New Dickey Incubator - 48 Bantam Eggs - All Done.

[MAllen]

This is going to be an incubation/hatch log for documenting the setup of a new Dickey incubator and the incubation and hatching of 48 Bantam eggs. 36 eggs from one supplier and 12 from another. All of the eggs were purchased on eBay and arrived at my home via USPS on 09/23/2009. The new incubator is being brought by UPS and will arrive on 09/24/2009, perfect timing! The following is a list of the eggs received by supplier, breed, and number of eggs.

Supplier #1
Leon Valley Trading Company
Gorman, Texas.

The eBay auction was for 24+ Assorted Bantam Pure Breed Hatching Eggs. I received 36 eggs consisting of 12 breeds, 3 eggs each breed. These eggs were packed really well. Each was wrapped in foam which was held in place by rubber bands and then all of those were packed in another layer of foam. The shipping box was very clearly marked with "Fragile", "Hatching Eggs", "Do Not X-ray", and "Protect From Heat". All eggs arrived in good condition, no cracks.

Cost with Shipping was $32

3 Partridge Cochin
3 Crele OEGB
3 Silver Duckwing OEGB
3 Belgian Quail DAnvers (SQ)
3 Spangle OEGB
3 Self Blue OEGB (SQ)
3 Black Breasted Red OEGB (SQ)
3 Self Blue dUccle (SQ)
3 Mille Fluer (SQ)
3 Birchen OEGB (SQ)
3 Red Cochin
3 Buff Cochin

Supplier #2
Josh S.
Hiawassee, Georgia

The eBay auction was for 8 Crele OEG Bantam eggs. I received 12 eggs total, 8 are Crele and 4 are BB Red. The packaging was OK. The box was filled with shreds of paper and each egg was individually wrapped in a paper towel. The shipping box was clearly marked with "Fragile", "Hatching Eggs", and "Do Not X-ray". All eggs arrived in good condition, no cracks.

Cost with Shipping was $17

8 Crele OEGB
4 Black Breasted Red OEGB

Here is a photo (below) of all the eggs placed in cartons to settle over night. When the incubator gets here tomorrow I expect it will take me a few hours to get it setup and running then I will set the eggs. I will of course document the incubator's arrival and setup as well and will post the results with photos to this thread. During incubation I will try to post daily updates with temp and humidity readings and anything else that comes up during the incubation. I will also post results of candling of the eggs with photos if possible, and of course will document the hatching of the eggs. So, if you would like to follow along and share in this adventure then please do, I welcome all comments and of course any help along the way, especially if you happen to own a Dickey incubator and/or are a bantam hatching expert! Here's that photo.....

 

[GaNewChick]

Interesting ~ will be following this thread. I am interested in how well you do with them.

 

[MAllen]

Quote:
Thanks for sitting in! Grab some

and enjoy the show.

Matt

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I purchase from Leon Valley all the time and they are the BEST!!! I love the way they package their eggs! I'm going to watch this thread because I want a Dickey. I'm going to live vicariously through you until I get mine in a few months.

Laurie

 

[swheat]

I wished your incubator came in a couple of days before the eggs. Your incubator needs to stabilize for a couple of days before setting eggs. Good luck , I keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

You have quite a variety there. Good luck with your hatch.

 

[miss_jayne]

the Dickey is easy to set up, it will take a few hours or a few days to get to temperature. it is easy to work with but you'll have to make little adjustments until you get it spot on.

also, from those of us who have Dickeys and use them regularly, many of us have found them to run a little cool. meaning that upping the temp one degree has really been helpful. it doesn't shorten the incubation period, it actually gets it 'right'. several of us found running at the recommended temps from Mr. Dickey weren't actually warm enough to hatch on 21 days continuously. when i upped mine, hatches snapped to 21 days right away.

do not increase the humidity in the Dickey to hatch. only mist as directed. you will find a mass of mold to grow in the machine if you do. follow the humidity instructions to a T!!!!!

one thing i do recommend when owning a Dickey is owning a table top unit as well. i use two table tops also. you just cannot get enough humidity for some breeds with thicker shells (ie: marans) or other species such as geese.

 

[MAllen]

Thanks for stopping in everyone, and thanks for the Dickey info. I was reading the instructions for it that Mr. Dickey has online. He says to run the front thermostat at 99.5 degrees, from what you're saying here it sounds like uping that to 100.5 is better and puts hatching at the 21 day mark for you.

Maybe I should run it as the instructions recommend for the first hatch and adjust based on the results? Seems like that would take into account my location, slight differences in incubators, and so on. No?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Even if yours runs perfectly at the 99.5 setting, increasing it to 100.5 won't effect the hatch that much

 

[miss_jayne]

yes. run it per instructions the first time. the worst that can happen is that your hatch is slow. the best that can happen is that it comes out perfect for you!

also, make sure it is not in direct light at all.

remember that the temp will go up when the bator has eggs in it and the more full it is the better. the more full it is, the more efficiently it runs. (like a full fridge that isn't overstuffed.)

so, after your eggs are in for awhile and it recovers, keep your eye on the temp just like any other incubator. but wait a bit to adjust the temp again. then do it very slowly.

when the instructions say 'small increments' they mean REALLY REALLY REALLY small. like, you barely move the adjuster. very small movements. and do one then let it sit until the temp doesn't change. do it again, lather, rinse, repeat until you get where you need to be.