Natural Nest incubation(my attempt)

[Henman]

A question. Are the forced air incubators that you buy at your local feed store worth the money. Is there any success with this or will I be wasting my time. I know you have to have an egg turner, thermo and humitty gauge and a fan. That's what comes in the deluxe incubator. Problem I'm having is my 4 broody hens that have set almost all last year have now desided that their tired of that and want to go out and play - now that I'm wanting them to hatch my eggs. Just my luck.

 

[Lacy Blues]

They may decide to go broody for you in a few months... if you can wait that long.

 

[Henman]

I'm sure when spring arrives- if it ever does- they will go broody. My biggest problem is I'm impatient, and this is a hobby that takes a lot of patients. I would like to try and incubate some eggs even if my girls go broody. I just hear so many horror stories about incubators.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

I'm sure when spring arrives- if it ever does- they will go broody. My biggest problem is I'm impatient, and this is a hobby that takes a lot of patients. I would like to try and incubate some eggs even if my girls go broody. I just hear so many horror stories about incubators.

I don't know anything about a forced air unit. I have this box and a still. You could try the box method

 

[lazy gardener]

Henman: you can take any cheap Styrofoam incubator that has a thermostat, and turn it into a forced air incubator for about $4 with a used computer fan, a bit of hardware and a 12V telephone charger that plugs into the wall. A turner is a wonderful gadget to have, but not necessary. You can hand turn if you are around and can remember to do it about 3x/day. You can make your own incubator (for $20-30.00) with thermostat and forced air if you possess the skills to re-wire a lamp.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Ok my peeps(no pun intended) I candled again last night and I'm glad I did. One that I thought was a blood rind isn't. Another that I thought was a quiter seems bigger. So here are my results for both the box and styrofoam incubator.

Box(On day 9)
1) Medium sized dark mass
2) Seems to be loosing mass
3) Possible Embryo!
5) Medium mass
6) Almost fully clear
7) Almost fully clear
8) Baby growing!!
9) Possible Blood Ring...
10) Possible Baby!
11) Medium dark mass
12) Baby Growing!!
13) Mexican jumping bean baby!!!

Styrofoam (Day 5)
1) Air cell healing. BABY DUCK!!
2) Cell still loose
3) Cell still loose
4) No change
5) Darker, cell healing
6) No change(seems to be a clear)
7) No change
8) No change
9) Possible Veins
10) No change
11) No change
12) Too dark to see
13) No change
14) No change

 

[Beekissed]

You have a jumping bean and some possibles????? YAY!!!!! Those possibles of mine turned into jumping beans tonight, so I have 3 chicks in there and all air cells accounted for and exactly the same size. I'm thinking your dark masses will be chicks as well. Hallelujah!!!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

You have a jumping bean and some possibles????? YAY!!!!!  Those possibles of mine turned into jumping beans tonight, so I have 3 chicks in there and all air cells accounted for and exactly the same size.  I'm thinking your dark masses will be chicks as well.  Hallelujah!!! 

Yep the jumping bean scared my grandma. It was pretty funny. One thing tho is that they all seem to be slightly different ages. And I'm not sure why...I'm going to crak the clear in a bit. And #10 was on the block because I thought iit was a blood ring but then it suddenly gained veins and a baby. And I hope the dark masses are babies, but one takes up almost the whole egg.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep the jumping bean scared my grandma. It was pretty funny. One thing tho is that they all seem to be slightly different ages. And I'm not sure why...I'm going to crak the clear in a bit. And #10 was on the block because I thought iit was a blood ring but then it suddenly gained veins and a baby. And I hope the dark masses are babies, but one takes up almost the whole egg.

Mine did too and I thought maybe it was a rotten egg...I couldn't even see the aircell! But tonight I could suddenly see into that dark egg and could see a little light areas in which I could see the chick. Not sure why it was so dark before and why I couldn't see anything but this full darkness, but it's resolved now.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I just had a thought, if you candled the eggs and some were a little slow could you not move them into the middle of the nest for a day and set them there just turning side to side? That way they'd get warmer than the outer eggs and develop more evenly? This is akin to what a broody hen does.