The Incubator Thread

[slordaz]

sterilizing stuff and catch up on some zzz's will be ready again on Saturday with fresh eggs, so far Happy is doing great in brooder though had to go get her a plushie duck as was all I could find for her to keep company with

dark shelled some of the barred rock eggs could compete with marans eggs for shell color

 

[PD-Riverman]

sterilizing stuff and catch up on some zzz's will be ready again on Saturday with fresh eggs,

dark shelled some of the barred rock eggs could compete with marans eggs for shell color

Slordaz, you do what you want but what "I" would do using the "SAME" thermometers---If you were steady at 99.5+/- I would go up to 100.5 for the entire 21 days. Then do everything else the same as you did this time. I would candle on day 12 and on day 18 when I was going into lock-down. Real dark eggs can be tough but if not before---on day 18 you can tell if the inside the egg is dark or light if you are candling in a dark room---if it is light----its not any good-----you can break one you feel is no good on day 18 if that would help you. I have no problem telling if Marans are like they should be on day 18----even though I really can not see movement in the darker egg days earlier.

 

[slordaz]

shes a leghorn white

not sure I am much help but my white leghorns will get 4 under them, they act broody but are only going half way probably due to being young, they puff up and act like they are gonna tear ya to pieces if you get near the nest. Will sit for 2-4 hours then get out forget about them until next time to lay, mean while another one will get up in nest and do same thing. If there are more eggs than they can handle prepare, some of them will toss them outta the nest. I have yet to have any of the spring hens go broody, but do have 2 barred rocks that while they don't want nothing to do with broody do love to mama babies and don't care whose they are.

 

[slordaz]

Slordaz, you do what you want but what "I" would do using the "SAME" thermometers---If you were steady at 99.5+/- I would go up to 100.5 for the entire 21 days. Then do everything else the same as you did this time.

ok will give one more try with exact same set up just obviously not the same eggs they will be fresh ones and smaller amount this time I am getting about 9 a day but 2 are new layers so they gotta get stuff down still and eggs are not up to size the ones that have been laying longer are.

 

[slordaz]

Ok found phone so I can upload pics again, did have a mishap though was sterilizing everything when got a call to go pick up on of my hens that got injured, was treating her and knocked aquarium thermometer off and it broke. Will a digital meat thermometer or the non digital thermometer work, nobody that can go pick up another aquarium heater and can't leave injured hen alone.

I have 24 eggs to set, oldest is 4 days

 

[PD-Riverman]

Ok found phone so I can upload pics again, did have a mishap though was sterilizing everything when got a call to go pick up on of my hens that got injured, was treating her and knocked aquarium thermometer off and it broke. Will a digital meat thermometer or the non digital thermometer work, nobody that can go pick up another aquarium heater and can't leave injured hen alone.

I have 24 eggs to set, oldest is 4 days

What other type thermometer were you using besides this broke one? I never tried a meat thermometer---I sure would not trust it with 24 eggs-----to see if it would work. Whats going on with the hen?

 

[slordaz]

the digital it had built in, prep work has been done, calibrated the meat thermometer verified temp for 6 hours. Temp checked all rows and found 2 rows farthest from heater and fan were really cool(93) so marked them and will not put anything in those rows. Humidity was at 45-50 % without adding any water Temp is set and stable at 100.5 as per recommendation.

friend called last night that one of the hens(brown leghorn) had escaped and had got caught up on wire upside down and was bleeding. Treated the foot wound by washing it out with hydrogen peroxide,wrapped it brought her to my house where she is in a kennel recuperating, did frequent checks on her to make sure there was no more bleeding as was not sure how much blood she had lost. she's still sitting a lot but does get up to drink and this morning started eating and is alert now, no further bleeding ,changing bandage and cleaning area 4 times a day right now but it's over an hour drive for me each way to go to town to get another aquarium heater as there's nothing locally.

 

[PD-Riverman]

the digital it had built in, prep work has been done, calibrated the meat thermometer verified temp for 6 hours. Temp checked all rows and found 2 rows farthest from heater and fan were really cool(93) so marked them and will not put anything in those rows. Humidity was at 45-50 % without adding any water Temp is set and stable at 100.5 as per recommendation.

friend called last night that one of the hens(brown leghorn) had escaped and had got caught up on wire upside down and was bleeding. Treated the foot wound by washing it out with hydrogen peroxide,wrapped it brought her to my house where she is in a kennel recuperating, did frequent checks on her to make sure there was no more bleeding as was not sure how much blood she had lost. she's still sitting a lot but does get up to drink and this morning started eating and is alert now, no further bleeding ,changing bandage and cleaning area 4 times a day right now but it's over an hour drive for me each way to go to town to get another aquarium heater as there's nothing locally.

How did you calibrate the meat thermometer----what were you using to determine if what temp it was reading was correct?

 

[slordaz]

did the boiling point and calibrated it until it was correct 212, lowest it has marked is 50 degrees. It isn't digital so doesn't do the 10th's like the digital though reading in it was 100 and the built in digital was 100-100.5

 

[PD-Riverman]

did the boiling point and calibrated it until it was correct 212, lowest it has marked is 50 degrees. It isn't digital so doesn't do the 10th's like the digital though reading in it was 100 and the built in digital was 100-100.5

Well, I do not trust it---just my opinion. There is alot of difference betweed 212 and 100 degree's. Was the built in thermometer reading around 99.5 during the last incubation?