It has begun

[Brandon Josey]

Sorry it has been a couple of days since I have been on but about the humidity of the incubator, every incubator is different even in the same models( not as much between different makes and models) but yes they all require different levels. I run mine at a high level because the first two hatches I had with my incubator I am using now. During lockdown I was losing most of my chicks and ducks due to the inter liner shrink wrapping to the baby's and killing them( about 25% hatch rate out of fertile eggs with candling before lock down. Now with keeping the levels up I have 75-80% hatch rate. Hope this helps also I have heard and watched videos of people doing "dry incubation" where you put 4 cups of water in at the very first and don't add any water until the lockdown and adding 6 cups at that time and having high hatch rates with this process. It's sad to say but trial and error is the best way to find out where and how your incubator temp and humidity needs to be. Can take you couple of hatches to find out where it needs to be at.

 

[Tumbling K]

makes sense.

yes, I'm real curious to see my first hatch goes.

 

[FridayYet]

Am thinking about doing a hatch soon. Decided to start an egg carton on the counter- I can always rotate out the oldest ones at the end of the week if needed.

One step closer at least!

 

[Tumbling K]

Am thinking about doing a hatch soon. Decided to start an egg carton on the counter- I can always rotate out the oldest ones at the end of the week if needed.

One step closer at least!

how many you going to set?

what kind?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I am hoping for a Blue laced red wyandotte.

 

[FridayYet]

how many you going to set?

what kind?

They'll be my own eggs. Still penciling out how many and when, but they will be some pure Russian Orloffs and RO over Legbar and EE. My EEs are big calm half Cuckoo Marans and I think the mix would be nice. Also, if I got a few muffed, bearded and crested mutts it would be fun, too. With the spangling and barring going on, who knows what they'll end up like.

I need to build a breeding/grow-out pen so I can separate my Jr. RO roo with the RO girls so I can get some of his babies before he gets culled. Unfortunately don't have a big enough space, or enough hens for two roosters right now.

I'm thinking it's still too cold for shipped eggs, so those will wait another month or too - Hopefully will get some OE's, BCM and Ameraucanas.

 

[Tumbling K]

Sounds like a lot of eggs.

 

[FridayYet]

I'll probably hatch a bunch this spring and take most to the poultry swap and sell them. If I get ambitious, I'll eat the cockerels but Orloffs grow sooooooo slllooooowwww that it probably wouldn't be worth it.

This batch I may just do 8-10 or so.

 

[WVduckchick]

Am thinking about doing a hatch soon. Decided to start an egg carton on the counter- I can always rotate out the oldest ones at the end of the week if needed.

One step closer at least!

Hey hey! e

 

[lindalouly]

Am thinking about doing a hatch soon. Decided to start an egg carton on the counter- I can always rotate out the oldest ones at the end of the week if needed.

One step closer at least!

That is what I do.... even though i am not hatching.. I rotate a dozen or so on the counter to fridge... but we go through a lot of eggs fast.