My Hatching Journey: the Adventures of a Complete Newbie

[BantyChooks]

I became interested in incubating several months ago, after starting to get some fertile eggs from my newest roosters. While asking around on BYC I found the "Incubating w/ friends" thread. After reading the incredible pile of information on there and asking some questions, I decided to sit back and wait for spring. Yeah, right, famous last words, eh? My first batch is going in the incubator soon, if I can locate all the supplies I need. I thought I had them all but then my hygroset (pictured below) malfunctioned.



Incubator modification—it's so simple, but makes adjusting temperatures way easier. Just hot glue a Lego onto the adjuster.


Incubator pictures:



My plans are to get a good cross going with my EE/Sultan eggs. I am curious as to what they look like, and if I can get them to retain the more attractive aspects of the Sultan with the coloured eggs and slightly better common sense of the EE.

Update: 1st gen cross of EE x Sultan below. I am very pleased.



Pictured below are some of the eggs I am going to set.


Helpful thread links:

Hatching 101
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

Educational Incubation and Hatching
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/educational-incubation-hatching-w-sally-sunshine-hosts-bantychooks-and-more.1137467/

Coolerbator
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-easy-cooler-incubator
and
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/building-the-binbator.72074/

Assisted Hatching
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching


Feel free to join in with your own hatches, add advice, or learn a few things. All are welcome.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Go Bubbles GO!!!!

 

[BYC910]

Go Bubbles GO!!!!

Go bigger Bubbles

 

[BantyChooks]

Go Bubbles GO!!!! e

Go bigger Bubbles

Thanks y'all, I'm pretty excited about this.

 

[BantyChooks]

I tried replacing the battery and letting the hygro/thermo sit, but it appears that it was defective. New one arrives in a few days so that this one works and I can set by the end of this week.

 

[BantyChooks]

My super fancy way to add water to the channels in the bottom:

 

[BYC910]

My super fancy way to add water to the channels in the bottom:

that's cool. I used air line from my fish tanks or tube from am spray bottle and a 20cc syringe . sorry your hyrgoset is bad . I have got three and all were good and work fine. I would leave it dry until you know what the dry humidity is . are you going to add a fan? or leave it still air . you are so one up on me when I started and long after . I had to figure out things on my own to proud to ask questions . you will do great for sure.

 

[BantyChooks]

that's cool. I used air line from my fish tanks or tube from am spray bottle and a 20cc syringe . sorry your hyrgoset is bad . I have got three and all were good and work fine. I would leave it dry until you know what the dry humidity is . are you going to add a fan? or leave it still air . you are so one up on me when I started and long after . I had to figure out things on my own, too proud to ask questions . you will do great for sure.

I'm not adding water yet except to test that it works.

I am not really planning on adding a fan, as I will build a coolerbator soon. Thanks for the vote of confidence, I am really hoping I get a few chicks out of this.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

Quote:

A few TIPS & TRICKS!
Below image is a Simple waterer/suctioner out of aquarium tubing placed through side of incubator and into water wells. Use a Kids medicine syringe to add/suck water without opening or disturbing eggs.


In the image below are the different sized cups I use the first 18 days of incubation INSTEAD of using the wells in the bottom of the incubator. I had a hard time getting humidity correct, so I started using different size containers and caps for water holding, I could easily remove & replace as necessary. It WORKS WELL and I can keep them clean and sanitized better and not disturb my eggs! I will remove these cups on day 18 so the chicks don’t drown in them
and use the lower wells at lockdown at day 18.


2" funnel & we shoved it into a small piece of 1/4" tubing, a cleat on the inside of the unit (a wide-crown staple or cable staple would work also) to hold the tubing in place.
This way you can add water to the middle of the bator without missing the water troughs and without opening the unit. see below
(Thanks tlpounds)

​

 

[Sally Sunshine]

ps bubbles your borrowing the bator? so you dont want to put a hole in it? perhaps she wouldnt mind if you show her what the hole would be for?