Incubators Anonymous

[Sclark73]

Wooohoooooo Great find! Very nice!

So...how many do they actually fit? Looks like 1000's

I guess each unit holds 90 dozen eggs, pretty insane if you ask me. Each tray seems to hold about 9 dozen and theirs 12 trays so actually could do more than that. I did read online though it said they can hold 3000 eggs so either way it's ALOT. After some research this morning I found these are industrial machines used by hatcheries long ago. All 4 units will connect together so the turner on the main unit will turn on all units. Theirs huge nuts on the front of the main one and each one turns 2 trays. Sort of hard to explain. I do feel a bit overwhelmed this morning and wonder why I even bought them in the first place instead of something smaller. Main reason is the obsession and the money was right. I may have to pour a concrete slab to set the units on. 2 of them are working right now, the other 2 were never messed with by the person I bought them from so just were stored. My original plan was to get 2 working good and use one for a hatcher and one for a bator but now if I can get just one working top shape I'll be happy. They each have a hatching compartment on the top that holds 2 trays that will hatch 10 dozen eggs each so I don't ever think I would need anything even that insane. 3 o the units are 220v and one is 110v. I'm not sure how hard it would be to convert one to 110v have never done it but could take the turner off the 220 one and put on the 110 one but it's nowhere in the shape the 220 ones are but all the parts look the same so should be an easy swap. The biggest dilema I'm having right now is where the heck to put even one of them. They are huge and weigh a few hundred pounds each. My 15 year old wants me to go into a hatchery business, now thats a big step from being a backyard chicken crazed mom, argh.

On a good note, at 3am one of my 20 eggs in lockdown finally hatched a Speckled Sussex, an EE was zipping and 4 more pips. I sold all of my EE I had hatched over the past month and all BYM Saturday and had an order for 4 dozen more BYM and continual orders so if I can get this monster bator thing figured out maybe I can having a business like my son wanted me to..lol

 

[Tuhmu]

I guess each unit holds 90 dozen eggs, pretty insane if you ask me. Each tray seems to hold about 9 dozen and theirs 12 trays so actually could do more than that. I did read online though it said they can hold 3000 eggs so either way it's ALOT.  After some research this morning I found these are industrial machines used by hatcheries long ago. All 4 units will connect together so the turner on the main unit will turn on all units. Theirs huge nuts on the front of the main one and each one turns 2 trays. Sort of hard to explain. I do feel a bit overwhelmed this morning and wonder why I even bought them in the first place instead of something smaller. Main reason is the obsession and the money was right. I may have to pour a concrete slab to set the units on. 2 of them are working right now, the other 2 were never messed with by the person I bought them from so just were stored. My original plan was to get 2 working good and use one for a hatcher and one for a bator but now if I can get just one working top shape I'll be happy. They each have a hatching compartment on the top that holds 2 trays that will hatch 10 dozen eggs each so I don't ever think I would need anything even that insane. 3 o the units are 220v and one is 110v. I'm not sure how hard it would be to convert one to 110v have never done it but could take the turner off the 220 one and put on the 110 one but it's nowhere in the shape the 220 ones are but all the parts look the same so should be an easy swap. The biggest dilema I'm having right now is where the heck to put even one of them. They are huge and weigh a few hundred pounds each. My 15 year old wants me to go into a hatchery business, now thats a big step from being a backyard chicken crazed mom, argh.

On a good note, at 3am one of my 20 eggs in lockdown finally hatched a Speckled Sussex, an EE was zipping and 4 more pips. I sold all of my EE I had hatched over the past month and all BYM Saturday and had an order for 4 dozen more BYM and continual orders so if I can get this monster bator thing figured out maybe I can having a business like my son wanted me to..lol

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Bigger is better so 48 will work just fine. Iused a WHT but would suggest a more expensive better quality regulator. ANd use 2 + light bulbs n case one fails, it will buy you time to replace it. I used mason jars lining the base right and left along hte outside walls, with a channel in the middle for fan to sit at one end, and the lightbulb at the other, blows to ccreate cirulating warm air. I do keep the lid ascew ( plywood with picutre frame and glass as window) as wen pilediwth eggs the air needs a good exchange to get the eggs dried down correctly.

Today's delivery!!!!

I wonder what goes through my mail man's head when he comes here. We live in the city I think I'm the only crazy chicken lady!

It came!

I'm setting it up now!

Love it!!

Help , Day 20 incubation. Lavender Orps.

I kept humidity between 40-50% until day 19 lockdown.
It seems like the humidity keeps dropping to 25%..
When I added some water through small tube into one vent hole, it jumped too high..
then again tooo low
I have 4 diff temp readings none match, two diff humidity readings within 5% of eachother
NO PEEPS PIPS ZIPS.... nothing?
ANy tips?

pic from 2 nights ago

The benefits of candling is to monitor the air cell development-- were you able to do that. FOr most the 40% humidity is too high, but if you live in the desert or similar, than 40 might just work. How did the hatch go?

Day 3, hatch 2!

8 out of 8 eggs with embryos! I need to turn down the humidity, I can't really see air cells, weird?

Didn't check the goose eggs... But that is for tonight!

And then, while we were out cleaning the yard, we found a clutch of about 30 eggs, and brought one in, candled it, looked dead,so we eggtopsied it... And inside was a beautiful, growing embryo.

I think we killed it. The thing is, I haven't seen a broody hen, in fact, I didn't even know the nest existed... And now, Big Red Hen, our Rhode Island Red, is brooding.

Tears of joy! But, what am I going to do with 30 baby chicks in an open range flock?

Give the hen and new chicks time to bond and be safe from the flock in a separate area, then let out and help supervise. Freeranging seems to help-- flock is busy and mentally free rangin-- and all usually works out. Broody protects chicks and she will move them aways from flcok.

Well it's clear that I have a serious problem!! This is what I just got home with tonight. 4 Jamesway Redwood incubators, just think of all the eggs I can hatch now!

You are in trouble.

 

[Jnkbtd08]

 

[gimmie birdies]

incubated 2 weeks then put under hen one week, 2 more pips and 3 more on top of those, still under hen.

 

[Dawnrenae]

So, temps outside have dropped today, 30° colder than it was yesterday. My broody hen is no longer sitting on her clutch.

I don't know if she will go back.

Should I leave the eggs and hope for the best?

Embryos look to be about 10 days old?

 

[DMRippy]

So, temps outside have dropped today, 30° colder than it was yesterday. My broody hen is no longer sitting on her clutch.

I don't know if she will go back.

Should I leave the eggs and hope for the best?

Embryos look to be about 10 days old?

I would grab them and put them the bator.

 

[Dawnrenae]

I would grab them and put them the bator.

All eggs are in the incubator. I think they are nearly ready, after candling, they all look very dark.

I have no idea how to stagger a hatch.

What happens if these guys are ready to go into lockdown?

How do I even know if they're alive?

 

[gander007]

Well it's clear that I have a serious problem!! This is what I just got home with tonight. 4 Jamesway Redwood incubators, just think of all the eggs I can hatch now!

I was looking at your trailer and do you have four of them incubators

 

[gander007]

Well it's clear that I have a serious problem!! This is what I just got home with tonight. 4 Jamesway Redwood incubators, just think of all the eggs I can hatch now!

I was just looking at your trailer and do you have four of them incubators