Ok, lets try this again & do it RIGHT this time...<vent> and new start

[4H kids and mom]

Everything looks alright as of yet, but I'm going to go pick up another digital hygro/thermom of another brand to double check. I also hooked the bator up (thanks to DH!) to a self regulating thermostat so the temp will never go too high or too low. I have it set to stay right between 99 and 100. Now only if they made a self regulating hygro thermostat! Wouldn't THAT be a help!

 

[BeckyLa]

I also hooked the bator up (thanks to DH!) to a self regulating thermostat

Could you please explain, maybe post a pic, of this thermostat? Sounds like it could be a great help to me, if only I had a clue as to what it is.

 

[4H kids and mom]

Its a normal thermomstat like you buy at Home Depot. Has a probe thing that we put inside the bator, and a digital display showing the temp of the "room". We set it just like you'd set the thermostat in your house and DH rigged it to the heater in the bator so that if the temp drops to 99 it kicks it on, and if the temp goes to 100 it kicks it off. I will take pics later, but in the mean time it looks sorta like this one:

 

[rosyposyosy]

wow you werent kidding of all the different colors!! that is really pretty with the different shades and stuff

 

[4H kids and mom]

Hey Barb.....(I'm hoping you see this cuz my phone died too! lol) see the perdy eggs?

If you see this go in the chat thingy!

 

[aran]

4H how is it that in the space of a couple of days you are suddenly lucky enough to have 36 fresh fertile eggs???how does one become part of your circle of friends?!??!? lol

 

[Hotwings]

I have 2 words that will solve most incubator problems-Broody Hen! Let mama do it she knows best. I have read more problems with incubators on this site. I am a big fan of broodies. The interaction between the hen and chicks is priceless.

 

[4H kids and mom]

4H how is it that in the space of a couple of days you are suddenly lucky enough to have 36 fresh fertile eggs???how does one become part of your circle of friends?!??!?

Lol. The kids are in 4H so I have some connections that way. I had a friend of mine looking for eggs, and she just called the co-op and feed store and asked and they gave her numbers to call. She got her 2 dozen fertile eggs for $1 a dozen!

And, on a side note, I consider EVERYONE here at BYC a friend of mine!

I have 2 words that will solve most incubator problems-Broody Hen!

I do plan to do use broodies to the best of my capabilities, however, my hens are just now 19 weeks, have JUST begun laying their cute little pullet eggs, and are actually not of a breed known for 'broodiness'.

My more "broody" breeds are only 10 weeks old. I didn't think I'd be able to get any of them to sit on some fresh eggs for me, so the bator will have to do this time. I am hopeful that by the time these hatch (just 17 days to go!) my hens will all be laying and hopefully I'll get lucky with a brooder in the bunch of them.

 

[4H kids and mom]

I also wanted to add that my daughter and I candled 8 of the eggs tonight. We just chose them at random, and I am very pleased to say that everything looks great! (I think...)

Even though it was only Day 3 today, I was able to see a deffinate 'spider' in all 8 that we candled!

I'm going to show restraint and wait to candle again until Day 10 when I should see more of a chick, possible movement, and heartbeats!

My DH laughs when I tell him I hope for a 50% hatch rate and say that I'd be alright with that. He says "knowing YOUR luck, every single one will hatch! And THEN what? We can NOT have 36 more chickens!" lol I sort of hope he's wrong because as his wife, it is my duty to always be right, BUT...secretly between you all and me....I hope he IS right this time.

 

[aran]

4H....i may have figured oiut the problem with my last hatch and the 3 chicks dying in the pipping stage all covered in unabsorbed yolk! I went and bought an old fashioned ( although brand new) accurite dry/wet wick hygrometer at the TSC. When the digital hygrometer i had been using says the humidity is at 31% the accurite tells me the humidity is actually at 54%. That means i had the humidity in the 70% range for most of the first 18 days and probably in the 90%+ range for the last 3 days...no wonder the yolk was not absorbed. Now i have it sitting around 45-55%...lets see what happens.