The Moonshiner's Bootleg Incubator Reviews And Discussions

[Hedgeland Farms]

I've never butchered any of my chickens.
They're kind of scrawny to eat I'd imagine.
I've thought about this year and if they cancel the October auction I may just have to.

These were on the small side...
However, the way dinner worked out...1 3lb chicken fed 6 of us..(plus sides)

I am aiming to up the meat factor this time around in different ways, hopefully they help.

I am starting with hatchery quality... which I know aren't bred for meat anymore..but hoping to get the flock up to producing a good amount of meat, while keeping their egg laying perks.

We are steering futher and further away from grocery store meat, into our own raised meat, or locally raised since we don't have room for a cow
(Hopefully a better producing garden next yr will also help keep us from the store)

I think it'll be fun to try to, half heartedly (admittedly so) better the quality of my flock...

Definitely, if you can't sell...
I'd harvest...even if they are small...but thats just my opinion....

Our birds were as tasty as could be...I was super impressed...and they were perfect size to fit in the air fryer..

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Exactly. I've seen them highly recommended and figured I'd get fancy like.
They seemed convenient but now that I've been using them they're just a pain.
I bought the 3 pack and 2 needed calibrated. Now it seems 2 are off again. One is way off. Too much babysitting for me. I'll probably just go back to the dial meat thermometers that have worked perfectly for 3 or 4 years.
They were perfect with the styrofoam hovabators. I just jabbed them through one corner and could easily glance and read them although I hardly ever did.

I did a hatching no no...
Since my incubator ran so well last time

I set it up WITHOUT checking temp with an extra thermometer this time

I just put the eggs in there...
And am trusting the incubator...

Itll be cool to see how it does...

But this is bc I needed a new meat thermometer...and I didn't want to run to town to buy one, or wait on an ordered one...so I just put them in there...


Once I fill it up, there's no room for an extra thermometer...

I did check the humidity for a day and it was dead on...

 

[Mosey2003]

Too much babysitting for me. I'll probably just go back to the dial meat thermometers that have worked perfectly for 3 or 4 years.
They were perfect with the styrofoam hovabators. I just jabbed them through one corner and could easily glance and read them although I hardly ever did.

Same.

I did get a really nice, accurate digital probe thermometer from Hanna Instruments that I quite like. I barely use it anymore though, the Cimuka is so spot-on I don't feel like I need to leave it in there and my GQF's are being used as hatchers now so I don't get too bent about absolute precision there.

 

[Mosey2003]

I am starting with hatchery quality... which I know aren't bred for meat anymore..but hoping to get the flock up to producing a good amount of meat, while keeping their egg laying perks.

If you ever swing north up 39 and want a big standard-bred cockerel, let me know I have more than I'm going to need right now, it would add size for you.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

If you ever swing north up 39 and want a big standard-bred cockerel, let me know I have more than I'm going to need right now, it would add size for you.

Oh man, can I private message you?? Or can you me?? I am not sure where you're located ...but I know you're in my state


Maybe we could make this a reality!!!

 

[The Moonshiner]

Well ya nothing hatched in the UFO bator
I sure was hoping with the help of the Inkbird that it would be successful. It did have 3 out of 3 developing so I think I should give it another go.
When I added water for lockdown it went crazy with the temp then stabilized about 4° too low.
I'm gonna try to get a handle on what's going on. All three govvees are all over the place and now I don't know if the inkbird is working properly or needs calibrated or what.
Hopefully I'll update soon and get another run going.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Oh but I was also running a hovabator and even with the power outage 4 managed to hatch in it. That was a very small % but it's something. I'd assume the styrofoam helped keeping the temp from dropping as bad or as fast compared to the thin plastic and tiny size of the UFO.

 

[The Moonshiner]

All 3 govees side by side in the same incubator.

Now I'll add 2 of my old dial thermometers in and see what they read and compare everything against what the thermostat is set to.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Oh but I was also running a hovabator and even with the power outage 4 managed to hatch in it. That was a very small % but it's something. I'd assume the styrofoam helped keeping the temp from dropping as bad or as fast compared to the thin plastic and tiny size of the UFO.

I agree with you on the styrofoam...

At least a few hatched...

Bummer abt the UFO and the rest of the hovabators eggs....

Hopefully it's easy to figure out what's up with the temps...

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

All 3 govees side by side in the same incubator.
View attachment 3650317

Now I'll add 2 of my old dial thermometers in and see what they read and compare everything against what the thermostat is set to.

That's actually rather disappointing to see!!



I candled my 30 from my coop...(day 5 here) and ....they are all developing...
I didn't remove one blood ring or one clear!!!

I am impressed