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

[foxvalleyfarm]

AmericanMom, I'm so glad your chick pulled through and can now join his family under broody mama!     Good job!!!

Foxvalleyfarm, Good job on your chicks!!!! 

I'm so very glad everyone is having good results on hatching and chicks and ducklings are popping out everywhere!  Spring is here, folks!  Praise God!  e

I'm on Day 16 here and am gearing up for brooding new chicks and NOT having a box in my bedroom full of eggs.    That will be kinda nice for a little bit. 

The meat chicks are out on free range now and are foraging like little dervishes today(they are 2.5 wks old)...it's always comical seeing chickens that small darting all over the hillside hunting for food.  I'm glad they don't need the brooder any longer so I can use it for this batch of chicks coming up.  I'll be placing a small roost for the meat birds to see if they will use it instead of sleeping in the bedding...sometimes they will and sometimes they won't but I have a feeling this batch will. 

I'll have to figure out a different watering situation for these meaties so I can use my nipple bucket for the new chicks...and these meaties are too young to use the communal watering place without drowning in it.  I'll try to rig another nipple bucket. 

We are getting ready to have a good old-fashioned spring thunderstorm!  I LOVE those!!  Thunder rumbling all morning and the sky is dark, all the chickens just went for cover...even the little meaties~they sure learn fast!  Bring on the rain!!! 

And geese don't forget geese. I think my gosling knows you forgot it. It just stated screaming. And yay thunderstorm!

 

[Beekissed]

Oops!!! Sorry!! And geese!!! Yay for multiple specie hatching, Fox!!! You done good, girl!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Oops!!!  Sorry!! And geese!!!  Yay for multiple specie hatching, Fox!!!  You done good, girl! 

Thank you. I have a hatching bug now no thanks to you. I have a big issue now...

I need to fit these into

This....

Any ideas?

 

[Beekissed]

What are you doing???? Are you hatching all those eggs too?

You are a glutton for punishment.....and I can't be blamed for all that hatching.

Do you have space for all these brooders and new babies you are hatching out at your place? I'm already trying to finagle just how I'm going to water the new chicks coming and have another nipple bucket handy for the meat chicks that were just kicked out of that brooder space. My coop is TOO SMALL!!!!!

I'm expanding it this spring but haven't done it yet so I can barely turn around in there right now and am going to move feeders outside if I can keep the dog from eating all the chicken feed.

If I didn't free range I'd be in big trouble.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

  What are you doing????  Are you hatching all those eggs too?     You are a glutton for punishment.....and I can't be blamed for all that hatching.     Do you have space for all these brooders and new babies you are hatching out at your place?  I'm already trying to finagle just how I'm going to water the new chicks coming and have another nipple bucket handy for the meat chicks that were just kicked out of that brooder space.  My coop is TOO SMALL!!!!! 

I'm expanding it this spring but haven't done it yet so I can barely turn around in there right now and  am going to move feeders outside if I can keep the dog from eating all the chicken feed. 

If I didn't free range I'd be in big trouble. 

Yes I am. Most of the duck eggs in the incubator are spoken for as son add they hatch. And the 2 geese are as well. I have brooder space once I finish making the outside one and I need to build my upper coop but then I'll have space. And I wasn't going to hatch eggs till i saw your experiment.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes I am. Most of the duck eggs in the incubator are spoken for as son add they hatch. And the 2 geese are as well. I have brooder space once I finish making the outside one and I need to build my upper coop but then I'll have space. And I wasn't going to hatch eggs till i saw your experiment.

Oh, no! I'm going to get the blame for all these little peeps running around everyone's yards this year, aren't I?

Sorry....

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

  Oh, no!  I'm going to get the blame for all these little peeps running around everyone's yards this year, aren't I? 

Sorry....     

I'm just messing with you. I love all my peeps

 

[Cowpoke]

Oh, no! I'm going to get the blame for all these little peeps running around everyone's yards this year, aren't I?

Sorry....

It sure sounds like it Bee! I'm just patiently waiting for yours to hatch...and my hens to get over 2-yrs old to see if any of them get broody. Lllllloonnggg waits for Sure!

 

[Beekissed]

You and me both....I've been checking them every night just to see if they are still wiggling. So far, just those two eggs that look suspicious. It sure will be a wondrous thing to see all those eggs hatch out and have live, vigorous chicks pop out. The air cells are right on track, so the humidity must be okay. I'll mark air cells again on Sunday and then position the eggs with the air cell up and try to keep my hands off them after that.

Right now I have the control on #1 and it wants to stay at 102, so I placed a spacer between the eggs and the pad and it brought it down to 100* and held it there. Not bad for ease of control in this incubator....been reading about other folks having a very hard time getting control of temps and humidity, but this nest seems to be pretty easy for both.

Funny thing, seeing as how it's so open to ambient temp fluctuations and humidity changes. I have had the windows open in that room lately...all night last night...and the sun shines into that room each evening, right onto that box, and none of that seems to change anything in that nest. Temps stay even, air cells stay on track, chicks seem to be fine.

Maybe this will be a new wave in incubation when folks see how easy it is to keep this nest box stable...even while traveling.

 

[Cowpoke]

You and me both....I've been checking them every night just to see if they are still wiggling. So far, just those two eggs that look suspicious. It sure will be a wondrous thing to see all those eggs hatch out and have live, vigorous chicks pop out. The air cells are right on track, so the humidity must be okay. I'll mark air cells again on Sunday and then position the eggs with the air cell up and try to keep my hands off them after that.

Right now I have the control on #1 and it wants to stay at 102, so I placed a spacer between the eggs and the pad and it brought it down to 100* and held it there. Not bad for ease of control in this incubator....been reading about other folks having a very hard time getting control of temps and humidity, but this nest seems to be pretty easy for both.

Funny thing, seeing as how it's so open to ambient temp fluctuations and humidity changes. I have had the windows open in that room lately...all night last night...and the sun shines into that room each evening, right onto that box, and none of that seems to change anything in that nest. Temps stay even, air cells stay on track, chicks seem to be fine.

Maybe this will be a new wave in incubation when folks see how easy it is to keep this nest box stable...even while traveling.

Spacer? Don't you have the heating pad on a wire stand? And just bend the wires to get it closer or further from the eggs?...maybe time for a new pic?