Setting eggs 6/11 and 7/4 - Join me!

[Kedreeva]

After resolving that I wouldn't hatch anything this year, a friend of mine has convinced me to hatch some button quail for her. When my mom discovered I had turned on my incubator, she began to ask if I was going to set turkey eggs. I assured her I was not, and she (who had forbidden the hatching until I moved) told me that I should. A week before this, someone offered me the exact peafowl eggs I had been hoping to find for next year... but I figure, as long as I'm turning on the incubator anyway...

Well, we'll just hope no one realizes there are peachicks in with those turkeys! EDIT: Even got PERMISSION and a friend volunteered to help me out with the placement of the chicks and adults so that I can keep them!



So the button quail eggs I already have I am going to set late tonight (the incubator temps are still leveling out) or tomorrow morning. They are an 18 day hatch for me, so even if you've already set eggs feel free to join in!

The peafowl eggs should be shipping late, maybe not until July, and the turkey eggs will go in when they arrive (they'll be from my own turkeys, so I can grab them any time). The peas and I think turkeys are on a 28 day hatch, so even if you join the thread late you can still wait with me!

EDIT: Still haven't had the pea eggs shipped, but I believe it will happen this week (7/1). So if you're late coming to the thread, feel free to hop in and join! We'll still be hatching for another month XD

 

[Kedreeva]

Had to relocate the incubator because it was fluxing temp between 120 and 80 degrees being in the open space of my room... It's never done that before and I am wondering if, after having this one for a good couple of years, it is not time to get a new one. I think I have it adjusted appropriately now back in its old spot inside of my closet on the floor, so I will see if I can set eggs sometime tonight instead!

 

[DDNONIN2016]

Hey good morning. I would love to join your hatch thread. I have set 48 chicken eggs in my Hovabator 1588 on 6-10 at 8 am. 42 are large fowl RIR and other barnyard mixes and 6 are my bantam cochin eggs. I am hatching these for a neighbor whose hens are starting to age. Good luck with your hatch and I would love to hear what kind of incubator you are using and if it has an auto turner. Also what range you keep your humidity and any other tips or secrets you want to share. This is my 3rd hatch. The 1st I set 24 and hatched 8 (some of the eggs were questionable tho). The 2nd I sat 48 and hatched 16 (my fault for tweaking with the incubator too much). Hope this one turns out better than the last 2. Thanks for starting this thread and I hope we have a great hatch

 

[Kedreeva]

Welcome! That's a lot of eggs! With luck I will have 4 peafowl eggs and maybe 10 or so turkey eggs, alongside of my 13 button quail eggs.

I am also using my little hovabator, and so far it's been a pretty reliable little machine, excepting its current issues with figuring out what temp it wants to be!

I do have an auto turner, which I don't remove from the unit when I set for lockdown. Since I don't want to fiddle with losing the heat from the motor of the turner when I remove it, and chance overheating the eggs while they are trying to hatch (or cooling them!), I just leave it running and take out the racks. This hatch will be strange, because the turner will only be in there for the quail eggs- I will be hand turning the peafowl and turkey eggs.

My humidity for chickens is different than my humidity for what I'm hatching this time. I usually run 40% humidity for chickens until lockdown, and go 60% for lockdown. With peafowl and turkeys I will be keeping it at around 50-60% through incubation and increasing it to closer to 70-75% for lockdown.

I am excited to have a hatching partner! Going to do my best not to fiddle excessively with the incubator for the next month XD

 

[DDNONIN2016]

That's a smart idea leaving the turner in and just removing the racks. I may try that at lockdown. I am doing around 40% humidity until lockdown then 60-70 also. Seem to have had good luck with that so far. The chicks just fall right out of the shell after zipping I am with you on not fiddling with the incubator this time. I'm just going to add water when needed and keep hands off. Oh I am so excited to see if this hatch is better than the last ones. I can't wait until day 10 to candle !!!

 

[patman75]

I'm in!

I'm setting 7 just layied today Isa Browns/red sexlinks from my neighbor (I don't have a roo) under my broody australop tonight. Going to do the night time switcha-a-roo.

My australop went broody last year but some eggs broke and the whole batched spoiled. She ready to go at it again this year. My daughter is excited. Hopefully we get some chicks this year.

I'm going to isolate her from the rest of the flock, She is the Omega hen so I'm sure she will enjoy the break from everyone.

 

[DDNONIN2016]

YAY Glad you joined us !!! Best of luck with your broody

 

[skunknchatter]

My broody failed to hatch any eggs so 13 went in the incubator just now. It's 9:00 PM. I've only tried one other hatch in my incubator and it was only with 2 eggs. One quit early the other made it to lockdown but died shortly after. I'm hoping for at least a 50% hatch this time around. Bator temp and humidity staying steady. Fingers crossed for an uneventful incubation.

I have EE, Brown Leghorn, Dominique, Welsummer, and Speckled Sussex crossed with my BO rooster. Ought to be a fun mystery bag of chicks.

 

[Kedreeva]

Welcome to the hatch!

I'm going to vicariously enjoy hatching by watching you guys until my incubator decides to behave itself or I decide it's not going to. When I got home from work yesterday I found it had dropped its temp to 75. I fiddled gently with it and by the time I went to bed it was at 80. I breathed on the turner for the wafer in the direction of 99.5 so we'll see if it's gone up appropriately by the time I get home or if, like the day before, it's shot back up to 110. Good thing my button quail have a shorter incubation! They should hatch alongside everyone joining now

@Skunk- I saw my first speckled sussex in person this weekend. What pretty birds! I had a polish rooster that had that sort of coloring. He was black with all these strange bits of color at the tips of some of his feathers. I bet you get some interesting kids from those birds

@Pat Good luck with your broody! I bet it was the other chickens that broke them last year, those jerks >:| We usually have to crate or pen off broodies here.

 

[patman75]

Last year I had her in a big dog cage in the coop with the rest of the chickens so they would not mess with here. I gave 12 eggs last time. I think that was too many. I have her in my 4-8 week chicken set up which is 4Wx8Lx4T in my garage.

But I'm already getting reports from home that she had flown to the top of my setup and looks like she wants out. Maybe she does not like being so alone? Hopefully I will come home and she will be on the nest.