November Hatch-A-Long (2014)

[Pyxis]

Guess what! My daughter, Tegan (yeah, them ringlets) singing to the incubator: Annnnnd! Pop! Right in front of her! And now I have about six hours to try to get an AMAZINGLY over excited two year old to bed... ("But the baby has to be with ME, mummy...)

Congrats! Yay for Halloween babies! I was supposed to have Halloween babies but my silkies all hatched early. I did get in a shipment of chicks from Ideal today though. Seems like they must have hatched a ton of barred rocks this week since that's all I got besides two of the chicks.

 

[ochochicas]

I'm using a Brinsea Eco 20 with an autoturner for the first 18 days. Cannot say how much I love the thing. Then I have an LG that I added a fan to for lockdown.

As for legbar eggs, I wonder if it's because some lines have become inbred? I know that that's become a HUGE problem in Isbars. I just hatched out 21 out of 24 shipped eggs from two different lines and they are all thriving. I even got a white one, which is fantastic because I think I'm going to try to work with the color. It's recessive though so I'm going to have to be careful to avoid inbreeding while I try to get going.

i agree that the Legbars are probably terribly inbred. Greenfire probably only started with a handful of chicks and all the birds in the U.S. originated from that stock. While I do like the large size of the Legbar eggs, overall I am not impressed with the birds. At this point I will probably try to hatch one more batch of eggs in an attempt to make the money back I spent on the hens. After that I'll sell the whole lot of them. My Ameraucanas and easter eggers are much better layers and their eggs are prettier as well.

In September I bought two 1/2 Isbar pullets. Their momma was an Araucana. They are black with white lacing around their necks. I can't wait to see what color eggs they will lay. I really like the Isbars, but since there is no place locally to buy hatching eggs I'll probably just stick to my mutt chickens. I'm trying to avoid getting shipped eggs...plus the list of breeds I'd like to hatch keeps getting longer. LOL

 

[Kaylish]

Hi everyone! I'd love to join the thread. Set 23 eggs on the 19th. 11 pullet eggs from my own flock - 2 Bantam Cochin roos over 2 Crested Cream Legbar and a LF blue Cochin - this will be my first "homegrown" chicks. And 12 Trader Joe fertile eggs -cause you just *can't* run a bator half full

As of day 10 I have 6 CCL & 11 TJ developing (1 of each was clear) and I can't tell on the 4 Cochins (shells are to thick for my little lite)
I'm running a Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco - Temps were a bit low the first couple of days but I'm hoping it doesn't matter to much since they've been steady since.

 

[rachelpotter]

I'm using a Brinsea Eco 20 with an autoturner for the first 18 days. Cannot say how much I love the thing. Then I have an LG that I added a fan to for lockdown.

As for legbar eggs, I wonder if it's because some lines have become inbred? I know that that's become a HUGE problem in Isbars. I just hatched out 21 out of 24 shipped eggs from two different lines and they are all thriving. I even got a white one, which is fantastic because I think I'm going to try to work with the color. It's recessive though so I'm going to have to be careful to avoid inbreeding while I try to get going.

Those are FANTASTIC Hatching rates for shipped eggs! Kudos to you!!


I have basicially the same set up minus the fan on the LG. The LG was borrowed last minute for the extra eggs that were sent and so I haven't gotten the hang of it quite yet. Hopefully I won't kill everything in that one!

 

[Steampunked]

We cheated - the incubator is in the bathroom, so we got the external humidity up to 80% and the temp up, ran the brooder up, and moved the football players. Two of the chicks were pecking the others so we thought the brooder would be safer than the the packed incubator full of broken eggs. Plus the fluffy one was shoving the cracked eggs around the round ones, which was interfering in hatching.

Three silkies and one silver Wyandotte so far. My daughter has to be extracted from the bathroom howling in protest.

 

[Iko127]

Built mine using an Omaha Steaks cooler. The styrofoam is very thick and sturdy. I installed two light sockets a fan and a thermostat. Added two windows(one on top and one on the side). Adjusting the temp on the thermostat was pretty easy. The first one I built was horrible, k-mart cheap cooler, single light and a window. Thank God for people who know what they're doing on youtube, LOL.

Thats great!! The Omaha steaks coolers are very nice!! Never thought about them

 

[Iko127]

I'm using a brower still air styrofoam bator. Its been great this hatch until my little one turned the switch off on the bator while I was moving them around and candleing I am always checking so it wasn't a problem but it took it a little while to regulate again. Hoping all chicks are ok. As for the legbars, I'm hoping and praying for at least 1 girl but more would be great! I'm just hoping the 4 eggs left will just hatch. Good luck to all hatching!! Happy Halloween!!

 

[HugHess]

Cheapest Hovabator with the fan.  Started with 35 eggs, pulled 7 of them because they weren't fertile, and it looks like all 8 of the legbars have died.  I can't say I blame the incubator since it appears to be working just like it should.

What is it with the legbar eggs????  It seems like everyone is having problems with them.

My condolences...I know that sick feeling.
I had the same problem with Isbars! Set 14 and only two made it to lock down and only one chick hatched! My most expensive chickee to date.

 

[ochochicas]

I have 5 legbar eggs left in the incubator. I am hopeful that #14 and 16 are still OK. I quickly candled them again just now. The other 3 pretty much look like nothing is happening inside, but comparing them to 14 and 16 I think they might not have died when the others did. My EE and OE eggs seem to be doing well but they are so dark inside I can't really see anything anymore. It was the same on day 13 when I had a broody hatch eggs, so I think all is good.

On a good note, it looks like one of the legbars that molted laid an egg today. I can start collecting eggs again pretty soon and perhaps set some more eggs in December.

Tomorrow is day 14. I need to decide if I will toss the questionable legbar eggs at that point. Then I will adjust the humidity and wait for lockdown. I should have some pips by this time next week!

 

[jmcgee83]

Added 53 button quail to the incubator but down to 4 duck eggs and removed a few leghorn eggs I have toget a new count.