North Carolina

Ok I borrowed a medical thermometer from a friend, I couldn't keep it though. So the digital read out at 97degrees and the gqf one was at 100, and the medical one read somewhere between 98&99! Humidity is staying between 52%-54%! So since I could keep the medical thermometer, I'm gonna use the digi thermometer and add a degree??!
Temp really needs to be 99-100, @ 98* you may have slow hatchers or other problems etc... but humidity is too high in my opinion. Does the incubator have a fan? 52-54% is good for lock down. I only incubate dry. The humidity fluctuates naturally . Mine is @27% right now with no water. I have seen as low as 16% and as high as 34%. THIS METHOD WORKS GREAT FOR ME !! JUST GIVING MY OPINION !!
Please try out a test batch...maybe your own eggs.
Good luck
fl.gif
 
Quote: Temp really needs to be 99-100, @ 98* you may have slow hatchers or other problems etc... but humidity is too high in my opinion. Does the incubator have a fan? 52-54% is good for lock down. I only incubate dry. The humidity fluctuates naturally . Mine is @27% right now with no water. I have seen as low as 16% and as high as 34%. THIS METHOD WORKS GREAT FOR ME !! JUST GIVING MY OPINION !!
Please try out a test batch...maybe your own eggs.
Good luck
fl.gif
Ok dumped the water out, before I added water humidity was ranging from 27-32%. Gonna try to get the thermometers to 98 and 101 and then hope its at 99.5! :oops: :idunno
 
Wildriverswolf, If you don't have much $$ the WalMart glass fish thermometers work better than digital. The best hygrometer for the $ is from Eggcartons.com. They sell thermometers also. I would do a search here on how to calibrate both thermometer and hygrometer. It's not too terribly hard. I can't remember exactly how. I'm on a no hatching fast. Boooo! Once I learned to calibrate both, my hatch rates went up which makes sense for me since I'm a Med Lab Tech and you don't send out any results unless you know for sure everything is working great first!
 
I'm going to take a trip to see my folks this week, since I can't go Mother's Day (My son is coming to visit me). Dad would like me to bring him some hatching eggs. Problem is...I don't have any. I have too many broodies, too many young ones, and am having trouble filling my normal egg orders. So....anyone got hatching eggs of LFs? I know he'd really love Austrolorps, which I don't have anyway. It's his favorite bird. And Orpingtons, which I what I'm supposed to supply him! And I bet he'd like Wyandottes, too. He'd mostly like some assorted color out there.

So, anyone within an hour or so of southern Cumberland County got some eggs they could sell me? Beth? CSB? Anyone?
 
I'm going to take a trip to see my folks this week, since I can't go Mother's Day (My son is coming to visit me). Dad would like me to bring him some hatching eggs. Problem is...I don't have any. I have too many broodies, too many young ones, and am having trouble filling my normal egg orders. So....anyone got hatching eggs of LFs? I know he'd really love Austrolorps, which I don't have anyway. It's his favorite bird. And Orpingtons, which I what I'm supposed to supply him! And I bet he'd like Wyandottes, too. He'd mostly like some assorted color out there.

So, anyone within an hour or so of southern Cumberland County got some eggs they could sell me? Beth? CSB? Anyone?
I have BLRW, LO, Barred Olive Eggers, EE, Polish...thats it for LF.
 
Quote: Okay, I called him to see what he'd like. He wants Buff Orpingtons and Austrolorps and that's it. He also said he's changed his mind about when he's starting up the incubator, since he's planning an 80th birthday party for Mom early June. He doesn't want to start eggs until after. So....planning ahead now...I can take him eggs when I go down June 3rd. If anyone has Austrolorps or BOs, and can save me some about that time, please let me know.

I love my dad, but he can change his mind faster than anyone I know. A month ago he was going to start eggs now, and wanted a mix.
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In other news, the sheepshed/chickenhouse conversion is coming along nicely. It started out as an 8 x 20 three-sided lean-to. Then we added another 8 x 20 section of roofing, but no sides, since it was in an area with few trees and it got hot out there. So that's what the sheep had. Total of 16 x 20 feet. So far, in the conversion, the front open side has been walled off, and two windows installed in the back wall. The open 8 ft sections on the sides will stay open for ventilation, but be fenced in. It's getting divided down the center to make it two 10 x 16 houses, and each will feed into a different pasture area. The doors are in now, and the framework for the fencing is going up. Hubby was trying to work out of stash for the treated wood parts, but is short, so had to go get one more board. The upright wall pieces are rough-cut lumber though, as was the original sheepshed. So the base of the henhouse will be done this weekend, then it just needs to be outfitted with perches and nest boxes, and have water run down to it....in some fashion that the puppy can't eat the hose so readily. He likes hoses.
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Then I can finally get my flock separated up! Yay!
 
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Wow! Looks like you folks are up to your arms in Broodies and chickies(and even some kitties ADORABLE!!!)! Good luck to all of you!

Seems my EEer, Sweetie, decided to take your lead and go broody herself! Any advice on how to handle this? We don't have a roo so no fertile eggs. I'd have gotten her some, but as we are going out of town in 2 weeks, I don't want to leave my pet sitter to deal with chicks too! So, do you just leave a broody alone and let it run it's course or do you push her off the nest.? I've taken her off a few time and set her in the yard to get some exercise, but I'm certain she hops right back up there when I go in the house.LOL ( I can just see the indignant look on her face)

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Also had my first soft egg.. It was already broken in the nest box. I think "broody mama" did it, as it was under her when I lifted her. I'm going to pick up some oyster shell at the farm store on Monday probably, in the mean time I baked some shells and crushed them for the ladies... Which do you guys prefer, oyster or egg shells?

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Temp really needs to be 99-100, @ 98* you may have slow hatchers or other problems etc... but humidity is too high in my opinion. Does the incubator have a fan? 52-54% is good for lock down. I only incubate dry. The humidity fluctuates naturally . Mine is @27% right now with no water. I have seen as low as 16% and as high as 34%. THIS METHOD WORKS GREAT FOR ME !! JUST GIVING MY OPINION !!
Please try out a test batch...maybe your own eggs.
Good luck
fl.gif

BHep,

I am getting ready to set my eggs tomorrow. I am going to try the dry method. Right now my humidity inside the incubator is 16% and room humidity is 47%. Temp is holding steady at 101. My bator doesn't have a fan or turner. Any pointers you would be willing to share?

Edited: I just added some water and humidity is up to 28% in bator and temp is 100.
 
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