Maine

[Jazor]

Looking for experienced hatchers advice. Just got this in the mail with a small crack, should I try to incubate anyway, or is it a lost cause? I'm worried it may ruin the rest of the hatch if I tried?

Yikes, hopefully those aren't the ones I had set aside for you. I had checked them all over, I swear!

 

[Wee Acre Farm]

you can cover small cracks with candles wax to seal. then incubate

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks Bucka. Yankee, sorry for your loss. McKenney, too bad they're so dark. It'll make candling difficult. But, you've got nothing to loose by setting them. Your best ally is going to be your nose in this case. I'd give them a good sniff every day! Good luck on your egg set. Mine go in today!!! I'm still fiddling with little bits of foil and other baffle ideas to try to even out the temps. I put a piece of foil in front of one of the bulbs, now that spot is cool, and the far back corner is the warm spot!

 

[mckenney]

Yikes, hopefully those aren't the ones I had set aside for you. I had checked them all over, I swear!

No- your eggs were perfect! These were shipped from Indiana, so I wasn't surprised there were 2 casualties out of 20. They were supposed to be shipped with a heat pack but weren't and that is my main concern- hopefully it works. Thanks again They went in last night!

 

[mckenney]

you can cover small cracks with candles wax to seal. then incubate

Thanks- I thought I was going to throw them, but decided to test the wax idea- hopefully it works

Thanks Bucka. Yankee, sorry for your loss. McKenney, too bad they're so dark. It'll make candling difficult. But, you've got nothing to loose by setting them. Your best ally is going to be your nose in this case. I'd give them a good sniff every day! Good luck on your egg set. Mine go in today!!! I'm still fiddling with little bits of foil and other baffle ideas to try to even out the temps. I put a piece of foil in front of one of the bulbs, now that spot is cool, and the far back corner is the warm spot!

Thank you! I put them in last night and I was assuming I would be able to smell something before they exploded- I hope that's right.

Disappointed in my incubator though, I have a Farmers Innovation model 4200 (I think that's what it is) and the temp/humidity gauge is off by about 8 degrees and over 10-20 points humidtywise- took a while to get everything figured out, but I think I got it stable. Soooo the therm that it has attached to it says 92 degrees... Anyone else every have this problem? I have two other thermometers in there that are keeping me straight and those agree that it is actually 99-100 F.

 

[Jazor]

No- your eggs were perfect! These were shipped from Indiana, so I wasn't surprised there were 2 casualties out of 20. They were supposed to be shipped with a heat pack but weren't and that is my main concern- hopefully it works. Thanks again They went in last night!

Good to hear. I also have pure Barred Rock eggs as well, if for some reason you don't have great luck with this hatch just let me know!

 

[lazy gardener]

I also have to fudge with thermometers. I use a digital ~~and a mercury medical thermometer in a bowl of water, aiming for 100 degrees, then make the mental adjustment to match a large red dye indoor/outdoor rod type for easier reading. I have an Incutherm+ hatch monitor on order, which is fairly accurate for temp and humidity. It has a probe that can easily be moved around in the incubator.

 

[Cknldy]

In the first cracked egg pic I thought you posted it because of the cat pic on it! There's half of a cat face with an ear and whiskers Keep us posted on the cracked eggs. I don't kniw about incubating them but when I collect an egg that the shell is cracked but not the membrane I will still put it in the fridge. I've heard that with a smaller crack clear nail polish works. I hope all goes well for your hatch.
Back during our biggest snow/cold storms when dh was sent home from work he would get onto me for not taking my phone with me down to the chickens. I've got them spread out over about 3 acres of our property with some being all the way at the bottom of the mountain side;-) One day it took me over an hour and a half due to breaking ice and chipping away at poopcycles- I'm slipping and sliding UP the mountain side, glance up to see dh staring down at me! He said he got worried after hollering out the back door. This was major for my dh! He never comes to the coops so he must have run out of coffee only to realize I hadn't gotten back to the house yet I always take the phone now but more for surprise pics because let's face it- with everyone else at work and school, who's gonna come rescue me from my chickens?

 

[ashandvine]

LG, if you are picking up local eggs I do not think you need to let them set at all. Maybe if they feel cool from the ride, then you would want them to sit until they reach room temperature. Good luck with your hatch!

X2

Do you eat goose? Do you eat or sell goose eggs? Do the geese perform a service for you that is beneficial? Without a yes to one or more of these questions, I would concentrate my energy and resources on the chickens. No place here for bullies.

Geese are very smart and social. They are enjoyable as pets and cheaper to raise for part of the year as they eat mainly grass. Geese were often used as weeders and in some organic plantations/orchards still are used instead of herbicides and machines. Look up Cotton Patch Geese for a great history lesson. Their poop is of course full of nitrogen and is easily and quickly composted because they are basically lawn mowers and their feces looks like it. The geese I have are not bullies at all but there are some breeds which are much more aggressive/territorial than others. For this reason they are used as flock guardians and they do a good job of only alerting us/the flock but they also will break up fights in the yard between birds. They crave harmony. BUT this is breeding season. Unlike a chicken that lays most of the year a goose has a much shorter season, hence part of the reason for their being a more expensive animal. In breeding season, as with many other species, they are not sweet pets. They are hormonal and broody and protective. They are driven by instinct and hormones. I find that geese are often condemned as always being pinchers or honkers but so many are not, especially outside of the few months of breeding season.
Geese can be eaten and are delicious. Many people do not cook them now as so many of the old recipes for them are not in the books-- like game birds, pheasant and quail and what not, also not in there. Geese are hardy and smart and very intelligent. Try not to condemn a species based on one bird or breed, please.

 

[yankeehill]

We eat goose and goose and duck eggs. We hope to let them raise some hatchlings this spring. We've had trouble, in the past, with a creature sneaking into the coop and taking eggs, and hens. Since we've had the geese, no trouble, so we do feel they are great protectors. I think they just need a place of their own. They do hiss at us, but have never tried to attack any of us, or the kids.