Incubators Anonymous

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Wasson6Pack said:
I was wondering what is the best/easiest way to separate them during hatch? I think I have 4 or 5 kinds, but I have 2 of the styrofoam incubators and a couple of the kinds only have 3-4 each.

Just checked again today, day 11 and it was really cool to watch the chicks move around in the eggs!
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Remind me what you have? SBEL will hatch either white or Blue and black with spots, ML Olive Eggers will be Solid Blue or black. The Blue and White eggs marked ML are SEX LINKS and the pullets will be solid blue or black and the roos will have head spots, Marans will be solid blue or black, Barred Rocks? All will be barred and blue and black.

YOU NEED TO KEEP THEM SEPARATED AT HATCH you have lots with spot on the heads and some are sex linked others are not. How are you going to tag them at hatch?
 
newtwinmom said:
Same here! I've set just under 100 shipped eggs since 2/7. Of the two sets to hatch, I've gotten 18% and 6% hatch-just two actual chicks. Of those still cooking, I've culled almost two dz. I've had contant bator woes (low temps bc a thermostat went out and missed temp spikes) and an ice storm that knocked out power for four days. Last year I was a newbie and a got 90+% hatch. Thinking I had it down, I went a bit crazy buying eggs this round. Looks like that was beginners luck and I'm going to spend this spring killing chicks with inexperience
sad.png
Burnt out at this point and ready to Craigslist the bators!
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Maybe check your state thread for locals that you can drive to and meet up with. Unshipped eggs should help your hatch. You can fine tune your incubator on local craigslist mixed breed eggs.
The vigor of the mixes may give you a better idea of how its working.

ozexpat said:
step back, relax.

my advice is to get some local eggs and hatch them alongside shipped eggs to act as a control group. that way you will know if it was the eggs or you.
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yep
 
Hangtown Farms said:
Maybe check your state thread for locals that you can drive to and meet up with. Unshipped eggs should help your hatch. You can fine tune your incubator on local craigslist mixed breed eggs.
The vigor of the mixes may give you a better idea of how its working.

yep
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Thanks for responding. I set 18 local Cochin eggs on 2/24. I candled at day 3/4 when I can usually see development in most eggs and had a lot of what looked like clears/infertile eggs. The seller reports good fertility at home but only since trimming booties. These eggs were on day 7 when I lost power due to an ice storm. They were cold for almost 48 hours before I relocated them to the in laws. I culled all but four of them early last week because they were still clear. I locked the 4 down yesterday along with four of my own on the same scedule, technically day 19. Some looked like day 19 and a few looked more like day 16/17. I'm assuming the loss of power and chilled hours have their development off. I feel like its possibly responsible for a very poor hatch on a dz shipped Am eggs that were four days behind the Cochins, due to hatch by original schedule on 3/13. I assisted an unzipped but cemented chick on 3/14 AM and another externally pipped but very gooey and oozing chick on 3/15 AM, days 22 and 23 respectively. Now I know sticky chicks are usually high humidity during incubation but I dry hatch for the most part, only adding water for <15% and weigh and chart air cells, both of which were appropriate. I actually was concerned the air cells were too large! I've located a few sources that mentioned low temps could cause sticky chicks but I don't know if I can blame the ice storm or if I messing them up somewhere along the way.

Sooooo much to consider and too many variables to be sure it seems. Which IS NOT COMFORTING when your float testing, tapping, and candling 23d old eggs with fully formed, but probably dead, chicks inside.
 
Tomorrow is day 10 on my very 1st turkey eggs!!! I have 9 in, but I know like 4 had frozen, just wasn't sure which, so set em all til candle time. I can't hardly wait!!!!!!
 
I have to figure out how to make something for my hatcher! I will have 2 breeds hatchig this next time, then 3 the following week. I have some hardware cloth I just pulled off if an old cage I "remodeled" to make it safe to become a brooder cage, since I now have 2 silkies. Lol Think that would work?
 
sonderah said:
I have to figure out how to make something for my hatcher! I will have 2 breeds hatchig this next time, then 3 the following week. I have some hardware cloth I just pulled off if an old cage I "remodeled" to make it safe to become a brooder cage, since I now have 2 silkies. Lol Think that would work?
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I put in a piece of hardware cloth in mine to split the styro incubator in half, the piece is L shaped stretching all the way across and 2 1/2 inches high, careful not to touch the heating element.
 

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