She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[mixedUPturk]

I don't know about LA, but I would imagine it's the same down there. I could realistically hatch all year and sell pullets. The only reason I don't is I would have so many roosters to deal with. I can lose some with straight run sales in the spring, but 80% of my sales are pullets only. I say that this last set was my last of the year, but 4 months is a long time...

So encourage me furthure y dont ya? J/kidding!!! Really, its in the works if i clean out my one real good shed, which ive already done Twice this ayear!!! Then i can dedicate it as a brooder, i can Easily hatch all yr round...

And i know at least 2 people who want 10-15 duck hens for their flocks (broke uncle! Admits he has too much aggression in his flock! Ha! Win for the babies!) anyway someone else not of of those two, has spoken for my whole hatch this set! Shes gna take em all, straight run, as duckings.

And i have been proccessin them by myself, so my roos, and or drakes arent and wont be allowed to be a problem.

 

[scflock]

You just need a bigger incubator. Now that it's end of season, keep an eye out for used Sportsman on CL. It does not matter what version you get...you can buy the proportional thermostat for $90 that makes even old wafer driven GQF just as stable as a brand new 1502. And the deep plastic hatching basket is a big improvement over the stock wire basket on the older models. You could set 90 eggs a week and keep little penguins popping out all season.

I'm debating bigger, or another. The 20-24 chick hatches are about right for my brooder space and sales, but the 3 week downtime between hatches hurts in the spring. I am doing exactly what you said, keeping an eye out for a Sportsman. If I can't find one, I will probably be getting another Octo 20 before next season

 

[RubyNala97]

This is Michigan, and night time temps are already below 50.  I am not hatching anything else until March.

My turkey hens also had something to say about that, they have cut back on laying so that I get very few eggs to work with.  Baby is 47 days old and won't be ready to lay until mid April so anything else hatched would be too late for breeding in 2016.

At what age do turkeys start laying??

I'm serious about the parade numbers, though. I don't want a parade for 15. The goal of 17 makes me think what I could do differently next time, and I think only dark eggs and hatching in cartons is in my future. I learned a lot from this batch, and I'm so glad. I have people waiting for me to start selling BCMs, so I need to have higher hatch rates to make it worthwhile to keep the incubator tied up for 3 weeks. Honestly, I hope my first parade comes from the first Am hatch

Why are you considering hatching in cartons?

 

[Cockatrice6420]

Good morning! Please ignore my minor panic attack, the nerd in me has to see #s that say im on par, or else i start tripn... I lost my entire last hatch...

Hubby startd askn about the next set last night Hahahaha!!! I tol him how u, SC, say that pullets sell best at the beggin of spring

I'm trying to decide if, after I had so many natural hatches appear, I want to get the Styrofoam up and running or wait until later. The chickens I really want to work with are either not laying yet, aracaunas, or still just have pullet eggs. I have plenty of other eggs I could experiment with.

 

[scflock]

So encourage me furthure y dont ya? J/kidding!!! Really, its in the works

if i clean out my one real good shed, which ive already done Twice this ayear!!! Then i can dedicate it as a brooder, i can Easily hatch all yr round...

And i know at least 2 people who want 10-15 duck hens for their flocks (broke uncle! Admits he has too much aggression in his flock! Ha! Win for the babies!) anyway someone else not of of those two, has spoken for my whole hatch this set! Shes gna take em all, straight run, as duckings.

And i have been proccessin them by myself, so my roos, and or drakes arent and wont be allowed to be a problem.

I have processed, and would do it again, but Mrs. Flock is still a little squeamish over it. She has eaten them, but she has a funny look on her face when she does

. It's a shame, too, because marans are a fantastic table bird. I have customers that will buy them as meat birds, but it costs me more to grow them to butcher size than I sell them for

 

[mixedUPturk]

There is some info on misting in Storye's Guide to Raising Ducks, which I have at home. I'll look this afternoon for you. I can't remember exactly what it said, but I'm thinking you only do it from day 10-25ish.

I thought that too i havent looke it back up yet because ive decided i just want to kinda lay off, add carbon and see if that helps if i do anything. I really have to keep a tight rein on myself before im in there everyday... Also im gonna take pics for yall, and i would like to PM them especially to u, who has so much ducky experience, so that u dont have to search the thread for me at any point, ok?

I'm trying to train myself to stop meddling so much too!!! It's really hard!! Best of luck on this hatch!

X2

so i do have a reason to rein myself in? I feel like i could sit there an stare at em all day and i dont wanna take chances w their lil Lives!

 

[scflock]

Why are you considering hatching in cartons?

To hold the eggs upright. I was worried about the small air cells in the large eggs. I had 23 make lockdown, and the eggs were huge, so many of them were almost vertical at lockdown. Those hatched first, and every egg with a small air cell hatched. I think the upright position kept them from drowning, they just punched the ends of the eggs out and slid out. By the time a few hatched, the eggs were laying flat on their sides, but they were pipped by then, so they still hatched. I was impressed enough that I think the carton experiment is worth a shot

 

[mixedUPturk]

I have processed, and would do it again, but Mrs. Flock is still a little squeamish over it. She has eaten them, but she has a funny look on her face when she does . It's a shame, too, because marans are a fantastic table bird. I have customers that will buy them as meat birds, but it costs me more to grow them to butcher size than I sell them for

I havent gotten past the funny look on my face either

I get about half way thru an i wanna stop n put em all back tugther again

But they taste So Good...

After ive had a little cry. Yes, I know im bad. I been tol yall im not 100% sane, not even close, ill let ya kno when im allowed a sainty percentage parade, as soon as i figure out a way to measure it!

 

[WVduckchick]

I thought that too i havent looke it back up yet because ive decided i just want to kinda lay off, add carbon and see if that helps if i do anything. I really have to keep a tight rein on myself before im in there everyday... Also im gonna take pics for yall, and i would like to PM them especially to u, who has so much ducky experience, so that u dont have to search the thread for me at any point, ok?

so i do have a reason to rein myself in? I feel like i could sit there an stare at em all day and i dont wanna take chances w their lil Lives!

Sure, pm away! I'll even give you my phone number if you'd rather text them..

I found the spreadsheet on my duck hatch. The ones that hatched had lost the following % by day 25. 15.41%, 10.61%; 13.56%; 15.95%. The lowest percentage pipped first, and hatched 2nd.

 

[WalnutHill]

I'm debating bigger, or another. The 20-24 chick hatches are about right for my brooder space and sales, but the 3 week downtime between hatches hurts in the spring. I am doing exactly what you said, keeping an eye out for a Sportsman. If I can't find one, I will probably be getting another Octo 20 before next season

Get a GQF. I got a 1402, but again, a 1202 is only $90 away from a $1502 when you are blue team.

One turner shelf in the GQF will hold 1 and 5/6 plastic trays, total of 66 eggs per turner shelf. Since you have to trim one of the egg trays to fit (when using the large chicken egg tray), you will have one tray hold 36 and one 30 per shelf. You could set 30 eggs every week and move one tray to the Brinsea for hatch, then add fresh eggs. You'd only use one and a half shelves for this process, and would have room to hatch Ams and OEs too if you pick up a used Eco 20. You don't need the fancy Brinsea for hatching.