Incubators Anonymous

[Runawaylobster]

It really is.... hubby was telling me today "aren't you glad I made you make it so big now? You only wanted 180 eggs you would be kicking yourself if you had made is smaller." I said "I would have learned to live with it."

how are the new brooders working out?

 

[dutchbunny83]

I'm 200 pages behind on this thread, so jumping up to current time.
Decided to break the incubator back out after saying no more hatches (just couldn't stay away!).
I hope you all have been doing well. I see lots of adorable baby pics on the side bar!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I would be happy to share it but she lives in another section of the country, her USPS routes would be vastly different than yours.

Question for all the hatching geniuses here, (I say this with admiration and respect, and a lil jealousy.)

Why do the eggs need to be at a 35% angle?

I am considering laying this hatch out of the egg crate turner a I made, and want to know before I set tonight if I will be doing more harm than good?

Right now they are sitting in the "turner" til set tonight. They sat perfectly a a small angle, butt up. I wonder if this is enough?

Thanks in advance.

SInce you are having some difficulties I'll toss out some possibiblites and see if any might be worth persuing:

--Eggs waiting to be set do best if kept cool about 45-55 in a damp place and turned 2 x day.
--Shipped eggs do best when incubated/hatched upright to help the aircells be in the right p lace.
--Eggs need to dry and decrease a specific amt by internal pip.
--HIgh humidity at hatching can decrease the oxygen level too much in the incubator and kil both the unhatched and the hatched chick. Eggs closer to hatching date need MORE oxygen than in early development
--steady temps are beneficial; sometimes spikes cant be helped, or power outages.

GOod luck-- glad you are trying again. I also kept a notebook, and boy was that helpful: I could see the slow rise or decrease in temps.

I am starting my new hatch today.
Hatch #1 was a total failure.

I have a stupid question, more of a thought, but...

Could I set up a nest in my incubator, and just set my eggs in the bedding like what would be in a momma bird's nesting box?

My incubator is now set at 102°. Humidity steady at 43%. I used a make shift turner last hatch, (egg carton).
This hatch, I am laying the eggs on the wire "floor". So far I noticed that they seem to stay pretty upright...

Any thoughts?

I broke my rules today..... I NEVER set more than 180 eggs but then hubby said to stop hatching so we can take a trip.... so I set 210 eggs today

I am going to be in so much trouble when they hatch. I had a tray from a project pen.... a whole tray WOW. Those girls are great layers. 4 girls and I get 4 eggs most days. I did have to cut back on how many I set.... only set 18 of the 30+ I had. Can't wait to see what hatches. I have another project pen and had about 18 eggs from that pen too, that one is a first cross so not expecting anything great this hatch. Then someone gave me 4 doz Silver Penciled Rock eggs.... I couldn't say no could I? So my biggest hatch of the year and then a break and then an EVEN BIGGER HATCH LOL. I don't really HAVE to quit hatching I just needed to change my hatch days LOL. But he will never figure that out.

YOU BROKE YOUR RULE !!! What fun!! lol

Quote: Seems the vessels and such are very fragile early on . . . someone told me especially shipped eggs need more TLC.

I'm 200 pages behind on this thread, so jumping up to current time.
Decided to break the incubator back out after saying no more hatches (just couldn't stay away!).
I hope you all have been doing well. I see lots of adorable baby pics on the side bar!

LOL-- couldnt stay away? lol Yup true addict!! lol Welcome . . .

 

[randerson846]

if it's only been a week I wouldn't worry, I just wouldn't add any more water.  just monitor temp and ignore humidity until it's time for lockdown, then bring it up to 55-65% and you should be good...

I had a surprise last night, when I moved my day 19 eggs over to the hatcher. 2 cochins had already hatched!  think I figured it out tho, I've got lots of broodies in the cochin pens, think they've been hiding eggs between collections, so these ones got an extra day of incubation or 2 maybe.  the sfh all look right on time. 2 red cochins also due but no broodies there. just one girl that's 'not right' and won't perch. I call her turtle. her balance is whacked. if you roll her on her back she can't get up. but on her feet she gets around just fine. think one of the big roos may have damaged her, trying to breed her when she was in a mixed flock...

