New to incubating ,need help please,

[New2chickensnky]

Hello everyone , We just bought a used incubator ,the styrofom type, and I have a few questions. We pluged it in about 1 hour ago and the light keeps comming on and off , it is getting warm on the windows, but since this is our first time I am a bit leary, I am actually thinking on just going to the local feed store and getting a new one with a book and knowing it is working right anyhow , but Just wanted to check here since I know you all know a lot more that I do. Anyhow , I know that it takes 21 days and I need to add water and all that , but should the light go on and off while it is heating up? Do I need to have a hatcher as well, if not , how long should they stay in the incubator before it is dangerous to them? After the 21 days, how many extra days should I leave them in there . If somone can , please give me all the basics that I need to know . I am wanting so bad to hatch babies from our own chickens. The kids are all excited and of course do not have the concept of time. Oh yeah , also , I see a lot on here about peeping and piping , can someone please define this. Thank you all so much , I get on here from time to time to just read up on what everyone does with their chickens and all , and I think you all are a great sourse for information. Thanks to any and all that post.

 

[chickenfeed]

Pip. 1. The hole a newly formed chick makes in its shell when it is ready to hatch. 2. The act of making the hole.
Peeping is the noise the chick makes.

The light goes on and off to keep the temperature constant.
You don't have to have a hatcher. They are fine in the incubator for a couple days before going into a brooder.

Hope this helps you some. I'm also new to this and have just had my first two chicks hatch today.

 

[MissPrissy]

The incubator at TSC is the very basic bottom of the line model. You won't be any better off.

What type of incubator do you have now? What does it look like. A light going on and off indicates that the thermostat is switching off and on which is exactly what you want. You need a good thermometer so you can check your temperatures and humidity.

Before you try to hatch any eggs as you have so many questions you will do yourself a better service by going to the library and checking out some books on poultry and hatching.

Prepare yourself. learn to regulate the incubator you have now and you will not be disappointed when you try your first hatch.

Work with the incubator, get it regualted and running like a charm. Then and only then think about getting eggs.

If you are really uncomfortabel wit the incubator you have and you feel you must buy a new one the best for the money right now is by GQF , the makers of Hovabator , the Genesis 1588 . It is almost fool proof. Plug and play. If you can get yourself a turner to go with it. The novelty of turning eggs wears off after a few days.

 

[New2chickensnky]

Thank you both , I am unsure of the brand, it just says still air on it and it is the styroform with the turner in it. The ones at the feed store are the same , just new. I will try to make it to the library tomorrow , the boy we got it from said not to touch the temp control that it would take it a month to reset, I find this hard to believe , he is like 14 or 15 and not sure that he really knows what he is talking about either. Anyhow , what type of themometer should I get ?? THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU .. We have babies now , just moved them outside , but we did not hatch them , we just raised them so far from a week old and so we got the rearing and raising down pat , now we just need to get the incubating and hatching down and I will soon be a chicken farmer .. LOL




PS,
We are the proud parents of a dog , a cat , 12 Red Star hen, 1 RS Roo , 10 RIR babies and last but not least 6 wonderful children .. Just wanted to tell a bit about us.. LOL THANKS AGAIN TO YOU BOTH !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MissPrissy]

If it is an old LG then the boy was right. Don't touch the thermostat adjustor it just might take a month to get it adjusted right. But you may have to adjust it only by hair line movements depending on the conditions of the room you set the incubator up in. Move it in the tiniest amount possible.

I'll be real honest that I don't like those old LG's. You should also make sure you have a brand new thermostat wafer on hand just in case. You don't want to be half way into a hatch and that thing go out. They cost about $6.

You should check walmart in the houseware sections where you find air filters, light bulbs, light switches, etc. they have a digital accurite with a probe for about $12 that does ambient temp and humidity. Don't get the cheap $5 ones they are less acuurate. You can also check the pet stores and look in the reptile section for one.

Let us know what you end up with.

 

[jackiedon]

What I did when found this site was, I went to the incubation and hatching section and read everything I could. I remember learning SOO much from Specklehen and this was before she was a Mod. Miss Prissy also had a lot to offer plus others. I learned so much from the post in that section.

jackie

 

[New2chickensnky]

Thanks to you all again..
I will try to take a picture of it and get it on here , I saw where someone had the instructions on here to post pictures. I told my hubby that I trusted you all on here before I trusted a lot of others. You all always do have some post on here.

What I am planning on doing is taking the picture , posting it and going to Walmart this morning when I take the kids to school and getting a thermomator and going checking the temp and humity , and starting with a few eggs and sit and wait. We moved the babies that we have out side last night and I could not sleep worth a dime for worring about them, it is not cold here , but we had winds last night and are in a wind advisory today and I just worry that they will get too cold or too hot , I was used to going to my laundry room and seeing them right there so I could keep an eye on them. I feell like my babies have been taken from me or something. I never thought that I would like to raise chickens at all , but now that we have the babies and now an incubator , I am loving it. I also have pic's of the babies that I want to upload on here as well, and one of the new coop that we just built also.

What temp and humity should I be looking for Ms. Prissy?? Thanks again , I will keep you all posted on how it is going and hopefully with in a day or two I can add eggs and wait.

 

[MissPrissy]

If your incubator is a still air you want to measure the temps at the top of the eggs. 101.5 - 102 is the temp you are looking for. The humidity should be at 30 - 55% for the first 18 days. The eggs need to be turned 3 or 4 times a day as well. After day 18 you stop turning, boost the humidity to 70% and sit on your hands.

Literally, keep your hands off the incubator and the eggs. Mother nature has to take over and doesn't always need your help. More chicks are lost to impatient hatchers and hands that can't keep off than any other reason for failure in a hatch.

Also buy your self a surge protector and plug the incubator into it to help with temp spikes at night.

Keep us posted with your temps. You need to let that incubator run several days before you put eggs in.

Good luck!

 

[New2chickensnky]

Ms. Prissy ,
Thanks, I went to Walmart and got a thermo . today with the humity check on it as well, brought it home , it has been in there for over 2 hours and a temp of 93 and humity of 64 , how do I get the humity down to where it needs to be and after the 18 days get it back up to where it needs to be?/ I turned the heat up just a small bit , and I am going to check again in a few hours . I just hope all this works out . I already have it on a surge protector and it is in my laundry room so that is a fairly warm room too , I had to have it somewhere where the baby would not get into it and get hurt.

Yeah , I will sit on my hands and watch mother nature take it's course , and I will turn the egg turner off at 18 days right?/

Thanks again , I will name my first hatched hen after you..

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

you pull a plug on the top to get the humidity down. to get it back up simply add a wet sponge or add water to the bottom of the bator

forgot to add. Day 18 is when the turner gets unplugged. Sorry for not adding that sooner