The Never Ending Hatching thread! For those of us that hatch all year long!

[Little Wing]

Yup, now I just need to get out the nail polish & start marking heads so I can keep them all straight.

I haven't tried that. Does that work out OK? How long does it stay on?

 

[SilkieSensation]

I haven't tried that. Does that work out OK? How long does it stay on?

Actually it works pretty well. It lasts until they molt out their head feathers the 1st time & by then I can usually tell them apart by feather color & patterns. If I still have some that are easy to confuse I just add another dot as needed.

 

[Little Wing]

I'll have to try that. It doesn't hurt their skin if it gets on it?

 

[SilkieSensation]

I'll have to try that. It doesn't hurt their skin if it gets on it?

I haven't had any problems with it & have used it on every staggered hatch or mixed group of chicks.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Hello....hope it's okay to join in with you guys!

Hi, my name is Rhonda and I am a hatch-a-holic. I have been staggered hatching pretty much non-stop for two years. I have an addiction and don't want a cure....lol.

Anyway, I have been running 3 incubators (1 Brinsea and 3 foam Little Giants) since mid-December. I have already hatched out 35 chicks and a dozen turkey poults.

I installed a fan kit in one of the Little Giants and it has the turner completely full of German New Hampshires, Dark Cornish, Langshans, and Beltsville Turkey eggs.

The Brinsea is reserved for waterfowl and is housing my first 4 Pomeranian goose eggs (only one goose out of 8 is laying so far) and a couple Runner and Silver Appleyard Duck eggs. These have to be at a slightly lower temperature and after day six get daily cool downs and are misted.

I kept the 3rd Little Giant still air and use it to hatch only. This comes in really handy since I am NOT patient and pretty much put the egg in the incubator as soon as I bring it in from the breeding pens. I even created an Excel spread sheet to help me keep track of what is in there, when it went in, when it is supposed to hatch, and if it is for stock or an order (customer information is in there too). This has helped me out a ton to not get confused and forget to move any eggs. It also lets me track hatch rates for particular breeds or shipments of eggs, price per chick, and income from any sales.

Since Tractor Supply has both the Little Giant incubator and egg turner on sale, I went and got another set (marked each down from $45 to $34.99 till mid-April). I ordered a forced air kit which will be here tomorrow and yet another digital thermometer/hygrometer which got here today (checked it against my frio-temp verification thermometer to see how far off it was...consistently -1 degree under actual temperature).

Good thing I did all this too. Eggs I ordered that weren't supposed to be here for several weeks shipped today. I got a call this afternoon from Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Poultry to let me know he'd shipped my Barred Rock and Cornish hatching eggs: He is a SUPER nice guy by the way. The eggs should be here Thursday.

Tomorrow, I am receiving a dozen White Laced Red Cornish eggs from an exhibition breeder in Florida, and sometime the end of this week I will be getting a dozen German New Hampshires from Oklahoma. I just hope that the other line of exhibition Barred Rock eggs don't get their ship date moved forward or I am going to have to buy ANOTHER set of everything or a cabinet incubator.

Anyway, to sum it up: By this weekend I will have set no less than 48 shipped hatching eggs which will be added to the 60 eggs I already have in...not counting the ones sitting in the still air unit due to hatch tomorrow.

I think it is time for another brooder and juvenile pen just in case I get a decent hatch.

 

[Little Wing]

Hello....hope it's okay to join in with you guys!

Hi, my name is Rhonda and I am a hatch-a-holic. I have been staggered hatching pretty much non-stop for two years. I have an addiction and don't want a cure....lol.

Anyway, I have been running 3 incubators (1 Brinsea and 3 foam Little Giants) since mid-December. I have already hatched out 35 chicks and a dozen turkey poults.

I installed a fan kit in one of the Little Giants and it has the turner completely full of German New Hampshires, Dark Cornish, Langshans, and Beltsville Turkey eggs.

The Brinsea is reserved for waterfowl and is housing my first 4 Pomeranian goose eggs (only one goose out of 8 is laying so far) and a couple Runner and Silver Appleyard Duck eggs. These have to be at a slightly lower temperature and after day six get daily cool downs and are misted.

