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

[Tomtommom]

Have you considered borrowing an incubator, to use side-by-side as a control group? If the eggs dont do well in there, then you know it's the eggs and not the method.

I'm not sure if you even live in the 'civilized world' or out in the sticks and it's totally not an option. Just wondering

 

[enola]

Bee lives in a civilized world in the sticks. She does it her way!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Have you considered borrowing an incubator, to use side-by-side as a control group? If the eggs dont do well in there, then you know it's the eggs and not the method.


I'm not sure if you even live in the 'civilized world' or out in the sticks and it's totally not an option. Just wondering

She is trying to do it as cheaply as possible. But I have both the box and an LG 'bator. And have possibly 6/13 in the box and its too soon to call the bator.

 

[Tomtommom]

Bee lives in a civilized world in the sticks.

She does it her way!

I try to live in the sticks, in the civilized world

Why oh why did I buy a fixer-upper subdivision home? Oh right... because I liked it, thought I could fix it up and I could walk to work...

 

[Tomtommom]

She is trying to do it as cheaply as possible. But I have both the box and an LG 'bator. And have possibly 6/13 in the box and its too soon to call the bator.

I know she is.

Don't know if there are fellow BYCers nearby for temporary assistance though! Our Alabama group is crowed, to say the least. I got 5 BYCers in the same town. I personally don't like borrowing from others, always worried I mess their stuff up.

 

[Lacy Blues]

The air cells are growing well...they are between a quarter and 50 cent piece size and very clearly defined and perfectly round and centered...not off to the side like some of the pics I've seen. Is that good or bad?




They are getting bigger, as described above. They are somewhere between a quarter and a fifty cent piece...more towards the bigger coin...and centered on the end of the eggs, no slanting to one side yet. The one egg that I couldn't see an air cell on I was able to visualize tonight and the air cell is exactly the size of the others and exactly centered on the end of the eggs. Movement in all three of the viable eggs!!!!

Yep..only adding water around the sides but not directly under the nest...if you put your finger down in the middle of the nest it's only a little humid but not moist. I think it's doing okay but only time will tell!

No offense taken...I'm soaking in everyone's advice like a sponge! Tee hee...get it? A sponge! I kill myself!!

Ok, I thought you had said they were still small air cells. Its good that they are bigger and yes they will begin to slant. When the time comes, during the last two days at the least, you might candle again and then position the eggs so that the largest side of the air cell is up, or just prop them very slightly so that the bigger end is in a higher position. I know hens don't do this, not with a flashlight anyway, they may do it the same way they decide which egg to put in the middle... heck, I don't know... I wish the very best for this hatch of yours.

 

[Beekissed]

Have you considered borrowing an incubator, to use side-by-side as a control group? If the eggs dont do well in there, then you know it's the eggs and not the method.

I'm not sure if you even live in the 'civilized world' or out in the sticks and it's totally not an option. Just wondering

I live in the sticks and it's probably not considered civilized to many suburban folks...we eat our animals and shoot our neighbor's pets when needed, so that may seem pretty uncivilized.

Enola has it right....I'm sort of different than most folks and I've grown to accept it, though many would consider it weird. I wanted to see if I could develop an incubation method with things on hand so that I wouldn't "need" to buy or borrow an incubator...it's sort of a self sufficiency quirk I have developed over the years and cannot shake. It's sort of fun to try and solve a problem without throwing money at it or doing it just like everyone else has.

That probably puts me under the uncivilized and sticks category too....

I like results driven conclusions and then I let everyone else do the double blind studies to prove me wrong.

Bee lives in a civilized world in the sticks.

She does it her way!

Yes...even if my way is not always successful, it's still my way.

 

[Beekissed]

Ok, I thought you had said they were still small air cells. Its good that they are bigger and yes they will begin to slant. When the time comes, during the last two days at the least, you might candle again and then position the eggs so that the largest side of the air cell is up, or just prop them very slightly so that the bigger end is in a higher position. I know hens don't do this, not with a flashlight anyway, they may do it the same way they decide which egg to put in the middle... heck, I don't know... I wish the very best for this hatch of yours.

All through this nesting I've been positioning the eggs with the pointy end towards the middle of the nest...there's a very slight depression there that holds that position well, with the eggs on a slight slant and big ends up. I just turn and shuffle, but those eggs stay pointed in the right direction. I will try to do as you say in the last two days....I'll trace those aircells so that I can see which side is the bigger side.

 

[Tomtommom]

I live in the sticks and it's probably not considered civilized to many suburban folks...we eat our animals and shoot our neighbor's pets when needed, so that may seem pretty uncivilized.

Enola has it right....I'm sort of different than most folks and I've grown to accept it, though many would consider it weird. I wanted to see if I could develop an incubation method with things on hand so that I wouldn't "need" to buy or borrow an incubator...it's sort of a self sufficiency quirk I have developed over the years and cannot shake. It's sort of fun to try and solve a problem without throwing money at it or doing it just like everyone else has.

That probably puts me under the uncivilized and sticks category too....

I like results driven conclusions and then I let everyone else do the double blind studies to prove me wrong.

Yes...even if my way is not always successful, it's still my way.

There's a reason I like you.

I'm the one with all the extra questions, approaches from different angles.. the 'have you tried this yet?' person. Just tell me to shut up every once in a while and we'll all be okay

I'm pretty sure everyone in my family and past life would consider me weird, uncivilized and what have you... Honestly, they're the weird ones.

 

[Beekissed]

I'd never tell you to shut up! I love the questions on these threads...they make the thread interesting and it helps other people understand why I just didn't go out and buy an incubator, me being a newbie and all. But, this is the type of incubation with which I'm most familiar...broody hatches...so I thought I should stick with what I know for now.

I'm also a bit laid back and carefree in my flock management and this suited that attitude to a "T".....hatching eggs in a nest seemed like the most natural thing in the world to me!