humidity. Dry incubation seems to be the universal hatch method with most people that raise marans. I have never sanded and have great hatches with my marans.

This has been such a revelation. I have had so many drown. Especially my dominques, at least I was told they were doms when I purchased them as chicks. They develop completely, pip, and die. I lost heart for a while and stopped. This is the 7th day, so, is it too late to bring them down to, say, 35% from the 50's? I'm so encouraged to hear this about the lower humidity.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
WOW..... never did do any of that. Just toss them in and HOPE for the BEST

 

[SewChaos]

WOW..... never did do any of that. Just toss them in and HOPE for the BEST

I have to have records to show my Mr that I'm not "wasting" money. Nothing like a spreadsheet of numbers and abbreviations to make his eyes glaze over and mumble, "looks good honey, keep it up" (which I take to mean, "keep hatching")

 

[SewChaos]

Donna, did you ever end up building flexwatt brooders out of tubs?

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
Yeap! That would do it! That would work on me too and I like chickens. The only number my hubby worries about is..... "Do you have the money to go buy feed?"

 

[DMRippy]

Donna, did you ever end up building flexwatt brooders out of tubs?

NO..... the only reason I didn't try it is the chicks are TALLER than the tubs I bought LOL. No time to figure it out beyond that LOL. Super Busy. I will try it one day.... maybe. IN the mean time I will use the tub for the Mealworms

 

[GreenGirlGrammy]

Oh, and my 2nd question would be: How dan you tell the difference between a Dominique and a Barred Rock? My neighbor tells me she thinks mine are Barred Rock, but the man who sold them to me said they were doms. I will post a photo of mine. Can anyone tell me which they are?

 

[SewChaos]

NO..... the only reason I didn't try it is the chicks are TALLER than the tubs I bought LOL. No time to figure it out beyond that LOL. Super Busy. I will try it one day.... maybe. IN the mean time I will use the tub for the Mealworms

Bummer. I was hoping you'd figured it all out. I've got 2 week olds in the garage, new chicks coming next week and chicks hatching the week after that, and I have a single eco-glow 20 and a heat lamp. My seedling heat mat doesn't work any more (something about having the wire chewed thru by a puppy

) I have a bit of cash and will probally order some flexwatt.

 

[SewChaos]

Oh, and my 2nd question would be: How dan you tell the difference between a Dominique and a Barred Rock? My neighbor tells me she thinks mine are Barred Rock, but the man who sold them to me said they were doms. I will post a photo of mine. Can anyone tell me which they are?

Barred Rock have single combs, Dominiques don't.