Incubators Anonymous

[roostereggs]

top quality nutrition will be the best determinate

Cool...thanks, Oz!

 

[ki4got]

I'm thinking off hatching my own eggs as a newbie, I've raised chicks but that's it, so, first question, what incubator as a table kind, does everything,? Lol, I've looked up a few, is a fan necessary? I would be only hatching 6-12 at a time. Im wanting to get good stock faverolles, Ameracaunas, or gold laced wyandottes, to add to my current flock

if you want to hatch good quality eggs, you need a quality incubator, or else you'll kill yourself worrying about what if's... so auto turner, circulated air are both a must IMO... all that Oz said I agree with.

How much wattage is needed for a cabinet incubator? 100 or 225? Using a wafer thermostat and heating element wire.

that would depend on the size of your cabinet and how it's built/heated/insulated/etc... if you have an 18" square plywood box for your cabinet it might need higher wattage than a 36" square well built and insulated one... there is no easy answer, sorry.

 

[roostereggs]

if you want to hatch good quality eggs, you need a quality incubator, or else you'll kill yourself worrying about what if's... so auto turner, circulated air are both a must IMO... all that Oz said I agree with.

that would depend on the size of your cabinet and how it's built/heated/insulated/etc... if you have an 18" square plywood box for your cabinet it might need higher wattage than a 36" square well built and insulated one... there is no easy answer, sorry.

I have a Brinsea 20 and love it. I did the NYE hatch and no issues with turning because someone is always home. The temp was set it and forget it...pretty fool proof. The humidity was difficult to keep up during lockdown (we are in the desert), but then when 6 were hatching at once it got too high (88-92) and I think we lost a few pipped ones to suffocation. Didn't know the humidity could get TOO high and we were being so careful not to open it up and lose any.

But it was a good learning experience.

I will probably get the auto-turner one of these days but the novelty of walking by and turning it thru the day hasn't worn off yet.

And I've been trying to feed them a good variety...but maybe they shouldn't have had leftover carrot cake on NYE?

LOL

 

[ozexpat]

the biggest danger with adding treats is that they lack balance. cracked corn is my birds fave but its protein is low - as are most fruits and vegi.

if you feed a lot of treats then you need to go with a higher concentration of protein in their feed

 

[roostereggs]

the biggest danger with adding treats is that they lack balance. cracked corn is my birds fave but its protein is low - as are most fruits and vegi.

if you feed a lot of treats then you need to go with a higher concentration of protein in their feed

I think they have a pretty good diet...when I got them, their only food source was cracked corn!

They were severely malnourished. No wonder they all looked like they were dying, and I am surprised they were even laying then.

I give them a good quality layer feed, and every morning their extras are veggies, fruit, and greens/dandelions. They also sometimes get dog food, suet blocks, lots of mealies and grasshoppers, baked potato, yogurt, etc. I try to rotate a good variety. Rarely they get bread heels, but between that and cake that one time I don't give them much crap food. Oh, and they get leftovers...quiche, meatloaf, etc. And a rotisserie chicken once a month (after I pull some of the white meat off). I use cracked corn as a tool... to get them used to hand feeding or if I am trying to move them from one run to another.

I saw a 50# bag of flax seed I was thinking about getting...maybe once I have more chickens b/c I don't want that to spoil. I am also going to start fermented food very soon...still researching and trying to find the right ACV.

Anything else they need?

 

[ddpbk1]

Thanks for the input.

 

[ozexpat]

I think they have a pretty good diet...when I got them, their only food source was cracked corn!

They were severely malnourished. No wonder they all looked like they were dying, and I am surprised they were even laying then.

I give them a good quality layer feed, and every morning their extras are veggies, fruit, and greens/dandelions. They also sometimes get dog food, suet blocks, lots of mealies and grasshoppers, baked potato, yogurt, etc. I try to rotate a good variety. Rarely they get bread heels, but between that and cake that one time I don't give them much crap food. Oh, and they get leftovers...quiche, meatloaf, etc. And a rotisserie chicken once a month (after I pull some of the white meat off). I use cracked corn as a tool... to get them used to hand feeding or if I am trying to move them from one run to another.

I saw a 50# bag of flax seed I was thinking about getting...maybe once I have more chickens b/c I don't want that to spoil. I am also going to start fermented food very soon...still researching and trying to find the right ACV.

Anything else they need?

i HAD NO DOUBT YOUR BIRDS WERE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

I wish i was on their diet

 

[theresam22]

M..m...my name is Theresa and I'm an eggaholic....

