It's a hatching miracle!

[peeppeeppeep]

Okay, not a miracle, but a darn fine thing. Our power went out ALL DAY yesterday, which was day 21 on our hatch. Using a Brinsea Eco something. No power from 9 a.m. or so to 5 p.m. in the evening. When the power went out, I put a towel over the incubator. When we realized an hour or two later it wasn't coming back on anytime soon, moved the 'bator close to the woodstove and built a good fire. Kept the towel over the 'bator most of the time with the idea of kind of diffusing the heat or something.

anyway....got 1 chick yesterday, 4 more chicks this morning and lots of pips so possibly more chicks on the way! I hope so.

Just goes to show, if you keep trying, sometimes it works out in spite of the odds!

I can't get my photo link to work but you can go see a photo if you paste the link in the browser.

 

[bartellb]

Awesome - just a question from a first-timer. Buy chicks or try to incubate them myself?

 

[calgal98]

I had to hand enter it, but cute chicks!!

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
If you can dispose of the roos, hatch your own and experience the joy. Plus you get to choose the quality you want. You can't always get the breed you want local.

 

[peeppeeppeep]

My own experience with hatching is there's a lot of heartbreak. I seem to have a lot of trouble with thermometers not giving accurate readings. My very first hatch with the Hovabator I got about 70-80% hatch. Last two hatches had zero hatch, no idea why not but obviously temperature or humidity as these were my own flock's eggs and they were proven fertile. This is my first try with the Brinsea. I'll try again with the Hovabator since I'm sure it was something I did and not the incubator's fault. It's just amazing that I'm getting so many hatch out of this batch, after so many problems with temperature readings and then the power outage!

If you don't mind getting whatever the local feed store has (or will order), it's a lot easier to just buy some chicks. But hatching is fun, if you can get everything right or you are just lucky!

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
IMHO...buying is best for a first timer... not quite as nerve racking.

Then after you get your flock going, you might try a broody... they do such a fine job.

And then I have an incubator as a back-up or extra.

 

[FarmerVal]

Congrats!

Keeping my fingers crossed you get more chicks

 

[peeppeeppeep]

We have NINE! and more pips!
Is this crazy or what? I mean, all the times I made sure everything is done just right and had nothing to show...and now power is out and we're incubating by fireside...go figure!

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Congrats....I am so glad everything is working out. BTW did the power ever come back on?

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Nah, the OP is probably posting by firelight and battery power.