Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Beekissed]

Bee where did you buy your wiggle?

Amazon.com! Plenty of options there and very quick on shipping.

Bee, I am getting ready to start a similar experiment but with a heat lamp instead of a heat pad. I happen to keep reptiles, and know other people who do as well, so heat lamps are very reliable to get and multi-purpose around here. I will be building a nest similar to yours and using a heat lamp instead of a heat pad. I may actually do something crazy and instead of feathers (which I don't have) line the nest with dog fur. I own two northern breed dogs and at my parents house, every spring they would shed their old coat and I'd take them out once a week to brush all that fur off. My mom feeds the birds and so they were quite bold. They would fly in within a few feet of the dog, snatch up all the fur that dropped, and carry it off to build their nests! I figure if it's good enough for wild birds... Maybe it should be good enough for me. :3

Sounds like it should be interesting! Are you going to do a thread on it?

I have two bird's nests with dog's hair in them from good dogs I've had to put down and this is our way of keeping a little part of them around...cute little nests with the hairs lovingly woven into the nests. They are in my keepsake box.

My Dad has dementia and has to live in a nursing home now but Mom cuts his hair for him there and brings his hair home to the place he homesteaded and built with his own hands to leave his hair here for the birds to build nests from. We are waiting to recover one of "his" nests....to us it's a fitting tribute to someone that parts of them get to be repurposed, recycled and are of value still to other creatures.

I think that downy undercoating of the dog's winter coat should be perfect for the nest...it has marvelous insulating properties and is much like the hair that rabbits pull.

I find the feathers the most interesting part of this experiment because I think it allows air to the eggs in a natural manner...the heating pad cannot lie completely down onto the eggs due to the cushion of feathers and I think this gives the eggs a chance to breath. Just a theory and it's why I chose to use the feathers. I think they also hold in more moisture and could possibly provide some natural oils for the eggs, even though they have been washed....they were washed in a homemade detergent that has no sudsing, so I'm hoping that helped retain some of the natural oils.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I was just gonna post a few photos here and hatch along with you, if you don't mind. I think in this case since I don't have a broody heat pad and the nest will be exposed to air, that the dog fur would work as insulation without depriving the eggs of air even though the fur is thicker than feathers. Additionally, while the oils are different, my dogs have healthy shiney coats with natural oils on them and the fur wont be washed.

I have picked out a nice cardboard box already, lined it with a bag and soil, andd will be putting in some nice fresh, clean hay. I will be putting some stones and other heat sinks in the hay and nest to help stabilize the temperatures if they fluctuate. I'm also going to keep my house at one temp for the whole incubation for ease of use. I will be going for something closer to a dry hatch I think.

During hatching, I will be laying a light white sheet over the box to keep in humidity but allowing airflow. Before I even put my eggs in I will see what this does to temps and how much I will need to move the lamp to adjust for that.

I am also gonna be turning more regularly. Since hens turn their eggs almost constantly I think making sure I turn each one at least so many times a day is relevant. Aside from that, much like yours bee I will shuffle them whenever I feel like it. I will also air them out once a day. Just move the nest out from under the lamp while I eat breakfast and back when I am done.

I am pondering laying something over the eggs to mimic a broody like a soft towel but not sure if that will work out better or if I am just overcomplicating by tying to mimic nature.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't think the hair will smother the eggs, but rather form pockets of air instead. I've often been amazed at how baby rabbits can breathe under all that downy fluff but they seem to do just fine and the hair holds a warm pocket of air into their bodies. These feathers seem to act in just that way...a springy, airy bed of feathers actually hold the heating pad off the surface of the eggs.

I also like this heating pad as it's not one of those plastic covered ones but has a soft, velour cloth cover instead that is built into the pad and not a slip-on cover.

 

[bdfive]

A water wiggler is a toy that is squishy, filled with water and has a long, hollow space through the middle where one can insert a meat thermometer the entire length and it is surrounded by liquid. This is supposed to be a way to measure the internal temps of the eggs more accurately instead of just measuring the ambient temps around them. Here's a pic.... The wiggler is definitely easier to use the the baggies of water or the balloons of water, so I'm pleased with the "cheat" on this...though one cannot really call it a cheat as I'm making this thing up as I go along. I am trying to keep to simple, household items, though, so only a household with little kids is likely to have this one. The wiggler cost $1.79.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you so much for the great pictures and explaination. Very much appreciated and will try to find a couple. What a great idea.

 

[kkowa]

what kind of heating pad are you using? I would like to do this for a school experiment but all the heating pads I have looked at have auto shut off

 

[Beekissed]

what kind of heating pad are you using? I would like to do this for a school experiment but all the heating pads I have looked at have auto shut off

Hadn't you better wait to see if it's successful?

I'm using a Sunbeam brand from Walmart, comes in a red and black box and says "Xpress Heat" on the front and is covered in "microplush". It has 6 temperature settings, a digital thermostat control, and is 12x15 (but I measured and it's more like 12x14. It has the option to stay on always or to shut off in 2 hours.

 

[kkowa]

ok thanks im going to try it for a school project even if it doesn't work o well I guess worth a shot

 

[Beekissed]

Okay, folks....candled some eggs this evening and I'm definitely seeing some things in a few of them that I didn't see in the last few nests. I think I saw an eye or two, blood vessels, etc. Only time will tell. I could definitely tell which ones had some type of development going on versus the ones where there is still just a yolk and nothing else going on.

Am praying that this means this nest is the one where I didn't mess anything up just yet!

I will candle again at day 10 or 11 to see if anything else is happening. Oh, I'm praying!

 

[subhanalah]

What day are you on now? My non-natural simulated incubation is on day...1...or 2...not sure how everyone counts the days lol.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

It is crazy to think but before those eggs ever even begin forming a brain, the basis for all sensation and intelligent life, they have eyes and a detectable heartbeat. Craziness.