Incubators Anonymous

[DMRippy]

Quote:
I have 2 and both read about the same. I have gotten it up but then the temps drop. I might add another vaporizer. I have a fogger and a vaporizer now and a fan to circulate it UP. This is NOT your normal hatcher. This a custom made hatcher and is HUGE!



That wall is about 12 feet long.





That is what the drawers look like inside. Hardware cloth so that air can circulate.


That bottom is where all the heat and water are. I have a fan and a pan of water (15 x 10 with a fogger and a vicks vaporizer both run out of water over night. I can fill it 2x's a day) Then I have my ceramic heater. Fogger and vaporizer run ALL the time. The heater is on a thermostat. I just don't have any other ideas how to UP the humidity. I have used towels to wick the water and they just dry out.

I am DOUBTFUL about the puppy pads. I feel they will dry out too quickly.

They hatch well even at 45% but I would like to get it up a little higher.

 

[stryker]

Good to know there is more of us. Almost 2 years ago I put a few eggs in my Styrofoam incubator, a few weeks later I built a cabinet that holds 288 eggs, then built a hatcher, then bought another couple cabinets, then I ended up hatching over 5600 chicks before I turned off my incubators, I took a break----few months later I put 144 more eggs in the incubator, hatched them, well no problem, I just put 288 more eggs in the incubator 4 days ago-----I guess I am not a hatch-aholic, I became a PURE Sot Drunk hatch-aholic!!!!

So how many eggs can you incubate at one time?

 

[PD-Riverman]

So how many eggs can you incubate at one time?

Stryker, I have 3 cabinets that hold 288 eggs---well one of them will hold 336. I have another cabinet that will hold 164 then The hatcher will hold about 300 but I save it to hatch, then I have MANY Styrofoam incubators that will hold 41 to 48 in the turners----The most I have ever had incubating at one time was 949.

 

[marchick]

Stryker, I have 3 cabinets that hold 288 eggs---well one of them will hold 336. I have another cabinet that will hold 164 then The hatcher will hold about 300 but I save it to hatch, then I have MANY Styrofoam incubators that will hold 41 to 48 in the turners----The most I have ever had incubating at one time was 949.

What do you do with 949 chicks at one time if they don't sell real quick? I am going to fire up my cabinet! I am going to be setting a few royal palm turkey and Golden pheasant eggs soon. Only about two dozen!

 

[stryker]

Stryker, I have 3 cabinets that hold 288 eggs---well one of them will hold 336. I have another cabinet that will hold 164 then The hatcher will hold about 300 but I save it to hatch, then I have MANY Styrofoam incubators that will hold 41 to 48 in the turners----The most I have ever had incubating at one time was 949.

COOL!!!!

 

[ShidelsRestBB]

Do you know how to butcher poultry? I need to learn how. I'm going to contact a local lady and see if she'll give me a lesson or two. I've got 3 Coronation Roos, 1 Sussex Roo and now 3 NJ roos that need to go, so I guess I'll put them on Craig's list. There's a BYCer in Texas who wants me to ship my Sussex flock to her, but I've never shipped birds, have you?

There is a really well made video on YouTube, for small batch processing. Just search poultry processing.

 

[PD-Riverman]

What do you do with 949 chicks at one time if they don't sell real quick? I am going to fire up my cabinet! I am going to be setting a few royal palm turkey and Golden pheasant eggs soon. Only about two dozen!

I have 19 heated brooders over 1/2 of them are thermostat controlled and others--just a hanging light in them and I have had chicks in all 19. Keep in mind I was hatching every week so only about 1/3(average) hatches per week. It did not bother me to have 1000 un-sold chicks----was a little different feeling getting up to that point---LOL.

 

[marchick]

I have 19 heated brooders over 1/2 of them are thermostat controlled and others--just a hanging light in them and I have had chicks in all 19. Keep in mind I was hatching every week so only about 1/3(average) hatches per week. It did not bother me to have 1000 un-sold chicks----was a little different feeling getting up to that point---LOL.

My husband would......

!!!!! LOL

 

[PD-Riverman]

My husband would......

!!!!! LOL

My Wife says----"That's your Hobby run it anyway you want and get as many chickens as you want". My wife rarely feeds them, rarely looks at them in the brooders and after the first few hatches she rarely peeks in the hatcher anymore. That's fine, with ,me---Its My hobby. But Keep in mind, I usually make money with my chickens---she has seen me go get $300 in feed every couple weeks but she has also set under the carport on days and see me take in hundreds in one day from sells, someone is coming to get $750 in chickens in the morning, sold $823 a few Saturdays back, $650 to one man a couple months ago---one week some time back I sold over $2100 during 4 days-----Make Money with them---Your Husband will jump in there and build you more pens---LOL.

 

[marchick]

My Wife says----"That's your Hobby run it anyway you want and get as many chickens as you want". My wife rarely feeds them, rarely looks at them in the brooders and after the first few hatches she rarely peeks in the hatcher anymore. That's fine, with ,me---Its My hobby. But Keep in mind, I usually make money with my chickens---she has seen me go get $300 in feed every couple weeks but she has also set under the carport on days and see me take in hundreds in one day from sells, someone is coming to get $750 in chickens in the morning, sold $823 a few Saturdays back, $650 to one man a couple months ago---one week some time back I sold over $2100 during 4 days-----Make Money with them---Your Husband will jump in there and build you more pens---LOL.

Wow that is Awsome! I have a hard time out here just selling a few chicks every once in a while just to help pay for feed!!! If I hatched a bunch, I would end up having to give them away! I sold like 10 Narragansett chicks last summer for $10 a chick. I had a lady send me a message saying "She sold hers for $20 and I shouldn't sell them for anything less then $15! I was not charging enough!" It took me 2-3 weeks Just to sell them at $10!