Incubators Anonymous

[ozexpat]

Well I dropped an egg during candling last night. And OF COURSE it was one that was developing.

My husband wasn't very happy with me, and *I* wasn't very happy with me.

My silkie appears to be broody again. I moved her in to the new silkie/crested coop last night (too much picking going on with the crested breeds I have) and hopefully she's still sitting tight on her golf balls. NOW the question is whether to give her the marans eggs that are in my incubator, or a mix of everything I've got going on in there (leghorns, orpingtons, silkies, Sussex, and marans). With the absolutely abysmal hatch rate I've had with Marans, I think I'll give her those and maybe 1 or 2 of the Sussex to hatch out for me.

I am sorry about that egg.

I am such a clutz sometimes and I have to be extra careful when handling incubated eggs. If I wasn't going to incubate them I would never drop them.. but incubating - oh you betcha!

Silkibators work great for me. I let them keep their eggs after I set 11 of them in my incubator. I hatched at 5/11 - they (so far) are at 4/7 with two more still warm.. I think they do a better job!

I did have good luck with the Speckled Sussex in the incubator though. I haven't tried to hatch Marans - only one girl and one boy - and they are in with all the other large birds right now. I have to decide if I like them for my area yet. Love the eggs though!

Better than dropping a viable egg onto a turner full of viable eggs and cracking 5 with one "oops"

Yup

I have done it.

 

[DMRippy]

I stopped picking eggs up to candle them. I leave them in the tray pull the clears and only pick up the odd looking ones and i dont hold them over the other eggs just in case.

Now my fear.....tripping with a tray of egg that would be bad.....30 eggs in a tray.

I hope my new phone will work better.....aaaaarrrrrrrggggggg

 

[justoldbobo2]

I got addicted with my first batchh that hatched in May. Have some more going now. 30 bym and americana. On day 4. Can see some veining already in some

 

[ozexpat]

I stopped picking eggs up to candle them. I leave them in the tray pull the clears and only pick up the odd looking ones and i dont hold them over the other eggs just in case.

Now my fear.....tripping with a tray of egg that would be bad.....30 eggs in a tray.

I hope my new phone will work better.....aaaaarrrrrrrggggggg

 

[Arielle]

Well I dropped an egg during candling last night. And OF COURSE it was one that was developing.

My husband wasn't very happy with me, and *I* wasn't very happy with me.

My silkie appears to be broody again. I moved her in to the new silkie/crested coop last night (too much picking going on with the crested breeds I have) and hopefully she's still sitting tight on her golf balls. NOW the question is whether to give her the marans eggs that are in my incubator, or a mix of everything I've got going on in there (leghorns, orpingtons, silkies, Sussex, and marans). With the absolutely abysmal hatch rate I've had with Marans, I think I'll give her those and maybe 1 or 2 of the Sussex to hatch out for me.

We all have dropped an egg-- I learned to not wash my hands so thoughly that they were slippery. A little natural oils on the hands improves t he grip. And to use TWO hands, for best results.

 

[Arielle]

I stopped picking eggs up to candle them. I leave them in the tray pull the clears and only pick up the odd looking ones and i dont hold them over the other eggs just in case.

Now my fear.....tripping with a tray of egg that would be bad.....30 eggs in a tray.

I hope my new phone will work better.....aaaaarrrrrrrggggggg

I know someone that dropped a whole tray . . . so you won't be the first when it happens.

 

[Arielle]

I got addicted with my first batchh that hatched in May. Have some more going now. 30 bym and americana. On day 4. Can see some veining already in some

You have developed a good eye very fast!!! Or you have a GREAT light to candle with . . .

 

[gladahmae]

Well next time I'll just take the whole lid off the incubator to pull eggs out. I was trying to keep the lid on as much as possible, and that just got me a mess to clean up! So, if it were you with 4 very-much-wanted marans eggs, would you put all 4 under your broody? just 2? She hatched 5 of 7 BLRW eggs for me about a month and a half ago, so she knows the routine, and is a nice mama (and doesn't mind me peeking under her). Could I do a mixture of sizes? As in, a couple of the Marans, a couple of Speckled Sussex, and a couple of Silkie eggs? Yesterday I thought one of my mixed breed pullets was going broody too (puffed up, pecking at me, sat for 4 hours or so) but as soon as I brought some watermelon out, she was all done!

Gosh. What I REALLY want to do is order more eggs and put THOSE under my silkie, but my husband will not be too happy if I do that.

He'd probably change the paypal password or something!

 

[Arielle]

Well next time I'll just take the whole lid off the incubator to pull eggs out. I was trying to keep the lid on as much as possible, and that just got me a mess to clean up! So, if it were you with 4 very-much-wanted marans eggs, would you put all 4 under your broody? just 2? She hatched 5 of 7 BLRW eggs for me about a month and a half ago, so she knows the routine, and is a nice mama (and doesn't mind me peeking under her). Could I do a mixture of sizes? As in, a couple of the Marans, a couple of Speckled Sussex, and a couple of Silkie eggs? Yesterday I thought one of my mixed breed pullets was going broody too (puffed up, pecking at me, sat for 4 hours or so) but as soon as I brought some watermelon out, she was all done!

Gosh. What I REALLY want to do is order more eggs and put THOSE under my silkie, but my husband will not be too happy if I do that.

He'd probably change the paypal password or something!

WHen I receive shipped eggs I don't use a broodie as I like the eggs to be upright rather on it's side. Perhaps start the eggs in an incubator fat end up and when the air cell has healed give it to the broodie.

Interesting q about mixed sizes-- often smaller eggs hatch quicker--

When chicks hatch I remove them and let the broodie continue on with the remaining eggs.

 

[gladahmae]

WHen I receive shipped eggs I don't use a broodie as I like the eggs to be upright rather on it's side. Perhaps start the eggs in an incubator fat end up and when the air cell has healed give it to the broodie.

Interesting q about mixed sizes-- often smaller eggs hatch quicker--

When chicks hatch I remove them and let the broodie continue on with the remaining eggs.

That would be my plan. Last time, my silkie went broody the day before lockdown, so I snuck half of my eggs from the incubator under her. The eggs I have now are on day 10, and sat straight up in the turner for 5 days before I plugged the turner in. I might have to re-evaluate things though, because when she went out to poop this morning she kind of freaked out that she's in a different run than most of the other hens.....we'll see if she manages to get back in the nest box.......

I'm not too worried about her getting off the nest. Last time the first egg hatched on Friday, and the last one on Sunday, and she was still sitting tight on the 2 that never hatched. I let her have her babies for 3 more days and then took them all away because the other hens were a little *too* interested in them.