Little Giant Incubator Tricks

[Arielle]

My hatch day is tomorrow. I run my LG at 100 but my hatches tend to be late. I am thinking if I do it again I am just going to bite the bullet and try to hatch/incubate at 102 and see if I can get them to hatch on time or earlier. These are bantam eggs so they are suppose to hatch earlier anyway. I guess we will see. For my patience problem though I really need to figure out how to get the eggs to hatch on time or even better early!! Oh and of course I have no pips yet! I am trying to stay busy so that I am not sitting glued to the incubator!!

Sounds like a good plan; your thermometer seems like it is off a little bit according to the chicks hatch date.

I just had a clutch hatch early!!! Guess mine is running hot!

 

[SunnySkies]

Another chick is hatching! Another egg I had marked as questionable. Yay!

I am going to make sure my oldest son opens the incubator first...I don't need more chicks imprinted on me.

 

[Avonshire]

Well it turns out 7 of my nine have now hatched so maybe my temp is good this time around! I did add a bottle cap to my temp adjuster and did not use a turner this time which made it easier to go into lock down. I have trouble getting the temp right when changing from the turner to lock down. So I am happy with 7 babies but I can't help hope for the other two to hatch too and feel some disappointment that they might not. Patience is the name of the game!!!

 

[Arielle]

I have a few chicks hatching too- Iwas suprised by the number that did not hatch. Still got 15 chicks to hatch, and 2 died. Pretty blues and black americana-EE's

I do think two machines, one incubator and one hatcher is much easier. Perhaps you can buy another LG or build a hatcher and that way keep using the turner in the original LG.

 

[SunnySkies]

Yay for chicks!!

We had that one hatch yesterday and took it out of the hatcher thus morning. It's a brownish bird. Very pretty. My son took that one our of the incubator and it is sitting quietly on him.

Two more are pipping!

Silkie eggs on lockdown to hatch Tuesday....of course, the day we will be out of the house all day.

 

[Arielle]

How nice to hear the cheep-cheep of new ones when you arrive home!

 

[SunnySkies]

Two more hatched while I was at work, and my boys watched all morning. That is saying something....they have the attention spans of gnats!

As I was peering into the hatcher at the newly hatched chicks -- still drying off -- I noticed one of the Silkie eggs is pipping! The last barnyard mix egg is rolling around, so there is a viable chick in there.

This is totally addicting

We had no chickens less than a month ago, and we are up to 20 right now. Does not include anything in eggs right now.

 

[Arielle]

My boys love the chickens, at 8 and 10, my boys are a little more hands on. THey are often playing with a duck or chick or hen. I'm glad your kids are as fascinated as mine are. It is a nice hobby that can last a lifetime.

 

[SunnySkies]

Mine all love sitting and holding a chick. My 5 year old is often forgetful and has dropped a couple chicks, so he isn't allowed to mess with them, period.

Just moved all eggs over into the hatcher LG. I picked up the eggs in lockdown and can hear noises in there. Fingers crossed! I'm pretty sure some f the SFH eggs aren't viable, but you never know...

 

[Arielle]

Mine all love sitting and holding a chick. My 5 year old is often forgetful and has dropped a couple chicks, so he isn't allowed to mess with them, period.

Just moved all eggs over into the hatcher LG. I picked up the eggs in lockdown and can hear noises in there. Fingers crossed! I'm pretty sure some f the SFH eggs aren't viable, but you never know...

Your 5 year old will be able to handle them when a little older . . . . DH drops chicks, too!

Hoping for a good hatch!!