Thinking of starting to incubate

[Mattsiewrt94]

Anyone know about this incubator I made a thread a while back about it but would I still have to turn the eggs?? My plan was to just hatch some baby chicks maybe keep the first few but the rest just sell. I just don't know how to tell if a egg is fertile, matter fact I know nothing about incubation in only had used broody hens a lot easier

 

[Tuhmu]

That particular incubator doesn't appear to have a turner, I was reading some of the comments from amazon on it. So you would still have to turn the eggs.

More can be found on hatching eggs here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101 it walks you through the entire process.

Were you using your own eggs or getting them from someone?

 

[Mattsiewrt94]

I'm just going to use my own I got a rooster and I don't really care if there mutts but another question is I got two roosters and one of them has deformations not bad or nothing but his tails cricked and his foot is bigger than the other it looks swollen but he was like that when he was a chick when I first bought him he doesn't have mites or any bumble foot.he doesn't show any pain and acts normal. Just wanted to know so I don't have more chicks like that

 

[Mattsiewrt94]

If you look at his right foot (it will be the left to you) you can see it and the tail you can see it's cricked

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

1st off I check fertility AFTER I witness some breeding. Not that I looking for poultry porn but if I know they mate I know there could be fertility. Some people crack an egg and check for the BULLSEYE or have other methods. I have my own method. after step 1, witness mating. I add some eggs to the incubator. I candle at day 4-5 or even wait until day 7 and see if I have development. I always say its "just checking fertility, but never scratch a hatch. My fertility test is hatching now. Some anyway. If no veining is present at day7 I would say no fertility or very low % is present. Much harder to check with darker eggs. Not perfect but works for me.

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

As for the deformed rooster there is a chance that BAD qualities will be passed to his young as well as good. Depends how dominate that trait/gene is or if it was due to an injury at or near hatch. People breed OUT what they do not want as much as they breed IN what they do. Or in 1st and out 2nd. Either way its a call you would have to make yourself. Remember even if he's pulled from hens there is a period (Up to 3 weeks) that he could still be the Sire to any chicks in eggs. Some people wait 4 weeks for certainty before collecting eggs for incubation.

 

[blucoondawg]

I have read from one person on this forum, I can't remember which member it was, but their claim was that in their experience if you switch roosters the eggs will be fertilized with the most recent rooster to breed the hen, even if the original rooster had been breeding it before. So using that logic the new rooster should be effective after the first week or so if he is breeding the hens. I don't know how true any of this is I will see shortly because I just set a batch of eggs after getting rid of my barred ROC rooster, these should all be bred by my nh rooster and I only waited a week in between. My last hatch turned out all black or barred, I will see if I get any reds or whites this time

 

[Tuhmu]

I have read from one person on this forum, I can't remember which member it was, but their claim was that in their experience if you switch roosters the eggs will be fertilized with the most recent rooster to breed the hen, even if the original rooster had been breeding it before. So using that logic the new rooster should be effective after the first week or so if he is breeding the hens. I don't know how true any of this is I will see shortly because I just set a batch of eggs after getting rid of my barred ROC rooster, these should all be bred by my nh rooster a d I only waited a week in between. My last hatch turned out all black or barred, I will see if I get any reds or whites this time

I believe I have read this somewhere also, not sure if its the truth or not, but it was something like whichever was the last rooster to "do the deed" would be the father of the eggs until another rooster took over.

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

Its all theory for the last rooster to cover a hen. Yes the sperm should be fresher and stronger. But there are chances that prior sperm can still fertilize eggs. I am by no means an exspert but I have read this a lot of places including university studies on poultry.

 

[subhanalah]

I have read from one person on this forum, I can't remember which member it was, but their claim was that in their experience if you switch roosters the eggs will be fertilized with the most recent rooster to breed the hen, even if the original rooster had been breeding it before. So using that logic the new rooster should be effective after the first week or so if he is breeding the hens. I don't know how true any of this is I will see shortly because I just set a batch of eggs after getting rid of my barred ROC rooster, these should all be bred by my nh rooster and I only waited a week in between. My last hatch turned out all black or barred, I will see if I get any reds or whites this time

I'm eager to know this as well. I've read of hens being pulled from a rooster and moved to an all hen flock, and her eggs were fertile 6 (?) Weeks later. Should have saved that post when I saw it.