Incubators Anonymous

[rnt2005]

Thanks for your help and info. I'm having a hard time keeping humidity up so I added sponges and it was at 74 and rising. Then I removed them, now staying at 60-62... my room humidity is 33--35 so I was worried they would drown. After my last hatch I thought this would go smoothly but it's so stressful to keep them right where they are supposed to be.. Thanks again for your input

 

[rnt2005]

Glad I am not the only one who chases guinea round for an hour before I give up.... Mine are in 2 packs and one goes one way and the others go another way...... sick of it!  I don't care anymore..... they can stay out all night if we don't get them up quick.  I would like to find eggs though..... last year they laid in the run.... not sure what the new ones are going to do

The hatcher need more work.  I moved the egg into it anyway since one hatched in the incubator.  It has hot and cool spots and still the humidity will not go up.  I think I need some fans.  I am going to run them only when the thermostat kicks in so they don't run all the time just so they will stir the heated air better.  I hope they hatch ok with about 40% humidity   I know it will go up when they start to hatch too.... so not panicked.  Tomorrow is hatch day and some may hatch later since it is about 95 in some spots.

Thanks, most of them that hatched so far are SBEL and a isabelle maran hopefully the rest will make it.

 

[Cntrcrssgl]

I honestly believe that guineas are the dumbest creatures on earth! We have pulled a black snake OUT FROM UNDER a sitting guinea, with 3 eggs in its belly ! At night, after running free all day, half of the gang goes into the lighted coop & the other half stand outside and scream like there are monsters inside! Morons! The chickens just walk by and plop down on the roost. Our guineas lay in the fields surrounding our house and almost always get taken by predators ( our male to female ratio is completely lopsided). The only way to raise any is to listen for the hen to call after laying & do a grid search to find the nest. After that, they go under a broody hen or in the incubator. But, and I am determined on this, no more guineas! Tired of the noise and the fighting between the males. 100 plus acres & they have to stay right up under each other, like little bullies!
No sound from the chicklettes in the incubator this morning. Gave them a little shuffle around and checked the water. Gonna move my other 7 outside for an hour while I up their mess. Hoping to get them in a temporary coop on Thursday, after the snow/rain passes. And I'm going to set 6 green, pink & brown eggs on Thursday - Easter chicks! Then I'm gonna stop .....I think .... unless someone goes broody ....or if I save up & get an automatic door, I could sleep in some mornings ...... that would make a nice anniversary present for hubby & I, wouldn't it ?!

 

[sonderah]

I got some guineas last fall. They are gone already. They were so mean to my chickens and so noisy, just not for me!

But while they were here they always roosted in a tree at night. One night we had a MAJOR wind storm. We found 1 inside a fenced area the next morning down the hill. She started getting sick a few days later so I put her down. But after that night, they ALWAYS slept in the coop. They were the 1st ones in. It was amusing. Like they said, forget that crap!!! Lol

 

[mbleily]

Use preparation H on the protrusion it helps shrink the tissue

the protrusion is gone now. She just seem not to thrive. The others are already bigger than her and she just lays around alot. Just have to wait and see what happens I guess.

 

[Runawaylobster]

PHEW!!!! today i built the megabrooder... 2 sheets of thin plywood, and about 7 1x2 strips of lumber, a few screws some staples and leftover screening from my porch. I put tar paper on the floor as sugested by helpful person on here and voila.. dimensions are 4' x 8' and 2' high

chicks are happy as clams they have so much space. now my only probem is that i have to step into it if i need to catch one that is hiding in the back...

I am so happy, i thought my orps were having a terrible hatch rate and this hatch they proved me wrong... lots of lovely liitle lavender babies running around..

i so needed a good day and today was a good one.


tomorrow it's time to go buy papayas and make a batch of papaya wine... !!!

 

[DMRippy]

PHEW!!!! today i built the megabrooder... 2 sheets of thin plywood, and about 7 1x2 strips of lumber, a few screws some staples and leftover screening from my porch. I put tar paper on the floor as sugested by helpful person on here and voila.. dimensions are 4' x 8' and 2' high

chicks are happy as clams they have so much space. now my only probem is that i have to step into it if i need to catch one that is hiding in the back...

I am so happy, i thought my orps were having a terrible hatch rate and this hatch they proved me wrong... lots of lovely liitle lavender babies running around..

i so needed a good day and today was a good one.


tomorrow it's time to go buy papayas and make a batch of papaya wine... !!!

Go to the dollar store and find you a butterfly net. They will extend your reach about 3 feet LOL. Perfect for chicks...... TAR PAPER!!!!! I never put the 2 together before that would be great!

I am having a pretty good hatch too even though my humidity is not up. I put a bigger fan in the bottom so that might have bumped the humidity up some. It is making the temps more even.

 

[Wasson6Pack]

Temp is the same. Just humidity is different..... and don't open the bator. I don't have them in different incubators I use baskets to keep them separated at hatch. You could make some out of needle point canvas. I used that for dividers but you could sew some together too. If you can sew you could make some of those bags to hatch in out of netting material.

Thank you so much for the pictures! I have plastic canvas and am making baskets right now. I have thought about zip ties on the legs for markings, but I don't know of a 'code system' to use. Do you use a color per kind on one leg and a color per year on the other? Any suggestions would be helpful. Lock down starts in a couple hours.

 

[DMRippy]

I don't like zipties. I have missed some and birds have had leg issues. You have to change them often. I have used Vetwrap but my fav is the legbands in my siggy. Very easy to use. I have a CHART for leg bands. Some I use just one color some I use combos of colors. I also cut the webbing on the the chicks toes. That is the only sure fire way I can tell them apart after they are chicks. I do change the toe cuts each year so I know if birds are related. I have so many breeds and colors and some look so much like the other at hatch I had to do something to tell them apart.

 

[threesons]

Nice mix! Need a bigger brooder!