Redinator's First Hatch-Along w Bonus Broody: And Everything Thereafter

[ChickenChick46]

I don't think chickens really build nests though. When Pot started laying she dug a pit in the dirt under my stairs and laid eggs there for at least week before I found them.

Yeah my neighbor's birds will happily lay anywhere. One of their most favorite places is on the top of a tote that she stores things in. It's way up at the top of the coop, like at the ceiling. And quite a few of her hens prefer it over the nice boxes she built them.

 

[redinator]

Yeah my neighbor's birds will happily lay anywhere. One of their most favorite places is on the top of a tote that she stores things in. It's way up at the top of the coop, like at the ceiling. And quite a few of her hens prefer it over the nice boxes she built them.

This is why I let them choose the spot, then build a nestbox.

 

[redinator]

1st test concluded:

https://a.co/d/7nEnuEQ
This incubator got up to temp and the humidity lowered to 27% within an hour.

It says it holds up to 36 eggs, but I probably wouldn't put more than 24 in it to be safe. I may have to stagger every other row of eggs to prevent them from rolling against each other and pushing eggs in the next row forward.

If the other incubators fair better I'll probably use this one for lockdown since there's more room in it than any of the other incubators I have. It's also large enough I might be able to put a small water dish and feeder in it depending on the number of chicks.

 

[redinator]

This the next one I'll be testing: https://a.co/d/1wDDJOe

Very similar to the first but a touch smaller. I like how open the view is compared to the last one. It doesn't state how many eggs it can hold since the rails are adjustable, which is really nice, I'd estimate about 20 chicken eggs.

 

[redinator]

This the next one I'll be testing: https://a.co/d/1wDDJOe

Very similar to the first but a touch smaller. I like how open the view is compared to the last one. It doesn't state how many eggs it can hold since the rails are adjustable, which is really nice, I'd estimate about 20 chicken eggs.

Already impressed with this one. In just 10ish minutes it's up to 100 degrees and the humidity is at 24%. I'll still let it run until the timer stops for a better comparison to the first.

 

[redinator]

Already impressed with this one. In just 10ish minutes it's up to 100 degrees and the humidity is at 24%. I'll still let it run until the timer stops for a better comparison to the first.

This will be my dry hatch incubator. 14% humidity holding steady at 100 degrees for the last hour

I have three more to try out tomorrow. I'll probably think of more things to test by then.

 

[redinator]

Since I can't sleep I decided to test another incubator: https://a.co/d/b7z7kEn

It holds 16 eggs, the smallest of the three so far, and has a carousel design. It's the loudest of the three I've ran, so far. The lid as a few small notches that are barely noticeable. If they aren't lined up properly it doesn't close completely. So far I'm not liking this one as much as the last 2.

Edit: I'm also not seeing any vent openings. That means if you accidentally add too much water you'd have to remove the lid to suction some out. I have feeling this one will be at the bottom of the list.

 

[redinator]

Since I can't sleep I decided to test another incubator: https://a.co/d/b7z7kEn

It holds 16 eggs, the smallest of the three so far, and has a carousel design. It's the loudest of the three I've ran, so far. The lid as a few small notches that are barely noticeable. If they aren't lined up properly it doesn't close completely. So far I'm not liking this one as much as the last 2.

Edit: I'm also not seeing any vent openings. That means if you accidentally add too much water you'd have to remove the lid to suction some out. I have feeling this one will be at the bottom of the list.

After running for an hour the humidity on this one was still at 27% with no water added, so I wouldn't be able to use it for a dry hatch. It also didn't get any quieter once it got up to temperature, it's fairly loud for it's small size.

This one might be reserved in case I have a staggered hatch and need it as a backup. Aside from that I don't see much use for it.

Two more to test tomorrow.