Staggered hatch?

[scbatz33]

Quote:
LG forced air from TSC is the most decent cheap incubator for this sort of thing. I think they run about $45. Definately get a forced air though, that way your temps are more consistant.

Wow! If I could get a bator for THAT price I'd have a second one already! I'm in the UK and the cheapest half decent one I can find that will take a dozen eggs is like £80 new. Think that's over $100. Hmph! I haven't had any luck finding a second hand one either...

Have you tried craig's list?

 

[Gypsy07]

We don't have craigs list over here. Our equivalent is Gumtree. It's pretty good, but no recent incubators, unfortunately.

 

[Robo]

Quote:
Maybe you could run one of your incubators at a higher humidity and use that one only for lockdown and hatching. If I manage to find a second bator going cheap that's how I'm planning on doing it anyway.

LG forced air from TSC is the most decent cheap incubator for this sort of thing. I think they run about $45. Definately get a forced air though, that way your temps are more consistant.

I would go with a still air for hatching so the late pippers don't get dried up. I do staggered hatches year round and have no problem. Just remove some of the trays on the turner so they can hatch.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

Quote:
LG forced air from TSC is the most decent cheap incubator for this sort of thing. I think they run about $45. Definately get a forced air though, that way your temps are more consistant.

Wow! If I could get a bator for THAT price I'd have a second one already! I'm in the UK and the cheapest half decent one I can find that will take a dozen eggs is like £80 new. Think that's over $100. Hmph! I haven't had any luck finding a second hand one either...

The only incubator that TSC has in store/in stock is the Little Giant 9200 Still Air incubator for $45.99(plus tax where applicable). It doesn't come with an egg turner or a fan kit. HOWEVER, it holds upto 46 chicken eggs(kind of tightly), keeps humidity & temperature VERY well, and so far the only eggs not showing signs of living in our's were either due to my mistake in resetting the temperature early on or from egg infertility. We almolst got the egg turner, but we are doing a staggered hatch, and it wouldn't have worked out. On that note: You can do staggered hatches IF you keep your incubator in, say, the bathroom where you can make it nice, hot & steamy(turning your shower all the way to HOT) on a moment's whim, open the incubator, do whatever turning or candling is necessary, then close the incubator, and shut off the shower.

either that or you can buil a micro hatchery sauna for your clutches. I will be posting a topic on doing this a a later point.

 

[kyle7630]

Can you pop a few rails off of the turner to make room for the ones on lockdown? Leave one or two rails on the turner for the new eggs and maybe have enough room for the others to hatch? IDK, now you have me thinking about sticking a few extra eggs in the bator myself. lol.

 

[stampntam]

Please let us know how it worked out, I have done the same thing because I couldn't wait and would love to know what to do. I have a few that will hatch in 8 days and a few that are suppose to hatch in 18 days? I am waiting on a new incubator to arrive in the mail, hope it is soon purchased one from ebay!

 

[Gypsy07]

Okay, update: Today was day 6 for the first five eggs, so I did a quick candle. Two were clear. The other three look like they have been developing normally, but two of those ones also look a bit like they might have the beginnings of the dreaded blood ring. Horrors! One of them also has a really funny looking shell, normal at both ends but with a big white 'band' right round the middle. Weird. Anyway, I also candled the single egg that is on day 5 and it seems to be developing normally. So... thus far I've got four fertile maybes and two early unknowns that I'll candle at the weekend.

I'm finding it really difficult to get clean eggs at the moment so I suspect I may get quite a few blood rings. Sigh. It's been either freezing, snowing or raining here for almost all of the last six weeks, and my henhouse feels damp inside even though it's not actually letting any water in AND I've had a heat lamp in there to stop their water freezing. They are free ranged, so they go outside and grub about in the muck then they track it all back inside. The hen whose eggs I'm trying to hatch out won't use the nesting boxes and always lays her eggs on the floor, and the other ones all then kick them about and trample them with their muddy poopy feet. Bah!

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
Yes you can remove individual trays. That way some are still being turned without having to open the incubator multiple times a day.

And, depending on the TSC, you can buy it instore withthe fan installed. I have bought one. Also, when they sell only the still air, they usually sell the fan kit seperately.

 

[doxies1]

Quote:
Wow! If I could get a bator for THAT price I'd have a second one already! I'm in the UK and the cheapest half decent one I can find that will take a dozen eggs is like £80 new. Think that's over $100. Hmph! I haven't had any luck finding a second hand one either...

Have you tried craig's list?

You might try Ebay. Shipping would run the cost up but it still might be better. there is an octognal incubator that would also make a good hatcher.
You could also try WTB on this forum.

 

[stampntam]

I am new to this, what do you mean dreaded blood ring?