Incubators Anonymous

[DMRippy]

Got some serious cleaning of brooders done today with hubby's help. More to clean tomorrow for the NEW babies. I think about 50 this time most baskets had 100% hatches, but I have 40 more coming in the mail next week too. Then more shipped chicks the end of the month. Cull or build pens? not easy either way right now.

My next lockdown will be from the first batch of 180 egg I set 2 weeks ago and then the other 180 the week after

what was I thinking????? I can handle it.

Hubby has agreed to fix the trailer so I can go get boxes for brooders.... stackable this time. Twice as much room in the same amount of space

That will help.....and the weather too.

 

[maryhysong]

Got some serious cleaning of brooders done today with hubby's help. More to clean tomorrow for the NEW babies. I think about 50 this time most baskets had 100% hatches, but I have 40 more coming in the mail next week too. Then more shipped chicks the end of the month. Cull or build pens? not easy either way right now.

My next lockdown will be from the first batch of 180 egg I set 2 weeks ago and then the other 180 the week after

what was I thinking????? I can handle it.

Hubby has agreed to fix the trailer so I can go get boxes for brooders.... stackable this time. Twice as much room in the same amount of space

That will help.....and the weather too.

I feel like small potatoes next to you Donna! what in the world are you going to DO with over 300 chicks?????

 

[rrrmamma]

I bought a new Farm Innovators Model 4200 circulating air 'bator with automatic egg turner. I cannot get the temp consistent to save my life! It's either 98 F or 100 F- and on occasion 99.1. No matter how gently I turn the knob I can never achieve 99.5. Using a digital thermometer. Anyone have any experience with this type of incubator? Any advice would be appreciated. Last time I attempted to use the 'bator NONE of the eggs hatched.
.
Also, I have six of the newest shipped eggs in my mini-Brinsea (had good luck on hatches with that one, for the most part- just hatched six out of six eggs the week prior to Easter). However, one of the eggs is doing something I've never seen before. It has tiny clumps of what appears to be egg white leaking out onto the surface of the egg, almost like someone pricked the egg with a needle. The eggs have only been in there a day. What is going on? Just toss that one or candle it?

I have the same one. I bought thermometer/hydrometer set at pet smart. It holds temp. fine but humidity is a problem for me. I do not rely on the thermometer and gauges provided with the incubator. I am locking down on Monday and will add a sponge when I remove the turners. I only set 9 mutt eggs and will post my results.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: I have that many NOW

Some are strictly for selling... got to pay for the habit right? For example I just hatched 7 Barred Rock.... 2 were blue. I will keep the blues and then only keep the pullets. I sell all the reg BR. Some I hatch everything I get and before I know it I am OVER Run with chicks of that breed. I have a project in my Rocks and I must have almost 20 pullets near laying

BUT I am only going to hatch for a little while from them and then they will be for sale. They are just the MIDDLE of what I am looking for. The next generation SHOULD produce some of what I am looking for and then I will cull the rest since I don't need them. Sometime you HAVE to way over hatch since you will only get a small percent that are what you are looking for and then you still have to work on type and SOP stuff. THEN you have all the roos. I think I have someone to take all my Sex Linked roos and someone else that takes the older ones as I find the roos.

Some of those chicks are new breeds I will be adding, some are replacement birds too, then I will sell the current breeders. MOST will be sold at some point.

I hope I don't get 300 chicks

most are shipped eggs so I would expect maybe 150 chicks from that, but I could be SOOOOO WRONG too.

 

[PECULIARPETE]

I'm at day 6 of incubating, and the woman I got my FOURTY-ONE (ahh!!) eggs from said to keep humidity between 50-55%. Some of these posts have recommended lower. What works best for everyone here? And it is too late to fix my high humidity?
Thanks!

Humidity is a good thing as long as there's ventilation. A fan to keep air circulating has always worked best for me. A shallow pie pan or coffee lid with a paper towel in it will wick away the moisture and aid in the evaporation process. Combined with heat, and viola! We have humidity. Lol. I use a wet bulb temp to measure humidity. You can use o piece of white shoe lace as a wick because its stitched like a tube. Take your glass thermometer and slide the wick over the bulb end. Now you have 2 thermometers, 1 for bator air temp, and the wet bulb for your humidity. After awhile you'll be able to regulate the evap time in the water pan by adjusting the vents. When you stop turning, use less water in the pan and close a couple of vents. Let nature take its course. In time you'll see it gets easier, if your chicks are hatching a little early and have crooked toes, or they're real wet n sticky. That's too much humidity. The only way to get it rite is just keep on trying. In your area there's people around that sell Barny's. Just mixed breed birds, most sell for a dollar a dozen so it's cheap. I sell my barny's for 1.50 ea straight run, sometimes less depending on buyer attitude. It ain't for the money why we do this anyway. The experience is the gain. I've hatched all kinds of chickens, guineas, turkeys, ducks, n quail. It just gets better n better every time. So just keep on doing what you're doin keep a log and have a blast!

 

[Duck Drover]

I have Australian Spotted duck eggs in three Little Giant incubators. I have had good results with them in the past and they were on sale. Some of my eggs sat in nests too long but I put them in anyway not knowing which eggs were the fresh ones when my daughter collected them for me. I have candled eggs to know which ones are developing and I have a bunch that will be due to hatch soon. I also have a nest of eggs I want the hens to hatch but so far none have taken up the job so I may transfer them to the incubator before they get too old or too cold.

I am modifying a cabinet food dehydrator with adjustable temperature to make it into a hatcher since I have mixed due dates on my batches of eggs in the incubators. Right now it is working well as a chick brooder but I need to raise the humidity for hatching. I have egg turners in my incubators so the eggs will move over to the hatcher when they no longer need to be turned. Hopefully this will contain the mess and make it easier to clean while keeping my incubators clean.

I can't keep these ducklings because I did not seperate my drakes right away and I don't know which line the ducklings are from (the drakes and their hens are in seperate areas now). My goal in raising the ducks is to promote the breed so hopefully I will find buyers for the ducklings and not have to raise them myself. If I do raise them in a brooder I can still sell them but I am afraid we will get too attached to them. I will keep ducklings raised by my hens but I won't keep anything I incubate because I don't want to risk inbreeding.

 

[Zootopia]

I have resorted to stacking in the Hovabator!! I have Auaracana, EE, SLW, W/BW Am, BCM all cooking and today I stacked 2doz Guinea eggs on top!! I Seriously need to borrow my costumers Sportsman again. Or maybe I just need to buy one of my own !! HaHa. I do have an older LG that I use as a hatcher, maybe I should add a fan to it. I see so many things I Need to hatch !!!

 

[PECULIARPETE]

This is the most reliable incubator I've used so far. It's 60 years old, made entirely out of redwood, the tray sides are cedar, the hygrometer cistern is original, and the manual is like new. Leahy Mfg. really turned out a simple and efficient incubator. Maybe that's why they named it "Ol Favorite". I've had a consistent 98% hatch rate every time. I've never completely filled it up, it will bake 30 dozen chicken eggs at a time. I just love this thing! Not only does it work great, it looks like a piece of furniture. There's not a scratch on it. This is truly intended for the hatchaholic.

 

[Jesus Heals]

I share y'alls addiction! I have been an incubator aholic for two years now. In fact, I just set six eggs in my incubator yesterday! It's nice to know there are others like me out there!

 

[PECULIARPETE]

mark the eggs so you know any she lays can also be removed. Don't use a pencil, tried it, it wears off. I've used a grease pen to make a check mark or an X. Just make your mark lightly, and as small as possible because the eggshell is porous.

good luck