Little Giant Incubation Experiment - Day 21 - Hatch Day!

[mswendeu]

Like I said I didn't need to do it because mine swings high. But, my guess is that is for northern states where the temp stays cold until july lol.

 

[fiset94]

Where are you reading the 101, and with what? With my foam incubators, if I drop a long stem thermometer through a hole in the top, I get an inaccurately high reading. If I push it in through the side at wire level, I get a much lower reading. If I push it through the turner cord slot, which is about the same height as the top of the eggs in the turner, I get a better reading. But my hatch rates in the LG were still not all I wanted, around 50-60%.

Thinking about it, I wonder if the turners are a bad idea in the still air. Only the air cell really warms up, which does not benefit the embryo much. Have you tried incubating the eggs on the floor if you do normally use a turner, and measuring the temps on top of the eggs?

So.. you think that I should just move the cord from the top ( where it is hanging now) to the side and place directly on top of the egg... and see what temp it shows... I am going to try that and see if I get a different reading....

I really didn't want to hand turn.. but if it will get me at 50% ... I would love that!!

 

[fiset94]

Me too! Those are the numbers that I try to hit with the hatching... Dry 1-17 and increase at lockdown as much as possible.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I used no water and it stayed between 30-35% until lockdown than went up to 79% which gave me wiggle room for opening the bator and at the last hatched egg it was 69%.

I love it when I can run completely dry. This last hatch (since I'm one of those Northern people that don't see warm weather till July

) Had to keep a wet sponge to hold it at 30% cause the wood pellet stove does dry out the humidity in the house. It was only 16% completly dry.

 

[mswendeu]

I love it when I can run completely dry. This last hatch (since I'm one of those Northern people that don't see warm weather till July

) Had to keep a wet sponge to hold it at 30% cause the wood pellet stove does dry out the humidity in the house. It was only 16% completly dry.

Wow I think that helps quite a bit also. I am glad I skimmed the manual about humidity but, just read all the comments in the posts.
I was from NY transplanted to Tennessee literally right before I started incubating lol. Like buy a bed, buy three incubators and a kitchen table turn the utilities on. Ok I'm home.

Yesterday I decided that today I was going to supervisory integrate the younger chicks to our outside pen. They are 9 weeks old on tuesday. I should have done it before now but, I was worried. So today they will spend the day outside with the big chicks which are 12 weeks old. And I will bring them into the garage for the night. Every night until this coming weekend then they will be outdoor chickens permanently.



The rooster has decided he wants to live here and rule the roost.

Created a chicken following

One of them undid the screen on the door and now they follow him all over the yard.

The little chicks

Learning the pecking order?

I love their feathered feet.

I'm the boss in here.

 

[SimplyLogan]

I have to wonder about ventilation, with the covering and sticking the bator in boxes and such. Ventilation is one ingredient that we often overlook.

only the sides are covered where the two pieces go together. (usually just two sides) When I cover the windows, I fold my cloth so that none of the holes are covered so i don't lose ventilation. When warming up after opening I only cover for maybe 30min to 1hr. I like to make sure those hole are open.. and on the old one I have there are holes every where, not like the hovabator. Which I never need to cover or box. I have no idea what the new LG looks like, if there are holes everywhere? For non shipped eggs my last hatch rate was 96% in a turner. And it's still air and I dry incubate till day 18. I really despise this thing, but do not want to buy another hovabator, I want a cabinet bator. I have to save for that one a while.

 

[mswendeu]

only the sides are covered where the two pieces go together. (usually just two sides) When I cover the windows, I fold my cloth so that none of the holes are covered so i don't lose ventilation. When warming up after opening I only cover for maybe 30min to 1hr. I like to make sure those hole are open.. and on the old one I have there are holes every where, not like the hovabator. Which I never need to cover or box. I have no idea what the new LG looks like, if there are holes everywhere? For non shipped eggs my last hatch rate was 96% in a turner. And it's still air and I dry incubate till day 18. I really despise this thing, but do not want to buy another hovabator, I want a cabinet bator. I have to save for that one a while.

Simply I would love a cabinet one too. I saw a post here about how to make one out of a wine chiller.... I saved the link so I could see if my husband would try to do it.

 

[WalnutHill]

I built a nice 200 egg cabinet incubator out of foam sheets and 1 x 2s. It's doing great, rock steady temps and humidity and cost under $250 with four brand new egg turners.

Here is the link to the thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956935/home-made-cabinet-incubator

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Wow I think that helps quite a bit also. I am glad I skimmed the manual about humidity but, just read all the comments in the posts.
I was from NY transplanted to Tennessee literally right before I started incubating lol. Like buy a bed, buy three incubators and a kitchen table turn the utilities on. Ok I'm home.

Yesterday I decided that today I was going to supervisory integrate the younger chicks to our outside pen. They are 9 weeks old on tuesday. I should have done it before now but, I was worried. So today they will spend the day outside with the big chicks which are 12 weeks old. And I will bring them into the garage for the night. Every night until this coming weekend then they will be outdoor chickens permanently.



The rooster has decided he wants to live here and rule the roost.

Created a chicken following

One of them undid the screen on the door and now they follow him all over the yard.

The little chicks

Learning the pecking order?

I love their feathered feet.

I'm the boss in here.

How adorable!!!

Simply I would love a cabinet one too. I saw a post here about how to make one out of a wine chiller.... I saved the link so I could see if my husband would try to do it.

I would be in soooo much trouble with a cabinet incubator....lol I would love a Brinsea though. I may be having good hatches in this lg, but it's hard work...lol I'm up every two hours during the night when incubating just to make sure I don't get a temp spike in the middle of the night. During the day I don't mind the monitoring cause I'm nosey and always looking anyway, but I sure would like to sleep at nigt w/out worrying...lol

 

[mswendeu]

Goose egg #5 pipped Squee I'm so excited.