Setting up today 26 May 2012.... Anyone setting can join

[Lyssa]

I would use a tube that can fit into the incubators holes and had water to the troughs. I also used a sponge cut up and was able to get it wet and drop it in through the holes into a bowl that was under the hole if i needed more, But i would try the tube part first, then if that doesnt work, put cut up sponge in like 1" x 1" squares into the bator through the holes and get them wet

Good idea, will try that. Of course my darn chicken has hatched her eggs today!!!! 20 days, seriously!

This just goes to show that Mother nature is better than an incubator at hatching. She is clearly super mom. That leaves me with the problem that I was going to put all my hatchlings underneath her for her to raise. They need to hatch soon... oh gosh, just crossing fingers here in New Mexico.

Any thoughts on sticking slightly younger chicks under her in the night?

 

[PAPACABOT]

no clue on that, i would think if it is done at night, and you watch her with them, they should be fine. I had some that hatched early too. I think my temps were a little on the higher side from what i read. this batch im keeping it as close to 100 as i can. things are looking good so far, getting veining in all the white eggs, still too early to tell in the brown ones, need to wait for a little more time.

 

[bloonskiller911]

well of my 17 eggs 14 hatched. one that my wife has named cupcake after she paid extra attention to it from it's yolk sac not being absorbed. one chick that hatched died an hour later in the incubator. one eg looks like it quit when going into lockdown and the other two just didn't make it. nature's courseo 13/17 live happy peepers!! 76% hatch rate. i'll take that my best ever. now to get eggs to start the next batch!!

 

[CJJenkins]

well of my 17 eggs 14 hatched. one that my wife has named cupcake after she paid extra attention to it from it's yolk sac not being absorbed. one chick that hatched died an hour later in the incubator. one eg looks like it quit when going into lockdown and the other two just didn't make it. nature's courseo 13/17 live happy peepers!! 76% hatch rate. i'll take that my best ever. now to get eggs to start the next batch!!

Awesome, all these tales of hatches are great.
Lyssa when I noticed mine drying or perhaps I imagined it, I used a turkey injector syringe...like for fried turkey..and squirted it in the little vent holes in top of incubator. I have spice bottle lids in the bottom of the incubator to increase the humidity. Fill 6 of them and the trough provided with water and humidity.
Don't open the incubator, hubby was being helpful and removed the cracked shells while I was at work and one of my babies shrink wrapped

I ended up with 8 live chickies out of 10 one egg never pipped, death appears to be about day 14, and then the one little shrink wrapped babe.
We seem to be having some awesome hatch rates!
Congrats to all!

 

[Lyssa]

Thanks CJ, A turkey baster, that is a good idea. Next time I incubate I am going to do some things differently. I like the added reservoirs for extra water. And congrats on a good hatch. My hen is happy with her 100% success rate, I am at 0/11... I think I like eggs under the hen better, it's just easy to sit back and watch ) Congrats to all the new babies and chicken moms and dads!

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

I have had two hens hatch out some barnyard mix eggs my neighbor gave us. It was really fun to watch them with them...especially when they were tiny. One hen kept her babies for about 5 weeks and then literally overnight she ran them off from her. The other hen took them in and she stayed with all the babies for nearly 8 weeks, then the same thing...she just ran them away from her and was back to laying eggs. She was very protective of all of them and wouldn't let anyone get near them. So now, they are pretty flighty and the only time I can handle them is in the coop at night when it is getting dark. That is they only thing I have not liked about letting the broodies hatch. So I have two broodies now, one is faithfully sitting on a clutch of non-fertile eggs. I plan on giving her the real deal next week when a batch of my incubator eggs to to lock down. The other one is the one who already hatched babies this year, she is the one I mentioned above that only stayed with the babies about 4 weeks. I have not decided if I am going to give her any eggs or babies to raise this go around. But I worry about her trying to steal babies from the one who has been sitting.

So I think...point is that there is stress with both situations, but if you are addicted to hatching you just deal with it!!!! Part of the fun I think.

 

[Lyssa]

Too true! It was funny last year when my broody "Bug" hatched out chicks. At about week 8 she didn't love them anymore and she went back to her normal mean self. The poor roo was chased off and force to stay very far away from her or she would literally pull his feathers out. She was good with the girls, she just didn't want any of them trying to jump on her anymore ) They are more flighty when the hen raises them, but I don't have time to hang out and play with them anyway. It also seems an easier method of integration into the flock. Maybe someday I will have some more time and can really raise them myself, so that they are more friendly. My top hen Molly is super sweet and comes to me and I can pick her up, but sometimes if she is free ranging she is a nuisance, jumping up to get treats when you are trying to eat dinner on the patio.

 

[Lyssa]

Ok, so far my hen has only hatched 2 of the 6 and none so far of my incubator have done anything. I don't know how long to leave the eggs under her, she is starting to be out and about with the 2 babies... still crossing my fingers that a few more eggs hatch.

 

[CJJenkins]

Power is out at my house, apparently has been for like 8 hours now! grand son says temp in brood box is 69 and babies are all huddled in a corner

I'm at work til 6am nothing I can do!

 

[bloonskiller911]

Power is out at my house, apparently has been for like 8 hours now! grand son says temp in brood box is 69 and babies are all huddled in a corner

I'm at work til 6am nothing I can do!

how did everything turn out??