Incubators Anonymous

[2hot2chicken]

Ok I joined now..... Bough my first bator a week or so ago. But Ive been hatching eggs with every broody I had

Anyway, got a question for all you bator freaks! I have a set going right now on day 5. If I want to do a staggard hatch and add more eggs for a hatch 2 weeks later is it possible with just the 1 bator? I'm dry hatching right now. So when the current eggs go into lockddown and I raise the humidity up would it kill other eggs I had in there for hatch 2 weeks after lockdown? How would a humidity spike like that affect the developing eggs? Just something I'm throughing around.... I would like to keep the chicks fairly close together in age and mot have them all 21 days apart if I can without anouther bator...... LOL

Told you all I belonged here!!!!!

 

[ki4got]

Ok I joined now..... Bough my first bator a week or so ago. But Ive been hatching eggs with every broody I had

Anyway, got a question for all you bator freaks! I have a set going right now on day 5. If I want to do a staggard hatch and add more eggs for a hatch 2 weeks later is it possible with just the 1 bator? I'm dry hatching right now. So when the current eggs go into lockddown and I raise the humidity up would it kill other eggs I had in there for hatch 2 weeks after lockdown? How would a humidity spike like that affect the developing eggs? Just something I'm throughing around.... I would like to keep the chicks fairly close together in age and mot have them all 21 days apart if I can without anouther bator...... LOL

Told you all I belonged here!!!!!

I keep 2 separate hovabators running. one with a turner, and the other I use as a hatcher so i can crank up the humidity for hatching.
I also dry incubate, but right now the humidity is dropping below 20% so I use a small 1/2 cup plastic container with lid on, and a small (1/2-3/4") hole in the lid. that is enough to keep the humidity at about 20%, and i fill it about once a week. I put a paint stick across the top of the turning racks (covers 1 egg spot on each rail) to put the container and my thermometer/hygrometer on.

i have 8 bantam mille fleur cochins in lockdown.

 

[Arielle]

Ok I joined now..... Bough my first bator a week or so ago. But Ive been hatching eggs with every broody I had

Anyway, got a question for all you bator freaks! I have a set going right now on day 5. If I want to do a staggard hatch and add more eggs for a hatch 2 weeks later is it possible with just the 1 bator? I'm dry hatching right now. So when the current eggs go into lockddown and I raise the humidity up would it kill other eggs I had in there for hatch 2 weeks after lockdown? How would a humidity spike like that affect the developing eggs? Just something I'm throughing around.... I would like to keep the chicks fairly close together in age and mot have them all 21 days apart if I can without anouther bator...... LOL

Told you all I belonged here!!!!!

Staggered hatching in same incubator is less successful. You can buy an LG for short money and use it as a hatcher. Or make a homemade one for a little less money. Most of us here have built a homemade incubator as we need more than one!

 

[ki4got]

Staggered hatching in same incubator is less successful. You can buy an LG for short money and use it as a hatcher. Or make a homemade one for a little less money. Most of us here have built a homemade incubator as we need more than one!

i decided against the $400 sportsman, as it's really TOO big for what I want. but I'm contemplating building a modified 'cabinet', about the same base size as the hovabators, with enough room to put 2 egg turners, one over the other. that will allow slightly bigger weekly hatches, without panicking the hubby (i hope). I won't be hatching much more for a bit though, unless I can come by some more dorking eggs in either red or colored, as those are the ones I want to concentrate on now. and then I'll start hatching some more silver greys probably when my younger guys start breeding. maybe sooner if the roo starts ignoring the bantams (who's eggs are fertile) in favor of his own girls (who's eggs are NOT!)

growing out 3 bantam/dorking eggs, just to see what I might get. i've been swapping out the dorking eggs weekly hoping for signs of life, so i don't even remember when i put the bantams in there! i think it was last thurs, but not positive.

 

[Arielle]

DORkings are an interesting breeds. Very old. Rare. DIdn't know they came in other colors. You would be really helping a rare breed.

 

[ki4got]

DORkings are an interesting breeds. Very old. Rare. DIdn't know they came in other colors. You would be really helping a rare breed.

that's the plan. 8) the silver grey seems to be the most common, but they also come in white rosecomb, red single & rose comb, colored, cuckoo, black. I don't know that APA recognizes cuckoo or black, i'd have to doublecheck. but i think the white and red were the oldest colors, the other ones developing within the last 200 years. more colors are recognized in europe as well.

I have an order in for red and colored chicks from sand hill preservation center, but it's likely to be june or later before i get them, since there's such a waiting list already. and i don't want to substitute colors, so that may be longer even.

the dorking world is so confusing when it comes to color names... but if i'm right (i'll find out once i start breeding and doing some test crosses), the silver grey is actually silver duckwing + dilute, colored is bbr + dilute, and red is bbr + mahogany... the problem with many lines right now is that some have had to be bred cross-colored years ago, and getting the lines to breed true is still an issue with some birds. the colored especially.

 

[Arielle]

THere is the web site where you can put in the info and I think predict the offspring. I looked at it and was immediately lost, LOL, as I didn't know any of the genetics to input. Do you use it?

I have a pretty cockerel that I would like more of. Just don't know how he came about. A barred butterscotch color. I really, really like the color. At least with the dorking you are starting with established genetics just need a little tweaking, or a lot. And stock to start with. I think it is amazing work that Sand HIll is trying to preserve the genetics for those willing to make the improvements. THen with a number of flocks the genetics stays diversified. I know genetics, but not poultry genetics!

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

THere is the web site where you can put in the info and I think predict the offspring. I looked at it and was immediately lost, LOL, as I didn't know any of the genetics to input. Do you use it?

I have a pretty cockerel that I would like more of. Just don't know how he came about. A barred butterscotch color. I really, really like the color. At least with the dorking you are starting with established genetics just need a little tweaking, or a lot. And stock to start with. I think it is amazing work that Sand HIll is trying to preserve the genetics for those willing to make the improvements. THen with a number of flocks the genetics stays diversified. I know genetics, but not poultry genetics!

that genetics calculator is fine, if you know what the names of the colors carried are already. that's why I THINK i know the dorking genetics, but won't know for sure until some test crossing will be done. and i'm only going by pictures i've seen and comparing them to other known color types.

i'm still learning poultry genetics. I think the biggest mental block i've had to overcome is realizing that most of the chicken mutations are DOMINANT. not recessive, like i was used to seeing in other bird species (psittacines)

 

[mommissan]

Enabler might be a better word.... pusher invokes images of bad things like drugs... Chicks are a good thing and a natural high no drugs required.

Ask my hubby what he thinks of my chickens. I'm making deals with other chicken people, in dark alleys, hiding them from everyone, scheming where I'm gonna get my next one...... POWERFUL drug, and it's legal!

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

that genetics calculator is fine, if you know what the names of the colors carried are already. that's why I THINK i know the dorking genetics, but won't know for sure until some test crossing will be done. and i'm only going by pictures i've seen and comparing them to other known color types.

i'm still learning poultry genetics. I think the biggest mental block i've had to overcome is realizing that most of the chicken mutations are DOMINANT. not recessive, like i was used to seeing in other bird species (psittacines)

You are far ahead of me. I LOVE genetics, but with chickens my brain freezes and I'm done. And I breed other animals! I guess that's why enjoy the mutts and unusual egg colors. Am planning to breed BO, EE and FBCM so I'll see how that goes.