Ny-chicken-lover chickenstock '17

[boskelli1571]

I may have to miss this one - that happens to be my father's birthday, lol.

Bring him with you - I'll even make a cake for him

 

[Pyxis]

Bring him with you - I'll even make a cake for him

I would but he's not gonna want to drive five hours on his birthday, lol. I didn't realize you were quite so far from me until I checked. Might have to skip this one just because of the distance. But that's okay, I'll see you all at the Spring one next year

 

[DrumlinPoint]

Ok then - August 26th it is!

I have it on my calendar! We are about 30 minutes away, so it's a much shorter trip for us this time. Another question....we are trying to incubate eggs, but have discovered that our incubator is crummy. After 3 tries, nothing has hatched. I think it has to do with temperature spikes, and a non-uniform temperature. Because good incubators are so expensive, we are going to try building our own. There is so much information out there, that I am cross-eyed from reading! I would love to hear suggestions from anyone here that has tried building an incubator. What works, what doesn't, any tips or pointers. Just trying to work out the bugs this year, so next spring we can be successful. Also, if you have a breeding program, do you do staggered hatches with a separate lock down incubator? Thanks!

 

[Gramma Chick]

. Another question....we are trying to incubate eggs, but have discovered that our incubator is crummy. After 3 tries, nothing has hatched. I think it has to do with temperature spikes, and a non-uniform temperature.

Questions for you ....Temp should be 99
Do you have it in a draft free room ? Turn them twice a day ?
Also do you have another thermometer in there to check the temperature ?
Are your eggs fertile ? You know how to check ? do they grow at all ?
too humid or not enough ? Some try a dry hatch
I also look at un hatched eggs ...note do it outside in a hole to bury ...them ..
THEY CAN BE STINKY

 

[DrumlinPoint]

Questions for you ....Temp should be 99 yes, on my thermometer. But I discovered that it is not uniform
Do you have it in a draft free room ? Yes, in the basement. Turn them twice a day ? Automatic turner
Also do you have another thermometer in there to check the temperature ? Yes, I had two.
Are your eggs fertile ? Yes, found the bullseye in most of them. You know how to check ? do they grow at all ? Most did not grow at all. A couple grew just a little. One was a tiny bird with feathers. (I opened them in a sealed sandwich bag if I thought they had started.)
too humid or not enough ? Some try a dry hatch I had a range of humidity, between 30-60%.
I also look at un hatched eggs ...note do it outside in a hole to bury ...them ..
THEY CAN BE STINKY I put a fan in for my 2nd attempt, but it didn't help. I think the temps just vary to much inside. Maybe I need a stronger fan. It wasn't blowing directly on the eggs either. Thank you for your suggestions, Gramma Chick!

 

[Gramma Chick]

Your Welcome ...Incubating is Frustrating ..No Doubt
I only do it when I am completing a broodys hatch..
AS I Hate it ...
Is the basement cold ? as it may be working to hard to keep temps
It should be in a warm room ..you could try covering it also
What incubator do you have ?

 

[boskelli1571]

here are my new Breda babies - 13 mottled. All arrived safely, however they are complaining about the change in weather from California to damp, chilly NY!

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

Rabbits = 1
Humans = 0

If they weren't unclean for me to eat in that situation it would be Rabbits=0 Humans = many rabbit dinners.

 

[boskelli1571]

If they weren't unclean for me to eat in that situation it would be Rabbits=0 Humans = many rabbit dinners.

Waiting for them to fatten up a bit before they become dinner

 

[DrumlinPoint]

Your Welcome ...Incubating is Frustrating ..No Doubt
I only do it when I am completing a broodys hatch..
AS I Hate it ...
Is the basement cold ? as it may be working to hard to keep temps
It should be in a warm room ..you could try covering it also
What incubator do you have ?

It's a Little Giant...yeah, I know....not the best. However, I had another LG several years ago that worked quite well for me. My basement is warm and not drafty, unlike the rest of my big old farm house. It is frustrating, so I am going to upgrade to something I can control the temp better and that I am sure of the air flow. This time was particularly disappointing, because my daughter had won an online poetry contest where the prize was a dozen rare breed hatching eggs. (I don't know if I shared her poem before:

) We knew going into the incubation that we weren't sure of the unit. So, now we are looking ahead and moving on.