So it should be fine to start the dry hatch? ok thanks

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
They are AWESOME! If we can get the feeders figured out and the waterer I will be FLYING! I hate fighting chicks to get feeders and waterers inside the pen. I am going to squish someone.

They are still in the prototype stage. I will make a page with more info when I finish them.

 

[Runawaylobster]

They are AWESOME! If we can get the feeders figured out and the waterer I will be FLYING! I hate fighting chicks to get feeders and waterers inside the pen. I am going to squish someone.

They are still in the prototype stage. I will make a page with more info when I finish them.

very cool... yes i made some mistakes when i set up the giant brooder. I did it so i didn't have a million different waterers and feeders to change all the time, but what i gained with that I lost in my ability to keep them all sorted out and having to climb in there to catch them i was afraid of squishing some too.

can't wait to see your page!!

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
my own brooders are a good size for up to 20 or so chicks to about 2-3 weeks or 10 up to about 6 weeks, so good to keep smaller groups sorted. my newer designs I've been making and selling have improvements over the ones I'm using to keep shavings contained. for food/water, I've discovered using clay plant pot bases for the crumbles and just a small (4-6") crockery type water bowl they can't tip. and I put shelf liner on top of the bedding on that end of the brooder to keep it all as shavings-free as possible. the crumbles get scattered all over the shelf liner, but it's still easily accessible by the chicks, and they don't seem to scatter as much shavings, since they don't have to dig to find food. so for now, it works. LOL

 

[DMRippy]

my own brooders are a good size for up to 20 or so chicks to about 2-3 weeks or 10 up to about 6 weeks, so good to keep smaller groups sorted. my newer designs I've been making and selling have improvements over the ones I'm using to keep shavings contained. for food/water, I've discovered using clay plant pot bases for the crumbles and just a small (4-6") crockery type water bowl they can't tip. and I put shelf liner on top of the bedding on that end of the brooder to keep it all as shavings-free as possible. the crumbles get scattered all over the shelf liner, but it's still easily accessible by the chicks, and they don't seem to scatter as much shavings, since they don't have to dig to find food. so for now, it works. LOL

My goal is NO PINE SHAVINGS. So far the wire floor are working GREAT! I have had some smaller ones get stuck in the holes and gaps. But I have a fix for that. I jut put some tar paper down for a week or so around the food, waterer and heat and they have done really well. Mine are 27-28 wide and 48-50 inches long. When I can remove the waterer and feeders ALL that will be floor space.

 

[Runawaylobster]

my own brooders are a good size for up to 20 or so chicks to about 2-3 weeks or 10 up to about 6 weeks, so good to keep smaller groups sorted. my newer designs I've been making and selling have improvements over the ones I'm using to keep shavings contained. for food/water, I've discovered using clay plant pot bases for the crumbles and just a small (4-6") crockery type water bowl they can't tip. and I put shelf liner on top of the bedding on that end of the brooder to keep it all as shavings-free as possible. the crumbles get scattered all over the shelf liner, but it's still easily accessible by the chicks, and they don't seem to scatter as much shavings, since they don't have to dig to find food. so for now, it works. LOL

My goal is NO PINE SHAVINGS. So far the wire floor are working GREAT! I have had some smaller ones get stuck in the holes and gaps. But I have a fix for that. I jut put some tar paper down for a week or so around the food, waterer and heat and they have done really well. Mine are 27-28 wide and 48-50 inches long. When I can remove the waterer and feeders ALL that will be floor space.

In the megabrooder i use a small size paint bucket from home depot (about 1 gallon) with 1 1/2" holes drilled all around the bottom and i place it inside one of those round black oil pans from K Mart, the oil pan is big so they pretty much have to stand on the rim to eat and i get almost no spillage. i also put short pieces of 2x4 lumber underneath and screw everything together, that way i can hang it if i want, it all lifts out in one piece and there is a stand to keep it out of the shavings. by far my favorite one i have made.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
ok forgot you said wire floor before...

I contemplated doing a wire floor, with shallow pans below for easy cleaning. maybe put one with sprouted grasses now and then for the chicks to have something to play with. but I've seen chicks on wire and they look entirely bored without anything to scratch around in.