"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[LemonMeringue]

This is how I cut down cardboard egg cartons for lockdown. I did the holes in the bottom of each spot and used the trimmed down top of the carton as a riser placed underneath. I don't know if this is the best way, its just what I did. I've used egg cartons in one way or another every time. Supposedly every time a hatched chick is scrambling around in there, bumping and moving eggs around (if they are on their side) then the chicks in eggs have to reposition and it might take those knocked about longer etc. Who knows! I just use the egg carton method because it's nice! It makes for great viewing of the process and easy to keep track of pips and such. And if one did happen to have a smallish air cell my logic says it has a better chance upright. But hens do it ALL the time laying them down. So......

 

[LindaB220]

For mine I haven't kept to a 2 hour block for cool down ever tho I can program mine to do a cool down.When I open and move my eggs around and do my turning my eggs in the other direction I let that be my cool down. Linda did 2 hatches without a cool down that hatched almost all eggs. I'm looking forward to see it she hatches more this time. Pam

Yes, I want the very best for my birds. BUT it is a little time consuming being there and remembering to put the top back on after 2 hrs. I'll try it a couple of batches to see if it is worth the extra effort. The Farmers Innovator incubator is I guess about like all the other foam 'bators. If I plan on doing a lot of hatching it stands to reason to invest on a better one or a cabinet. Not gonna happen soon, I can tell you. My handyman has an OLD incubator that a neighbor gave him and he is knocking out hundreds of quail. He's a hunter and his 2 freezers are packed with a tons of deer meat. So jealous. I'm going to see if he is agreeable to hatching some of mine. This is the critical year of getting the stock built up.

 

[Cody A]

Hey Linda, so you have two Marraduna chicks hatch so far?

Is there a thread that talks about the temp for the cool down period you mentioned of 75F? I found the post where Ron talks about it on the egg shipping thread but no temp is mentioned. I'm just curious about where the specific temp came from and there reasoning behind it.

 

[birdman55]

I am right with you hatchers...im at day 15...15 to 18 is when the egg fills in and should be pretty much dark on the 18th day...
day 15 pics

 

[TerriLaChicks]

So busy and beat

!!!! Hubby is out for work and I guess I'm just not up to par doing everything by myself. But chickens are tucked in nice and tight.

I don't do a set time or take eggs out to cool down. Because my luck I WOULD FORGET TO PUT THEM BACK for too long! I would, really. So I open, do what needs done. Humidity, maybe candle and moving eggs positions, then I close. It takes awhile to come back up to temperature. So basically I'm just not getting uptight about the fact that I have the incubator open for a few minutes. I just try to go back and check it later to make sure all temps are good. I guess it's my modified version.


Sean what is it in selling you?? Seriously, it's been some loooooong days around here. I'm thinking I might have said I could sell chicks? I do have some young mixed barred rock/buff Orpington, a tiny frizzled white Cochin (he had 5toes per foot so my kids can't show it), a Olive egger and a BCM that appear to be cockerels. I'm really leaning towards thinking our older white Cochin bantam chick might be a cockerel too

its 4 weeks and cute and friendly as can be! Little turd always tries to eat my freckles and loves to snuggle a knee. I will cross my fingers for that one just a bit longer. Anyway if you want to buy any of what I listed you can send me a pm and we can work out details.

So its my a few days until the 6 eggs under the other broody are due. Saturday or Sunday. Unless the cold slows them down. Terrible weather for it. She may get moved. I'm hoping for Cochin's that can go to show.

"I WOULD FORGET TO PUT THEM BACK" -- that's EXACTLY what I thought! Me, too!

 

[Cody A]

How'd everyone come through the freeze?

I wound up pulling an all nighter. My bator is in my shop, I have two elect. heaters going and temp dropped below 60F inside. Cabinet incubators with warm and cool areas. I had to up the temp a couple times and close the vents a bit through the night.

It's still frozen and cold here.

 

[Cody A]

I am right with you hatchers...im at day 15...15 to 18 is when the egg fills in and should be pretty much dark on the 18th day...
day 15 pics

Nice Birdman! Thanks for sharing the pics. Good luck with the last few days.

 

[campingshaws]

I added a bit more water again today, trying to keep my humidity around 30%. I need that wet gray weather back! Humidity in the house is down to 35%, 25% in the bator.

 

[campingshaws]

I wound up pulling an all nighter. My bator is in my shop, I have two elect. heaters going and temp dropped below 60F inside. Cabinet incubators with warm and cool areas. I had to up the temp a couple times and close the vents a bit through the night.

It's still frozen and cold here.

Oh gosh, that's awful! How'd the internal temps do?

 

[TerriLaChicks]

I hope everything goes well for all you hatching right now. I'm almost ready to get back in the game again myself; as soon as I get the RIRs grown enough to get them out of the house. Be a few more weeks yet.

We're supposed to get sleet starting tomorrow. Hope all the people who wanted cold weather are happy. I'm not! My comfort zone is somewhere between 50-70!

All my birds were out hopping around like nothing was wrong this morning. And the dogs wanted to stand around outside & sniff the breeze. While I was freezing & saying bad words!