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

[suebgbr]

I regret to say that I will not be setting any eggs.

Why not? :'(

 

[RedIII]

SET ALL THE EGGS!!!!!   Overload your bator like the rest of us!!  Embrace the eggsplosion!!! 

This made me laugh. The fever is spreading like wildfire!

Got my Maran eggs today! I think the driver just threw them onto my porch though. They were laying on their side with a corner caved in. :/ 1 egg cracked but they sent 2 extra. Fingers crossed! Thanks again @bwalden!

I stuck a leghorn egg in there for a color comparison. Aren't they gorgeous?!

Oh, so gorgeous!

I regret to say that I will not be setting any eggs.

Aw I'm sorry. Maybe next time?

PROBLEM GUYS!! LOL
im filling all egg holes of my bator BUT 9!!! OMG THIS IS SO TEMPTING

I JUST CANT DO IT THOUGH

Yeah I had a similar problem, but DH was ready to have a coronary so I stopped at 19.

I was wondering what people thought about the farm innovators. They LOOK comparative to the older (and apparently better) LGs.

Honestly, I hate mine with a passion. I don't know if I got a lemon or what, but the number of eggs it has killed far outweighs those that have hatched. The temp on mine spikes like crazy, which I think was the main problem. I really think it may just be my unit, though, because I have talked to other people who have them and they work fine. I finally upgraded to a Brinsea.

 

[Flowers of Abba]

It gets intimidating to try to jump into the conversations. This is a big group. I'm starting to think I'm the only one from Nevada in here.

South lake Tahoe here...

Technically mine went in too early, but here they are: Test run of 47 Muscovy eggs in a Janoel 48 that I bought to use as a NICU. Some eggs are quite dirty, but wasn't sure how much I should try to clean them. -Kathy Edited to add: Temp at 37.5, humidity at 40-55% (very hard to control in my house)

I've heard raves about the Janoel if you don't get the knock off. But it's still from china.... so far for returns or parts... have you used their customer service yet?

 

[bantambury]

I too have the Farm Innovators! I've hatched nothing but shipped eggs in it and get about 60% hatch rate. Not bad considering how damaged some of the eggs have been. I even hatched a cracked silkie egg in it last year.

can't wait to see how well it does with non shipped eggs.

wow that's great! how do you let your shipped eggs settle? I got mine today and have NO IDEA WHAT TO DO

 

[LadyCluck77]

I too have the Farm Innovators! I've hatched nothing but shipped eggs in it and get about 60% hatch rate. Not bad considering how damaged some of the eggs have been. I even hatched a cracked silkie egg in it last year. can't wait to see how well it does with non shipped eggs.

That is good to hear. I've ordered lavender Ameraucana eggs, and that's a breed I've wanted for a long, long time. I'll be thrilled if any hatch. They're traveling a long way.

Last year, every single salmon Faverolle I set in the TSC model hatched and did great. I think the other breeds maybe had fertility issues, the hens hated the rooster and often drop kicked him.
So, that TSC model does a very, very good job. You're in for many chicks

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

I would if I could but I only have 1 Mini Eco open for Sat!!!! Have 4 NJs in the other that won't hatch till Tues because I can't read a calendar. And my IncuKit project/build my own bator hasn't made much progress yet. <sigh> Maybe I can slap it in a big styrofoam cooler I scored from work yesterday.... Need some plexiglass and sealant... hmmm.... Still wouldn't be enough space for all of them! I need one of those pretty cabinet thingies!! Or to finish my bator projects. Work is soooo getting in my way on that!

My coolerbator is a big styrofoam vaccine cooler. I just used glass from a cheap picture frame for the top viewing window, a dual computer fan setup, an old light housing, an extension cord, a little transformer from a really old cordless phone base, a few industrial ceramic tiles, a little hardware cloth, a plastic bowl from a frozen meal, a kitchen sponge, a digital temperature control unit, some conduit, some wire connectors and nuts, and a whole bunch of duct tape. The most expensive part was the temperature control unit at $15.00. I put it together last year in about an hour using a water heater thermostat for the temperature controller, hatched all spring, summer, and fall with it and then upgraded it to the current digital setup this spring. It's a BEAST!! You can totally slap your incuKit in there in no time!

Come to the Dark Side! We have a Hatch A Long.....

 

[Happy Chooks]

I am seriously getting a hankering for a chocolate egger. DH would probably croak, though

Pooh.



19 Icelandic chicken eggs set today!

Red, if you space the rails properly, you can stand the eggs up wide end up. Mine has foam inserts that go in the rails.

OMG IM SO READY! I cannot stand my july chick pics no longer....
I wish I had a broody to help me out this year!!!

I'm hoping for a broody.

wow that's great! how do you let your shipped eggs settle? I got mine today and have NO IDEA WHAT TO DO

Put them in a egg carton wide end up and let them rest before setting them. I usually do about 8 hours on shipped eggs, but I've set them 4 hours later too and been fine.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I LOVE MINE! its amazing. my first hatch I hatched 12 in. (set like, 28, but some were in the fridge for 2 WHOLE WEEKS) then I set 3 for December, and 2 hatched, one was in the fridge for too long.

I told myself for this hatch I wasn't going to set fridge eggs because that's what always messes up my hatch rates. no fridge egg has ever hatched for me.
I wasn't going to set shipped, or fridge egg for this HAL but woop dee doo, one fridge egg and 12 shipped eggs somehow ended up in the egg pile....LOL so I guess my hatch rate will be thrown off once again.

My last hatch as an experiment I threw a couple fridge eggs in. (I should have checked the air sacs first though.) One had a real wonky aircell a couple days later when I did candle. The one that had the wonky air cell quit around day 5ish...the other made it all the way to hatch day was rocking out on day 19, but never hatched. Eggtopsy revealed a perfectly formed, in position, yolk absorbed turken. He's the only one out of 3 that didn't hatch that I couldn't conclude a reason.

 

[nate1the1great1]

I goot my TSC farm innovators incubator set up and getting it to the rit temp and humidity I love my little giant still and have had great success but I needed an upgrade so now one for duck one for chicken of course duck eggs were set SAT. I have so many pretty eggs I can't wait to get them set

 

[RedIII]

Red, if you space the rails properly, you can stand the eggs up wide end up.  Mine has foam inserts that go in the rails.

Thanks for the tip! I wasn't sure how to put them.