It became painfully evident that I had no control when I found out just recently that you can buy eggs on online. I have 16 of 28 silkie eggs nicely growing in my two incubators at six days and nine banty welsummers under two broody hens. I've been secretly leaving the eggs my girls have laid in their nests outside, trying to entice more to go broody. I can make room for another 8 or so in the 40+ year old Turn-X and 1/2 dozen or so under the two broodys, as one of my precious silkie orders was completely lost by the post office, poor little guys. And I read on here about people incubating eggs in their bras, and I have one of those. So I felt I really really needed to order just a *few* more, I mean, well, perfectly good electricity is being wasted on warming up those empty 'bator slots. It was just morally the right thing to do.
I spend all my free time checking tracking numbers and web sites for new listings for eggs I might not know I need...

Ooops 25 bantam wyandotte eggs showed up yesterday and 30 more eggs will be arriving in the next couple days (more silkies and those bantam cochins that I really really needed, (those are what led me to ebay in the first place and made me discover those cool colors that silkies come in)) and well...er....I...I...I... HAD to buy another incubator. I know! It's horrible! I'm a terrible person!

But I'll live perfectly well on beans and Top Ramen until it's paid for. But I found a really great deal on another Brinsea Eco 20, and it was the last one they had at that price, so it was surely I sign and therefore it doesn't count!

I really started to think I might have a serious problem, but since finding this thread I'm SO relieved to learn that this is all completely normal behavior. Thanks BYC!

Hmmm I wonder if those eggs have made it to the post office yet... Better go check!

 

[ozexpat]

M..m...my name is Theresa and I'm an eggaholic....

It became painfully evident that I had no control when I found out just recently that you can buy eggs on online. I have 16 of 28 silkie eggs nicely growing in my two incubators at six days and nine banty welsummers under two broody hens. I've been secretly leaving the eggs my girls have laid in their nests outside, trying to entice more to go broody. I can make room for another 8 or so in the 40+ year old Turn-X and 1/2 dozen or so under the two broodys, as one of my precious silkie orders was completely lost by the post office, poor little guys. And I read on here about people incubating eggs in their bras, and I have one of those. So I felt I really really needed to order just a *few* more, I mean, well, perfectly good electricity is being wasted on warming up those empty 'bator slots. It was just morally the right thing to do.
I spend all my free time checking tracking numbers and web sites for new listings for eggs I might not know I need...

Ooops 25 bantam wyandotte eggs showed up yesterday and 30 more eggs will be arriving in the next couple days (more silkies and those bantam cochins that I really really needed, (those are what led me to ebay in the first place and made me discover those cool colors that silkies come in)) and well...er....I...I...I... HAD to buy another incubator. I know! It's horrible! I'm a terrible person!

But I'll live perfectly well on beans and Top Ramen until it's paid for. But I found a really great deal on another Brinsea Eco 20, and it was the last one they had at that price, so it was surely I sign and therefore it doesn't count!

I really started to think I might have a serious problem, but since finding this thread I'm SO relieved to learn that this is all completely normal behavior. Thanks BYC!

Hmmm I wonder if those eggs have made it to the post office yet... Better go check!

great first post!!

welcome

you have it bad

 

[Penny Hen]

M..m...my name is Theresa and I'm an eggaholic....

It became painfully evident that I had no control when I found out just recently that you can buy eggs on online. I have 16 of 28 silkie eggs nicely growing in my two incubators at six days and nine banty welsummers under two broody hens. I've been secretly leaving the eggs my girls have laid in their nests outside, trying to entice more to go broody. I can make room for another 8 or so in the 40+ year old Turn-X and 1/2 dozen or so under the two broodys, as one of my precious silkie orders was completely lost by the post office, poor little guys. And I read on here about people incubating eggs in their bras, and I have one of those. So I felt I really really needed to order just a *few* more, I mean, well, perfectly good electricity is being wasted on warming up those empty 'bator slots. It was just morally the right thing to do.
I spend all my free time checking tracking numbers and web sites for new listings for eggs I might not know I need...

Ooops 25 bantam wyandotte eggs showed up yesterday and 30 more eggs will be arriving in the next couple days (more silkies and those bantam cochins that I really really needed, (those are what led me to ebay in the first place and made me discover those cool colors that silkies come in)) and well...er....I...I...I... HAD to buy another incubator. I know! It's horrible! I'm a terrible person!

But I'll live perfectly well on beans and Top Ramen until it's paid for. But I found a really great deal on another Brinsea Eco 20, and it was the last one they had at that price, so it was surely I sign and therefore it doesn't count!

I really started to think I might have a serious problem, but since finding this thread I'm SO relieved to learn that this is all completely normal behavior. Thanks BYC!

Hmmm I wonder if those eggs have made it to the post office yet... Better go check!

Hi, theresam22!