June Hatch-A-Long

[dldolan]

Have Marans eggs I set yesterday, with my friend's mixed group of eggs (set the non-Marans about eight hours later as it always seems to take the Marans a little extra time, even with a broody!), so I'll join the group!

Am using my friend's old incubator...looks like a washtub cut in half with a circular heating element around the top inside. Her neighbor kid used it the past two years, and seemed to get pretty good hatches so we "borrowed" it back from him.

Set a few of my Splash Marans eggs under a first time broody Blue Copper Marans as well, so we'll see what happens with the two sets. My friend set her Cuckoo Marans eggs, so we have to see which pop out first!

Now for the request for help: we are having trouble getting the humidity up enough. Just at 42%. Heat is good, but gets a bit too high if I cover one of the five 1/8 inch vent holes in the cover, which helps the humidity a little bit. We got it up to 48% yesterday afternoon, but then the heat jumped 2*. We've added a coffee cup of water, three sponges and a wick down to one of the sponges, covering one of the five vents. Any suggestions? I'm in NorCal and it is dry as a bone here!
Cheers!
Dawn

 

[Demidog]

My kids are 3 and almost 7 and they are fascinated as well We were so busy watching them hatching yesterday i almost forgot to send my daughter to school! And when she got home she ran right up the stairs asking if any more had hatched I think of it as somewhat of a home biology lesson

 

[dldolan]

Thank you,, I do really hope so as it is nice to pass something on and life is really just a bunch of memories at the end

My sister is moving out here and her daughter is 14 and wants to show chickens! We've set some Spitz eggs in the group, and will give her a little pullet to work with. Chickens ARE better than X-box, Wii, TV, Smartphones, ETC!!

 

[dldolan]

My kids are 3 and almost 7 and they are fascinated as well We were so busy watching them hatching yesterday i almost forgot to send my daughter to school! And when she got home she ran right up the stairs asking if any more had hatched I think of it as somewhat of a home biology lesson

My daughter was 8 when our filly was born and has never forgiven me for sending her to school that day! She's 23 now!

 

[missnu01]

Have Marans eggs I set yesterday, with my friend's mixed group of eggs (set the non-Marans about eight hours later as it always seems to take the Marans a little extra time, even with a broody!), so I'll join the group!     

Am using my friend's old incubator...looks like a washtub cut in half with a circular heating element around the top inside.  Her neighbor kid used it the past two years, and seemed to get pretty good hatches so we "borrowed" it back from him.     Set a few of my Splash Marans eggs under a first time broody Blue Copper Marans as well, so we'll see what happens with the two sets.  My friend set her Cuckoo Marans eggs, so we have to see which pop out first!

Now for the request for help: we are having trouble getting the humidity up enough.  Just at 42%.  Heat is good, but gets a bit too high if I cover one of the five 1/8 inch vent holes in the cover, which helps the humidity a little bit.  We got it up to 48% yesterday afternoon, but then the heat jumped 2*.  We've added a coffee cup of water, three sponges and a wick down to one of the sponges, covering one of the five vents.  Any suggestions?  I'm in NorCal and it is dry as a bone here!
Cheers!
Dawn

whoa whoa whoa...you don't want the early humidity up anywhere near that high...so don't do that. I don't add any water in the beginning and my ambient humidity is perfect...right around 25-30. Seen it as low as 18 and still had a perfect hatch. Literally 18/18 eggs hatched. You don't want It in the 40s until the eggs are hatching and as soon as one hatches your humidity will jump way way up. I've had mine hit 90 percent once they start hatching. So the chicks will raise the humidity themselves. I must advise you do not run your incubator with 40 percent humidity throughout the hatch.

 

[gander007]

Quote:

Oh you are so right and my hat is off to you for sharing chickens with the little ones ....

My Grandpa taught us kids about chickens in the 1960's and even helped us show at the Sonoma County Fair in the early 1970's so for me to pass this on is so exciting for me as it is a family tradition ....

 

[dldolan]

Yes, she might be able to show at the Sonoma County Fair next year! Or maybe the Heritage Festival in September with the pullet this year in September.

Humidity...Bev Davis (president of Marans Club USA) told me personally that she hatches using 50% humidity until day 18, then up to 65%. BUT she is in FL, and I'm in DRY Northern California... Jeesh, I need about 5 more broodies and I'd be MUCH happier. Drat this incubator stuff...

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Am using my friend's old incubator...looks like a washtub cut in half with a circular heating element around the top inside. Her neighbor kid used it the past two years, and seemed to get pretty good hatches so we "borrowed" it back from him.

Set a few of my Splash Marans eggs under a first time broody Blue Copper Marans as well, so we'll see what happens with the two sets. My friend set her Cuckoo Marans eggs, so we have to see which pop out first!

Now for the request for help: we are having trouble getting the humidity up enough. Just at 42%. Heat is good, but gets a bit too high if I cover one of the five 1/8 inch vent holes in the cover, which helps the humidity a little bit. We got it up to 48% yesterday afternoon, but then the heat jumped 2*. We've added a coffee cup of water, three sponges and a wick down to one of the sponges, covering one of the five vents. Any suggestions? I'm in NorCal and it is dry as a bone here!
Cheers!
Dawn

Sounds like you have a Brower incubator. The Model 845 holds 50 eggs and the Model 846 holds 100....and I have both.

You don't want the humidity up near that high right now. In the 20's and 30's is just fine. Once you get to lock down, then you up the humidity. On Day 18 I carefully remove the eggs, then remove the wire and then take a soaking wet folded over small towel (creates more surface area which creates more humidity) and put the towel in an alum. pie pan in the bottom. Then I replace the wire and the eggs and I'm good to go.

And if you need the manual, just PM me. I scanned mine into a .PDF file, just in case I were to lose the original or if I ran across someone else that had Brower and needed a copy.

 

[dldolan]

I PM'ed you! Thanks for the advice and offer!

 

[gander007]

Yes, she might be able to show at the Sonoma County Fair next year! Or maybe the Heritage Festival in September with the pullet this year in September.

Humidity...Bev Davis (president of Marans Club USA) told me personally that she hatches using 50% humidity until day 18, then up to 65%. BUT she is in FL, and I'm in DRY Northern California... Jeesh, I need about 5 more broodies and I'd be MUCH happier. Drat this incubator stuff...

I learned to do a dry or what someone might call a super low humidity in Santa Rosa and at day 18 put a damp or wet hand towel in the raise the humidity to 60% to 70% .....

If you have a swamp cooler a high humidity will be easy to obtain even in the desert .....