Incubators Anonymous

[ki4got]

I just moved 30 eggs into the hatcher today. I was almost too late..One chirped at me and sure enough it pipped right then! So now I have 30 empty spaces and only 18 red dorking eggs being delivered tomorrow. How am I supposed to deal with a dozen empty spaces in one of the incubators? It just feels....WRONG!

what flavors are you looking to fill it with? I have some sfh available as well as some eggs from my sg dorking flock but they were free ranging a week ago so no guarantees the're pure yet...

 

[gander007]

Wire is great, I just moved some ducklings into a bass type rabbit cage with tray.. they can't spill their water or food I have it in cage cups..

Make sure they cant get any part of their body's including the bills between
the wire so they do not hurt them selves and if need be put up some cardboard
to stop such foolishness

 

[misbhaven]

they really can't it has smaller wire more like 1/2 x 1/2 and ..they are 2 weeks so not so easy for them to do it..I usually brood them in a 5 ft pool with fence wrapped around it , but I only have 2 and I have 15 Meaties in that brooder.. I put some cardboard on the bottom.with some shelf liner over it.

 

[gander007]

Sounds like a good cage then

 

[HereDucky]

you probably won't get any advice on this thread about how to cure your addiction, we all seem to enjoy our "problem" and have no inclination to stop. Nearest I can figure I can keep 4300 chickens per acre before I need to build a second story to my coop. Anyone found a deal on buying incubators by the dozen?

I have 4 Little Giants you can have. Either the incubators are garbage, or I am incredibly inept. I have been trying to incubate chicken and duck eggs for 3 years now, and failing more miserably at it with each passing year. I will get one or two lonely babies - and then I end up giving them away, because what do you do with just one? Twice I have hatched fluffy yellow ducklings and had to euthanize them for leg deformities. I have thrown away or buried bags full of eggs that were just fine at lockdown, but never hatched. It has been a fruitless, heartbreaking experience. I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person. I read and researched everything I could get my hands on. I dutifully asked questions and took all advice and tried my best. I know when I am beat. I am a recovering incubator addict - and I will never succumb to this addiction again.

 

[Tuhmu]

I have 4 Little Giants you can have. Either the incubators are garbage, or I am incredibly inept. I have been trying to incubate chicken and duck eggs for 3 years now, and failing more miserably at it with each passing year. I will get one or two lonely babies - and then I end up giving them away, because what do you do with just one? Twice I have hatched fluffy yellow ducklings and had to euthanize them for leg deformities. I have thrown away or buried bags full of eggs that were just fine at lockdown, but never hatched. It has been a fruitless, heartbreaking experience. I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person. I read and researched everything I could get my hands on. I dutifully asked questions and took all advice and tried my best. I know when I am beat. I am a recovering incubator addict - and I will never succumb to this addiction again.

That's awful!

I'm sorry it didn't turn out so well.

 

[DeGarmom]

I have 4 Little Giants you can have. Either the incubators are garbage, or I am incredibly inept. I have been trying to incubate chicken and duck eggs for 3 years now, and failing more miserably at it with each passing year. I will get one or two lonely babies - and then I end up giving them away, because what do you do with just one? Twice I have hatched fluffy yellow ducklings and had to euthanize them for leg deformities. I have thrown away or buried bags full of eggs that were just fine at lockdown, but never hatched. It has been a fruitless, heartbreaking experience. I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person. I read and researched everything I could get my hands on. I dutifully asked questions and took all advice and tried my best. I know when I am beat. I am a recovering incubator addict - and I will never succumb to this addiction again.

I had similar issues last summer. It got better when I listened to the pros and just left them alone. The humidity has to be higher during the hatch, and me being a nosey mom had a hard time leaving the lid on. It got better, but spent a lot of money on hatching eggs before I caught on.

 

[HereDucky]

That's awful!  I'm sorry it didn't turn out so well.

Yeah, well - they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result every time. I choose to stay sane.

 

[HereDucky]

I had similar issues last summer.  It got better when I listened to the pros and just left them alone.  The humidity has to be higher during the hatch, and me being a nosey mom had a hard time leaving the lid on.  It got better, but spent a lot of money on hatching eggs before I caught on. 

If you ask ten different "pros" a question, you will get ten different answers. I have studied temp and humidity, turning, spraying, candling, etc. until I am quite frankly sick to death of it. From now on my dogs get scrambled eggs for dinner every night. When my chickens stop laying, they will be dinner. When my ducks stop laying, they will be pond ornamentation for the rest of their natural lives.

 

[Tuhmu]

I had similar issues last summer. It got better when I listened to the pros and just left them alone. The humidity has to be higher during the hatch, and me being a nosey mom had a hard time leaving the lid on. It got better, but spent a lot of money on hatching eggs before I caught on.

That was my issue, I was in there snooping around and either I didn't close the lid properly or the cat rubbed it open, either one of us could be guilty here. But I didn't notice it till the next morning, and then spent a few hours desperately trying to get the humidity up! Was trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with my humidity pump I had! Then the hose on the turning part (brinsea humidity pump) slipped off while at work, so basically I ..whats the phrase "shrunk wrapped them". I slapped myself for being a fool, learned my lesson, and now am ready for round two.

If you ask ten different "pros" a question, you will get ten different answers.

Very true.