I kept the 3rd Little Giant still air and use it to hatch only. This comes in really handy since I am NOT patient and pretty much put the egg in the incubator as soon as I bring it in from the breeding pens. I even created an Excel spread sheet to help me keep track of what is in there, when it went in, when it is supposed to hatch, and if it is for stock or an order (customer information is in there too). This has helped me out a ton to not get confused and forget to move any eggs. It also lets me track hatch rates for particular breeds or shipments of eggs, price per chick, and income from any sales.

Since Tractor Supply has both the Little Giant incubator and egg turner on sale, I went and got another set (marked each down from $45 to $34.99 till mid-April). I ordered a forced air kit which will be here tomorrow and yet another digital thermometer/hygrometer which got here today (checked it against my frio-temp verification thermometer to see how far off it was...consistently -1 degree under actual temperature).

Good thing I did all this too. Eggs I ordered that weren't supposed to be here for several weeks shipped today. I got a call this afternoon from Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Poultry to let me know he'd shipped my Barred Rock and Cornish hatching eggs: He is a SUPER nice guy by the way. The eggs should be here Thursday.

Tomorrow, I am receiving a dozen White Laced Red Cornish eggs from an exhibition breeder in Florida, and sometime the end of this week I will be getting a dozen German New Hampshires from Oklahoma. I just hope that the other line of exhibition Barred Rock eggs don't get their ship date moved forward or I am going to have to buy ANOTHER set of everything or a cabinet incubator.

Anyway, to sum it up: By this weekend I will have set no less than 48 shipped hatching eggs which will be added to the 60 eggs I already have in...not counting the ones sitting in the still air unit due to hatch tomorrow.

I think it is time for another brooder and juvenile pen just in case I get a decent hatch.

LOL, that's what this thread is for..."addicted hatchers" Great to have you on board! Sounds like you need to get busy building brooders and juvenile pens.
Thanks for the info on the bators from TSC. I need another one (like I need a hole in the head) but at that price I can't afford not to.

Good luck with your hatches!!

 

[1MrsMagoo]

LOL, that's what this thread is for..."addicted hatchers" Great to have you on board! Sounds like you need to get busy building brooders and juvenile pens.
Thanks for the info on the bators from TSC. I need another one (like I need a hole in the head) but at that price I can't afford not to.

Good luck with your hatches!!

Thanks. No problem about the Tractor Supply tip. What kind of hatching addict would I be if I didn't enable my friends with their problem!

I don't know how busy your TSC is, but we have two locally. One was wiped out, so I called the other and they only had a couple left. Apparently, they are "flying" off the shelves.

Just to be safe from maybe going in to buy something they are out of....and leaving with $100 worth of stuff anyway....you may want to call and check stock before going.

I think I am going to build myself a couple tractor units to put in the pastures my ducks and geese use. If I move some of the older juveniles to those, it will free up the space I already have....at least for a while.

 

[Sweetlilbaby]

I'm ready to pull my hair out. my incubator got unplugged. Don't know when either i checked on it around noon and it was down to 80 degrees inside. even though on lock down i candled to see if any movement. saw movement in one plugged it back in. They are due thursday. We'll see. i was hoping all 3 would hatch but with this happening i'm doubtful.

 

[ozexpat]

I'm ready to pull my hair out. my incubator got unplugged. Don't know when either i checked on it around noon and it was down to 80 degrees inside. even though on lock down i candled to see if any movement. saw movement in one plugged it back in. They are due thursday. We'll see. i was hoping all 3 would hatch but with this happening i'm doubtful.

i have my chicken toes crossed for you

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I'm ready to pull my hair out. my incubator got unplugged. Don't know when either i checked on it around noon and it was down to 80 degrees inside. even though on lock down i candled to see if any movement. saw movement in one plugged it back in. They are due thursday. We'll see. i was hoping all 3 would hatch but with this happening i'm doubtful.

Awww SweetLIL

movement is good!!!