my thieving otter eggs are in the incubator- need photos of setups please

[lindy]

ok, i did buy a trailer load of "sand" its ground rock, so can i just boil it in water or something to clean it then give it to them? i dont want to give them coccidia.
-not sure how to dry it back out though

I wouldn't worry about the wire as long as there aren't any sharp edges.

Sand isn't going to be large enough for grit. Construction sand will have some small pebbles in there that will work, but true sand is awfully fine

 

[Nabiki]

ok, i did buy a trailer load of "sand" its ground rock, so can i just boil it in water or something to clean it then give it to them? i dont want to give them coccidia.
-not sure how to dry it back out though

That should be fine. Unless it's mixed with poop, you shouldn't have to worry about coccidia. If you are worried, you can just spread it out in the sun. Sunlight has enough UV light to kill just about anything that could be in it.

 

[lindy]

That should be fine. Unless it's mixed with poop, you shouldn't have to worry about coccidia. If you are worried, you can just spread it out in the sun. Sunlight has enough UV light to kill just about anything that could be in it.

thanks, it doesnt get super hot but all give it a try.

 

[lindy]

so about 9 weeks was when i got the first egg. Can i do anything different to try to get them to lay a week earlier or is that still average?

 

[Nabiki]

so about 9 weeks was when i got the first egg. Can i do anything different to try to get them to lay a week earlier or is that still average?

How much light are they getting? The earliest I've had them lay is 5.5 weeks, the latest was about 16 weeks (late autumn hatch).

The best thing you can do is make sure they have 14-16 hours of light per day and are comfortable in their home.

 

[lindy]

I am not sure, i bought a solar light and just started leaving it on low at night the last week. Daylight hours are slowly getting less. i would say they have had at least 12 hours of light before supplemental. I am trying to find a solar one that would turn on for just a few hours after dusk.
im hoping when they move into the stacked cages they wont stop laying. since they are on sawdust right now.

 

[Nabiki]

I am not sure, i bought a solar light and just started leaving it on low at night the last week. Daylight hours are slowly getting less. i would say they have had at least 12 hours of light before supplemental. I am trying to find a solar one that would turn on for just a few hours after dusk.
im hoping when they move into the stacked cages they wont stop laying. since they are on sawdust right now.

If they're not getting enough light, they won't lay. That's the main reason the late autumn hatches usually don't start laying until nearly spring. The spring hatches usually start laying early since they get the summer length days.