Question on hatching several species in same incubator...

[wolfinator]

I need advice on hatching 4 poultry species in same incubator. My hope is to try to hatch 2-3 duck eggs, up to 7 guinea eggs, 3-4 standard chicken eggs and 3-4 Silkie bantam eggs all in the same incubator. I only have one incubator and 1 brooder tank for guineas and chickens. I've raised all together in same brooder, but they were store bought. Ducks are removed after about 10 days to a separate container.

I've been reading on the different hatch times, adding standard chicken eggs 5 days later and bantam eggs 8 days later so they all hatch around the same time.

My biggest question is, what do I set the humidity at? Different sites are giving slightly different levels including several hatcheries ranging from 45% (guineas) to 65% (standard chickens). It's been about 4-5 years since I've hatched in my bigger incubator. Last time was in a small round one that ended with horrible results - I had a chick that hatched and got suffocated between 2 other unhatched eggs while the bathroom. I could hear it chirping, not distressed sounding and a few moments later, I heard silence. I washed up, went to see who hatched, at first I thought the chick was sleeping, but it wasn't . The other 3 eggs didn't hatch, the babies had possibly died several days earlier.

This is the incubator I'll be using...

Thanks for your input and advice.

 

[Debbie292d]

I would do humidity at 45% as the chicken egg humidity is actually recommended to be 45-50%, not 65 wherever you read. 65%-70% is for lockdown for both.

I'd just do 45 - 50% for them all until lockdown, then 65%-70%.

 

[nuthatched]

It's very, very tricky to put multiple species in one incubator, they all need different time and needs, doing so typically ends in death for most of the chicks. I would advise against you doing this.

 

[NatJ]

I need advice on hatching 4 poultry species in same incubator. My hope is to try to hatch 2-3 duck eggs, up to 7 guinea eggs, 3-4 standard chicken eggs and 3-4 Silkie bantam eggs all in the same incubator.

That is 3 species, not 4.

Standard chickens and bantam chickens are all the same species. Yes, even Silkies. So hatching those two should not need any adjustments.

Regarding how long they take to hatch, and your idea to set eggs on different days so they all hatch together: I would expect the Silkies to hatch in the same number of days as the standard-sized chickens, or maybe a single day faster.

If you really want to include ducks, maybe adjust the times so they hatch a few days later than the rest. That way the smaller birds are hatched and out of the incubator, so the ducklings can't squish them by mistake. Chicks that are 3-4 days old will typically not cause trouble if I add newly-hatched chicks, so I assume they would accept ducklings equally well. (I have no experience brooding chicks & ducklings together, but you do, so I'll assume you have that part figured out.)

I only have one incubator and 1 brooder tank for guineas and chickens. I've raised all together in same brooder, but they were store bought. Ducks are removed after about 10 days to a separate container.

Have you considered doing two or three hatches? That would let you have fewer kinds in the incubator at once, which would make it much simpler to meet the needs of each one.

 

[wolfinator]

I would do humidity at 45% as the chicken egg humidity is actually recommended to be 45-50%, not 65 wherever you read. 65%-70% is for lockdown for both.

I'd just do 45 - 50% for them all until lockdown, then 65%-70%.

Thank you. I had been thinking of adding the standard chicken eggs and Silkie eggs after the others were set, where guinea and duck eggs take about 26-28 days. I could do it when candling those eggs. I've hatched ducks and standard chickens together about 6-7 years ago, but I've never hatched guinea or Silkie eggs. I'm only doing a few of each and there's no guarantee the guinea or Silkie eggs will be fertilized. I only have 1 guinea hen and 2 Silkie hens of which 1 has been broody for 3 weeks now, but she's super small even compared to the other one.

Oh, this was one of the sites I found the humidity information on, this was from University of Missouri Extension "Relative humidity should be between 60-65% for the first 18 days and 70% for the last three days".

 

[wolfinator]

That is 3 species, not 4.

Standard chickens and bantam chickens are all the same species. Yes, even Silkies. So hatching those two should not need any adjustments.

Regarding how long they take to hatch, and your idea to set eggs on different days so they all hatch together: I would expect the Silkies to hatch in the same number of days as the standard-sized chickens, or maybe a single day faster.

If you really want to include ducks, maybe adjust the times so they hatch a few days later than the rest. That way the smaller birds are hatched and out of the incubator, so the ducklings can't squish them by mistake. Chicks that are 3-4 days old will typically not cause trouble if I add newly-hatched chicks, so I assume they would accept ducklings equally well. (I have no experience brooding chicks & ducklings together, but you do, so I'll assume you have that part figured out.)


Have you considered doing two or three hatches? That would let you have fewer kinds in the incubator at once, which would make it much simpler to meet the needs of each one.

I don't have the room to accommodate multiple hatches. I don't hatch or buy babies during summer months. I have one large brooder and a slightly smaller one I will use when the ducks reach 7-14 days old and I have to switch them to duck feed. Usually by the second week, ducks are too big to safety be around chicks or keets and must be separated (unless small breed like a Mallard or call ducks). My nursery also doubles as my feed and supply storage room, it's only 6'x10'.

 

[wolfinator]

That is 3 species, not 4.

Standard chickens and bantam chickens are all the same species. Yes, even Silkies. So hatching those two should not need any adjustments.

Regarding how long they take to hatch, and your idea to set eggs on different days so they all hatch together: I would expect the Silkies to hatch in the same number of days as the standard-sized chickens, or maybe a single day faster.

If you really want to include ducks, maybe adjust the times so they hatch a few days later than the rest. That way the smaller birds are hatched and out of the incubator, so the ducklings can't squish them by mistake. Chicks that are 3-4 days old will typically not cause trouble if I add newly-hatched chicks, so I assume they would accept ducklings equally well. (I have no experience brooding chicks & ducklings together, but you do, so I'll assume you have that part figured out.)


Have you considered doing two or three hatches? That would let you have fewer kinds in the incubator at once, which would make it much simpler to meet the needs of each one.

Yes, I'm aware Silkies are chickens. Thank you for pointing it out.I was distracted by my guineas going off, the flock was free ranging. I thought they saw or heard a predator. I need to edit that as I was deleting and writing, but didn't pay attention that the number was wrong when I posted it. It had originally said 4 breeds, 3 species.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Lee Cartwright has an article at Texas A&M entitled "Incubating and Hatching Eggs" that you might enjoy reading. My link to get to it broke but you can probably get it for free. It's been a while since I read it but I think it includes different species.

The only time I've tried hatching different species was turkeys with chickens. I put the chicken eggs in after a week to get them on the same hatch schedule and followed my regular "chicken" humidity and lockdown schedule. Turkey and chicken requirements were pretty similar other than time. I suspect guinea requirements would be similar also. It's the ducks I'd be concerned about, I've never hatched them.

I'd have no qualms trying the guinea and chicken eggs together, adjusted for hatch time. I'd hesitate to add any duck eggs but if I did I'd run the humidity for the chickens and guineas. That's because the majority of the eggs will be chicken or guinea so cater to the needs of the majority.

Good luck!