The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Happy Chooks]

OK, I am so happy to be here for this Easter HAL. Easter has always been a trying time for me. As a kid, I hated having to get all dressed up and not being able to get dirty for most of a whole day. It is STILL a challenge for me, but I have joined this HAL with the expectation that it will help keep me on my toes should other tribulations fail.

Yesterday I started collecting eggs. My hens have modestly shared with me, and if not abundantly, the eggs are still a blessing - and through grace. My hens have been laying in COLD temperatures, and they have to beat (literally) a path through the snow to get to their nesting box. I can only say WOW and THANK YOU. Just makes my Easter.

There has been some talk on this thread about the air cell and correct humidities to use. I live at a high dry altitude, and it is usual for the humidity in my house to run in the 20s or lower. Eggs collected and stored for two weeks have tended to have large air cells by the time I set them, so now I store them at cool temperatures AND loosely wrapped in a plastic bag. I haven't incubated enough eggs to say how much, if any, difference this has made, but it is a point to consider as you are gathering and storing eggs. I need to say that my styrofoam incubator seems to breathe and lose humidity pretty fast; my first few hatches in it were plagued with shrink wraps. The Coolerbator is much more consistent about maintaining a humidity. I made a small a small styrofoam hatcher bator lined with foil bubble wrap; it holds the temperature wonderfully, but even with a water tray almost the size of the entire bottom, it is hard to get its humidity up to 65-70% and keep it there. I have considered misting, but have reservations about doing this around light bulbs. Am thinking. Good luck never ends.

You can absolutely get dirty here.

I'll participate if one of my hens decides to go broody! (No incubator.) but of course, since I want to set eggs on March 14th, I bet no one will brood. Lol.

Murphy's Law.

Help! My budget just plummeted to nothing, so I won't be able to buy the eggs I wanted to hatch out. A friend of mine has indian runner duck eggs I can incubate for the hatch-a-long, but I know nothing about duck eggs. I know I need to set them on March 9th. But that is it... Is temp and humidity the same? Can I set chicken eggs in there as well on the 14th in the same incubator? Any and all aid is welcome! Thank you awesome poultry community!!!!

Set the duck eggs a week earlier than the chicken eggs. Then they will all hatch at the same time. See Post #1 of this thread for set dates.

 

[coop410silkies]

I might have the cheapest brooder. Have you seen the "rubber" hardware cloth? I put down tar paper on the floor. make a big circle out of the rubber fence (you will need something to keep the walls vertical if your circle is large) Hang two heat lamps and you are good to go for 100 chicks.

. That's another great idea. I will have to look into the "rubber hardware cloth." Have LOTS of tar paper, I/O carpet, landscaping cloth to play with and can probably rig up an area under a large old 4-legged table that's just cluttered with hardware at the moment. I have been toying with the idea of running my "heating lamp" through a dimmer so I can just turn the knob to raise and lower the temperature. And I have just ordered some G9 sockets and socket adapters so that I can use the small halogen G9 bulbs to generate some heat. Am going to see how well they can work, as it's getting harder and harder to find any kind of an incandescent at less than an outrageous price. I recently read a post from a BYCer in Australia, who said that incandescents were illegal there, that they had to use LEDs and the like because the incandescents were not GREEN. (You can get G9 LED bulbs to fit in your G9 sockets; it's the halogen bulb that gets hot, though, and it doesn't cost near what an incandescent does nowadays). There are some issues with using these little bulbs, but they might be worth a thought.

On a previous subject:: there are these little 6$ "bottle cap" humidifiers that screw right on to water bottles. If one were to erect a little "emergency blanket" tent over the incubator, tap this mini humidifier into the Bator's power supply, and set it inside the "tent," a person like me would have a better chance at getting a high enough hatching humidity. There are even such things as humidostats that can be gotten from China on eBay for still less than an arm and a leg. Just some thoughts for down the road. Oops, I need to go turn my eggs. Thanks again.

 

[coop410silkies]

Would this qualify for the Cutest baby fowl pic contest?! LOL

kidding of course

yes, of course. He is adorable.

 

[nate1the1great1]

So when we set duck eggs what humidity do i set i thought it was 65 for development and 75 for hatch and chicken is 50 and hatch 60 but I could be wrong

 

[Joshua G]

So when we set duck eggs what humidity do i set i thought it was 65 for development and 75 for hatch and chicken is 50 and hatch 60 but I could be wrong

For ducks I do about 40-45% while setting and 50-60% for hatching.
You should measure the air cells just to be sure though.

 

[LadyCluck77]

I probably missed this question being asked & answered somewhere on the thread

I am hoping to take out my incubator this weekend and sterilize it. It is one of the inexpensive styrofoam models from TSC. I was thinking of using Clorox Wipes to wipe everything down, then letting it air dry.
I did clean it last time after hatching, but I figured it's been in storage for over six months. Any other ways I should clean it?

 

[Joshua G]

I probably missed this question being asked & answered somewhere on the thread

I am hoping to take out my incubator this weekend and sterilize it. It is one of the inexpensive styrofoam models from TSC. I was thinking of using Clorox Wipes to wipe everything down, then letting it air dry.
I did clean it last time after hatching, but I figured it's been in storage for over six months. Any other ways I should clean it?

I use either vinegar and water ( 50/50 mix ) or bleach to clean mine.
Make sure you rinse it out really good if you use bleach.

 

[emvickrey]

I think I posted this already but here is a hatching chart that shows how long to incubate as well as the humidity for each breed. I suggest you all save this for future reference.

 

[Joshua G]

I think I posted this already but here is a hatching chart that shows how long to incubate as well as the humidity for each breed. I suggest you all save this for future reference.

This is cool. Thanks!

 

[emvickrey]

I use either vinegar and water ( 50/50 mix ) or bleach to clean mine.
Make sure you rinse it out really good if you use bleach.

I put mine in the tub. I run hot water with a little bleach. I let it soak then wipe it off, rinse it really good and turn it upside down to dry. I put the wire screen and plastic insert in the tub as well. The cover I just wipe off the dust from the top. Then I set it up without adding water to the wells and turn it on and let it dry it throughly before I add any eggs. I use the thermometer/hydrometer to know it's good and dry.