My little experiment worked!?!!!??

[red rosecomb]

3 weeks ago I started incubating 5 eggs in a barely made incubator, by barely I mean no thermometer ,no hygrometer and no funny litttle gadgets you find on normal incubators.

I was bored (you all know how crazy teenagers get when they are bored

) so I made a little incubator out of a wooden box, a 60 watt light bulb and a small container of water. I placed 5 eggs from our small flock of chickens.I turned them 3 times a day. I compared the temp through feeling the heat of the eggs under a broody in our flock.

Suprisingly a chick hatched today!!! To tell you all the truth I didnt really think a chick could hatch. It looks good and no deffects on the little guy.Its wet at the moment I will try to post pics as soon as its dry and awake.

Who knew it could happen and my mom is excited about the hatchling and a little confused as well.

I think it was just luck, what do you all think?

 

[SoccerMomof7]

That's crazy! Congratulations! It's is crazy that so many people go through so much to get everything just right so their eggs will hatch and this basic incubator did the job. Good Job!

 

[Mrs.Puff]

Good Job!!! I'm glad to hear that teenagers all over the world are hatching their own chickens! What kind are they?

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Congratulations! I hope at least another hatches for you so it will have a buddy.

Lisa

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Good Job

 

[skeeter9]

Nice job! Sounds like you had the incubation conditions just right. Maybe you have special incubating powers?? You should try it again and see if you get the same results!

 

[red rosecomb]

Its just so wierd. I read posts about people struggling to operate these modern incubators, but here I am hatching with a very very basic incubator.

I read so many posts on people hatchin in incubators and hand rearing chicks and i guess i got a little jealous and started on my little project.

This shows nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.

This chick is cross between a white pekin roo and a black rosecomb bantam hen and I also do hope another chick hatches for this one.

 

[GOSPELSOLDIER]

WOOOOOOOW.. thas amazing everytime ive tried i was'nt sucessful, i had to buy a bator...and at times.. i aint that sucessful either... dunno maybe its bad luck? i dunno, but i sure do envy that good luck you have..this hobby goes beyond just caring it takes lots of time, and true understanding...good job..

 

[red rosecomb]

Thank you all

. But i now have a problem, I never hand reared a chick without a broody hens help and our only broody's eggs are due to hatch 3 days from now, but this time I really want to do this on my own.

So tell me, how do you guys raise your chickies without mama hens help? I want to raise a lap chicken too

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[twigg]

There is a useful lesson here for all those who think too much.

*** Hatching eggs is simple ***

I didn't say it was easy, I said it was simple.

The tricky bit is getting high hatch rates, consistently, but this guy tells all those who forget to read the manual just how simple it can be.

Forget about egg cartons, dispense with fancy *aids*, go back to basics of Temp, Humidity and good stock.

Once your eggs start hatching at rates you only ever dreamed of (and yes, it can be done in an LG Still air, or a breadbin), then start varying things as much as you want.

Crucial here is learn the parameters that give you the 95% hatch rate, then only change one thing at a time. If it works, repeat it. If it doesn't you will always have your standard settings to go back to.

Where most go wrong is that they forget the basics. Fluctuating temps are not ok. Low humidity is not ok. Shiipping eggs is marginal at best. Opening the incubator too much is not ok.

Take egg cartons ..... If your hatch rate increases, it is not ok. You were doing something wrong. Use egg cartons, but don't use them to mask a humidity problem. How do I know you had a humidity problem? Well your hatch rate increased, and it shouldn't have. It will mislead you. You end up thinking that the egg cartons improved your hatch rate, when what really happened is that the carton created a micro-climate in your incubator that corrected a humidity issue. This is just an example, not a prescription

Any one condition can vary a bit without too much ill effect. The problems start when several parameters are on the limits ..... it might then take only a tiny error to turn a hatch into a disaster, leaving you with no idea what went wrong.

Read the manual, ask for help, then do it