Incubators Anonymous

[PD-Riverman]

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!

I see some here in my area selling some $10/$20 chicks----one is a friend and he told me he had rather sell them $10 chicks, than to sell 5 $2 chicks---less work he said. Last year I think he sold about $700 worth of them $10 chicks. I sold $1000's and $1000's and $1000's of them cheaper chicks----I feel there is a few that likes them $10/$20 chicks, but there is ALOT that likes them $2 chicks for eggs etc. This friend ended up almost giving away his breeders(most were several special breeds of Orpingtons) last year when it started getting cold to get rid of them. He was chickenless.

 

[gander007]

Eggs put in incubator 13 March 2016 and now they are ready for the world

Ya no April fools juke here

Went in the room and I could hear some chirping so I checked the incubator

 

[DMRippy]

I am having a great hatch! FINALLY! I have 2 vaporizers, 1 fogger and 2 puppy pads. Humidity is NOT high but decent. They are still drying out some but I can get to them before they die. I had SO MANY make it to lockdown I had to put 4 doz in the bator and add humidity. Glad the bator was empty. Now I have to set more eggs BUT I MUST NOT SET SO MANY! Glad someone from church needs 8 doz eggs for a church event. That will give me incentive to cut my numbers the next batch.

 

[stryker]

Oh, boy! If you lived closer I would take those 8 dozen. I work at 1 dozen at a time.

 

[wabbit1964]

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. Great job. My husband would not mind my chicken hobby as much if I was making money off of it. I graduate from college next month and am pondering the question "what do I want to do when I grow up/ graduate?"... perhaps the answer is learn how to earn a few bucks off my homesteading hobby.

 

[marchick]

I am having a great hatch! FINALLY! I have 2 vaporizers, 1 fogger and 2 puppy pads. Humidity is NOT high but decent. They are still drying out some but I can get to them before they die. I had SO MANY make it to lockdown I had to put 4 doz in the bator and add humidity. Glad the bator was empty. Now I have to set more eggs BUT I MUST NOT SET SO MANY! Glad someone from church needs 8 doz eggs for a church event. That will give me incentive to cut my numbers the next batch.

What do you like the best? The vaporizers or fogger! Where did you get them?

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: Both were needed and the puppy pads too. Never did get over 40%. Both vaporizers didn't really put out steam like I wanted. Maybe I needed more salt. I had one vaporizer running all the time and another that would run when the heater was on. I had a few dry up but I saved them all this time.

What you need might depend on the size of your hatcher. Smaller hatcher I have used I just needed water and fans... this sucker need lots more for some reason.

 

[CLSranch]

DM Rippy and all others who may have an answer. My eggs and incubator seemed good all the way up to day 18. 40% humidity on average. Added water b4 lockdown for the 1st time only got it up to 46% Last night I had 2 this morning 2 more and 3 started outta 36. How much and when should I help if the shells are to hard from the humidity never getting up there? Yesterday was day 21

 

[DMRippy]

DM Rippy and all others who may have an answer. My eggs and incubator seemed good all the way up to day 18. 40% humidity on average. Added water b4 lockdown for the 1st time only got it up to 46% Last night I had 2 this morning 2 more and 3 started outta 36. How much and when should I help if the shells are to hard from the humidity never getting up there? Yesterday was day 21

I don't open eggs to pull chicks out. They have to do the work. I only help if they get shrink wrapped because of humidity. Maybe your temps were lower and they are taking longer to hatch. Humidity does not soften the egg for hatch... it is to keep the chick moist while it hatches so the membrane will not dry and make them stuck.

 

[CLSranch]

Thanks. I've been letting them peek out and start. I did quarter of 1 side open the shells if they peeked a hole and later it didn't change or take a half off of a couple that looked "shrink wrapped" I guess.