- Dec 12, 2013
- 190
- 51
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Hello Lillian,
For my little part, welcome to the nuthatch or should I say, the fowl hatch! You do not have a problem; an obsession maybe but actually you are sane at least by our standards as BYC members. Okay, as for an incubator, almost anybody who has been in this forum for any length of time can tell you, this old farm boy and chicken devotee went through the incubator phase and gave it up for another one of those life's pains in the what-sit. This opinion was enhanced greatly when first introduced to the joys of the silkie hen 25 or so years ago. The incubator's one plus is that it can handle far more eggs than even best hen or turkey can incubate. B-U-T an incubator, unless it is one of those huge battery types, is very unstable and finicky duplicitous clutch wrecker requiring constant temp, humidity and all sorts of monitoring for such calamities as the dreaded power outage. Let's say you are using a hen, especially a silkie for the chore. She does not require any of those on-site constant watches and adjustments; nor does she plug into the wall! She incubates, somehow adjusts for all environmental factors, hatches the little rascals, then leads them to food and water and broods them at first sign of coolness. Mother Nature's own queen of the incubators in fact! So she can only handle about 8 large eggs. So what!? You decide how many eggs you want to hatch at one go, divide by 8 and that's how many silkies one employs throwing in an extra or two to guarantee the numerical outcome. What could be simpler? The trick is to use fully mature hens which can be switched on by giving her a full clutch of eggs. She'll go broody in 72 hours or less. I have had many that if given 8 to 10 eggs this morning would be broody by the middle of the next day! This is done by giving them a nest box of target eggs in an isolated quiet location. Protection from marauding trouble making jealous types as well as from predators helps immensely. You can even put all your broody hens in one large completely inclosed safety cage, with sealed top and you are in business. Constantly available food and water and you can go away and not worry about them except to check their food and water containers each day. I have NEVER had one abandon the chore, ever, once they got started. Let's see your incubator do that when the power goes off! Oh, and did I tell you, I had one hatch and rear a pair of geese! Certainly, all choices are yours but as for me, give me Mother Nature's handmaiden hatcher every time!!!!!
No matter what you decide, you have my best wishes for a successful go! And no matter what, let us all know how you fared.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman
For my little part, welcome to the nuthatch or should I say, the fowl hatch! You do not have a problem; an obsession maybe but actually you are sane at least by our standards as BYC members. Okay, as for an incubator, almost anybody who has been in this forum for any length of time can tell you, this old farm boy and chicken devotee went through the incubator phase and gave it up for another one of those life's pains in the what-sit. This opinion was enhanced greatly when first introduced to the joys of the silkie hen 25 or so years ago. The incubator's one plus is that it can handle far more eggs than even best hen or turkey can incubate. B-U-T an incubator, unless it is one of those huge battery types, is very unstable and finicky duplicitous clutch wrecker requiring constant temp, humidity and all sorts of monitoring for such calamities as the dreaded power outage. Let's say you are using a hen, especially a silkie for the chore. She does not require any of those on-site constant watches and adjustments; nor does she plug into the wall! She incubates, somehow adjusts for all environmental factors, hatches the little rascals, then leads them to food and water and broods them at first sign of coolness. Mother Nature's own queen of the incubators in fact! So she can only handle about 8 large eggs. So what!? You decide how many eggs you want to hatch at one go, divide by 8 and that's how many silkies one employs throwing in an extra or two to guarantee the numerical outcome. What could be simpler? The trick is to use fully mature hens which can be switched on by giving her a full clutch of eggs. She'll go broody in 72 hours or less. I have had many that if given 8 to 10 eggs this morning would be broody by the middle of the next day! This is done by giving them a nest box of target eggs in an isolated quiet location. Protection from marauding trouble making jealous types as well as from predators helps immensely. You can even put all your broody hens in one large completely inclosed safety cage, with sealed top and you are in business. Constantly available food and water and you can go away and not worry about them except to check their food and water containers each day. I have NEVER had one abandon the chore, ever, once they got started. Let's see your incubator do that when the power goes off! Oh, and did I tell you, I had one hatch and rear a pair of geese! Certainly, all choices are yours but as for me, give me Mother Nature's handmaiden hatcher every time!!!!!
No matter what you decide, you have my best wishes for a successful go! And no matter what, let us all know how you fared.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman
