Progress in my homemade incubator updated with **PICS**

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Great!!! Keep this link posted for us...I've been following your threads about your bator and can't wait to see your results...

 

[Jaybr]

Well so far the one that pipped has made no more progress

I'm behaving and keeping the bator closed though.

 

[Jaybr]

Morning update, the egg that pipped yesterday now has a larger hole so it's making progress. 2 more BR eggs have pipped as well as 1 of the guinea eggs. I also saw a guinea egg move when I was checking.

So day 21 starts about noon today and I'm making some progress. The guinea eggs start day 26 at 9 am, so it could be anytime this weekend for them.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

It seems the action really starts about 1/2 way through day 21. Sometimes I'll get a pip or two on day 20 but I've never had a hatch on day 20. Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[Jaybr]

Just got home from a meeting, and the first one is out.

One thing I never really looked into, I guess I leave them in the bator for awhile until their all done hatching? or should I pull them out as they dry and move them to the brooder with food/water?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I leave the first one until the second one hatches and dries, then move them to the brooder together. After that, I take each one out after it has dried. I personally don't leave them until they are completely fluffed out...just mostly dried. I think they dry faster in the brooder without so much humidity.

 

[Jaybr]

Thanks,

The second one is already out, started zipping as I was posting the picture of the first.

They are rolling the other eggs around quite a bit, so I'll move them to the brooder soon.

 

[arlee453]

NOOOOOO don't open the bator until the hatch is done!

You'll kill the humidity if you open the bator to take out the chicks. They will be just fine in there for at least 24 hours and the other chicks seem to pip and zip faster when they can hear the other chicks running around.

They will dry faster in the brooder, true, but it's not a problem to leave them in the bator.

I only open the bator in 'emergencies' while a hatch is going on.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

If there only a few eggs and PLENTY of room, I agree. However, if space is tight, I see no reason not to take them out. It can be done quickly enough to lose no more than 1% humidity...or none if you cover the opening up with a plastic bag. I have a side door in my bator so I can get them out without losing humidity.

 

[Jaybr]

I pulled the 2 out a few minutes ago before I read the last post, and another just hatched. The eggs are in a drawer, so I just opened the drawer and got the chicks out quick.

This bator is not like the typical styrofoam bator where you put a couple tablespoons of water in the bottom. I've got 2 large cereal bowls and a 6x6 pan in the bottom full of water and temps and humidity are very stable. .

I was adding 20 oz of water per day to the 6x6 pan to keep humidity at 45%, and opening the egg drawer had almost no effect. I added the 2 bowls and got it up around 63%. Combined I have a 2 litre soda bottle full of water in there.

As far as temps go, they would drop about 5* in the drawer when I opened it long enough to turn 20 eggs. Temps stabilized back to 99.5* in around 5 minutes when I close the drawer.