SO, What's everybody got in your incubators?

[eggchel]

Mudhen, My first incubator was one of those "flying saucers" and I hatched one egg in it..... from the grocery store!! I bought some fertile eggs just for fun and hatched out a RIR/Leghorn cockerel that I named Safeway.

Then I upgraded to a table top foam incubator, then 2, then 3, then I bought a used GQF cabinet incubator and a separate cabinet hatcher... and never shut it off. About 300 chickens, ducks, and geese hatches later, I gave the cabinets away to a good friend. Whew!

My name is Chel, and Im a hatchaholic.

 

[mudhen]

Chel, there should be one of those emoticon-smilies rolling in hysterics, "Safeway"! Too funny! I shouldn't laugh too hard though, I think I may be headed down the same path. When's the next HA meeting?!

Carole, you're right! I hadn't noticed the UFO kinda matches the avatar!

On the serious side, if I understand correctly, I should put a wet sponge in there for humidity? I haven't done that at all Thanks for the suggestion, will do that in the morning!

 

[DitzzyChic]

Right now I have silkies & I think Dorklings or something like that. A lady gave me some eggs & left them at the store where I work. I couldn't read the handwriting to tell for sure what the others were. I knew she was going to send me some white silkies & I've got some silkie eggs from Kritter also.

 

[Napalongtail]

I have 4 serama eggs in that there gqf chel is talking about!

WE don't plan to set the big breeds till March 12th that'll give us an April 1st hatch and chicks outside and on the ground by June first. After which its Guineas and ducks.

 

[cindydj]

This my be a dumb question but what do you all do whith all the chicks you hatch? Do you sell them?

 

[BobDFL]

Well the Ducks have hatched so now I have 6 Crevecouer eggs in the bator.

CindyDJ,

I use them as replacements for my current flock and breed improvement.
I will also sell some of the chicks, but I don't ship.
Any extras (especially Roos) will go to Freezer Camp. This way I'm not paying
for new chicks each year.

For instance I hatched 7 Ameracaunas and 1 Std Cornish (a pullet) this fall. Of those, 6 will
be added to my layer flock, the 2 Roos (one which started crowing at 6 weeks) will
be eaten.

The Runner Ducks I just hatched, any hens will be added to my layer flock
and any drakes will be compared to my current drake and see if they are better
show quality birds, if so they will be used to replace the current drake.

The Crevecouers will be for flock breed improvement, extras will be determined by type,
and eaten as well.

So as you see none of my chicks go to waste.

Bob D. in FL.

 

[SandraChick]

Well since my bators are hens....I have to wait until one goes broody!

Now...when that's the case...it'll be EE mutts....just gotta love my mutts!

I am looking forward to seeing if my runner ducks go broody, I'd love to have some ducklings running around! They're comical as adults, I can just imagine they're even more comical as ducklings!

Sandra

 

[mothergoose]

Well, just thought I would update on whats "cookin"!
Just got done hatching a nice bunch of blue, black, white, and barred bantam cochins and some beautiful silkie chicks from Sassy Silkies.
I got an assortment of bantams due on 2/18
some bantam salmon favorelles due on 2/24
some black rosecomb bantams due on 2/27
some more silkies due on 3/2
Along with those hatches I have some lakenvelder and a few welsummer eggs of my own set to hatch too.

I have some blue rosecomb bantam eggs that should be here this week and I have red pyle modern game eggs that were shipped 2 weeks ago...I have given up hope, I don't think they will ever arrive.

 

[Carole AM]

I have some silkies from Kentucky Silkies in my bator. My temps started out good, but have been up & down lately,

and the humidity won't stay. I add a little water, then it shoots up to 60-70%. I candled at a week, and it looks like some are in there. I just hope so.

If I don't get any, I'm tossing that dang bator out the window!

 

[jimnjay]

Well I finally got the incubator fired up and loaded with eggs from Julie in AL. Black and Blue Orph as well as some Silkie eggs she graciously sent along. I have some Speckled Susses due today and Every girl outside that is even partially related to a Silkie is broody. At lease the ones that are old enough to lay. These girls lay exactly 2 weeks and then sit. I am going to give each of them a few eggs to hatch because it is just hard to watch them sit and sit and nothing to show for it.

I thought they would wait till spring and not bother with babies in these very cold days. Then again it was in the high 50's several days ago. How do the poor thing know what to do.

At any rate I feel so much better checking my incubator every couple of hours. It give my life a purpose.