Prissybator working!

[fiftyfifty]

My Prissybator is working despite LOTS of mistakes on my part and temps that have swung from 98.1 to 101.4 inside of the "water wiggler" that I made from a plastic bag. Part of the problem with the swings is that I went against everybody's advice and made the mistake of trying to adjust the temps half way through. So over the last 10 days I have been adjusting and counter adjusting and swinging wildly.

I wasn't able to see anything during my attempts at candling, and the one egg I dropped on the floor at day 18 was a dead chick about 1 week along. So I was pretty certain things wouldn't work out. I had resigned myself to just cracking open all of the eggs on day 22 and seeing how bad things were.

But this morning when I went to "sniff the incubator" to check for rotten eggs, there I was eye to eye with a chick! I almost had a heart attack. And there are 4 other pips!

I was so certain none would hatch that I am totally unprepared for the chicks. I have never had chicks before. I better go read on that forum!

 

[barnwife]

YAHOOOOOOEEEEYYYYY!!!!!!

That is fantastic!!

I am having the same problems with my turkey eggs, and I will be incubatin g htem full term just to make sure they get the heat they need. What an inspiration for those of us with fluctuating temps!!!

Congratulations!

watching for your hatch pics!!

The biggest issue with bby chicks is HEAT and DRAFTS. lots of heat, no drafts. Once they get cold, that seems to be the end of it. Poor little things don't seem to fully recover from it. Good luck with your hatch!

 

[fiftyfifty]

"The biggest issue with bby chicks is HEAT and DRAFTS. lots of heat, no drafts. "....

Oh no! Do drafts inside the incubator count? I realize now that my fan placement was not smart. I can see that it is ruffling the chicks feathers. Should I open the bator and try to put in something to block the wind?

 

[fiftyfifty]

Update:

I did open the 'bator to add a piece of plexiglass to block the wind. Of the remaining 14 eggs there are 6 pipping!

Tell me if this is a problem: the hatched chick has hopped into the egg carton and is pecking at one of the pips.

Thanks.

 

[barnwife]

The fan shouldn't be a problem since the humidity and temp are good in there for now....just keep it short-term.

The BEST draft-stopper around for chicks...cardboard. Or a plastic box ... like an old dog crate or cracked plastic storage box. I have used both with great success...and a guinea pig cage with cardboard cut to the exact size of the inside of the cage walls.

I have lost very few chicks...then again, I keep ALL baby chicks indoors for the first two weeks, then move em to an outdoor brooder.

Cleanliness, heat, and no wind. If you meet these goals, along with food and water...you're golden. Get creative!!!

 

[crzychicken]

Wooo.

. Glad to hear you hatched some chicks. Missprissy bator is awsome. I made one also .
I'm about to put my 1st eggs in if you read my post under Do you think my bator ready to hatch. you will see how i got my temps to stabilize it real worked.I just need to turn it up a bit.

 

[fiftyfifty]

Quote:
Next time I'm going to do what you did and add piece of metal behind the thermostat.

But even without it, things are going great. Right now I have 5 chicks, 5 pips and 5 no activity so far. And I would have been excited if I had gotten only one!

 

[Pumpkinpup]

It seems you are a successful bator mechanic after all

 

[crzychicken]

Great Job!! It seems there are no mistakes everyone hatches at their own temps some with turners some without high humidity lower humidity opening the bator keeping it shut I guess as long as most of your eggs hatch you have done a good job!

 

[fiftyfifty]

Quote:
I know what you mean. I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat...or hatch an egg. Reading all the "How To" advice beforehand was pretty intimidating. I thought for sure I would never be able to attain that level of control over all the factors...and I was right, I couldn't...but it worked out fine anyway.

I suppose from a hatchery's perspective, I have had a poor hatch. But if you are not in it for a commercial reason, you can afford a less-than-perfect rate. I suppose if you have shipped eggs, or eggs from delicate breeds, that it would be more important to get variables like temp and humidity "right". But I had fresh mutt eggs from a nearby farmer, so they are probably more "idiot proof".

Count so far is: 7 hatched, 2 zipping, 2 pipped, 4 no action