Uh oh....I'm so gonna be in trouble! :)

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I start mine out in a 4'x4' glass/wood/wire cage--it used to hold my bearded dragons. I keep them in there until they are eating & drinking well and off to a good start. Then I usually move them into a large water trough. It's about a 6' one...several hundred gallons...but being preggy, I don't want to have to drag that thing around and it's horrible to clean....I think I'll just brood them in the large coop because then I can just sweep the floor when they are moved to their new coops.

 

[Riffecreek]

lol no worries, this is where I let them get their legs under them for the move to wire in 4 X 8 brooders.. these will be in two brooders.. and btw, thats 96 chicks!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:

Too funny! I will be setting mostly mailed eggs on my first attempt with this thing, plus a few of my own eggs. I am hoping for a 50% hatch the first time with the shipped eggs. I am getting just 3 dozen shipped, picking up another dozen at a show in a week and then I'll be setting about a dozen of my own eggs....so maybe 5 dozen all together.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

If that goes well, I have quite a few people that live around me with laying breeds that never go broody--so they're asking me to hatch eggs for them...so I'll be doing that some as well. I'm excited. I will still keep my little foam 'bators....one I have had since 2000 and it's still running great. Which reminds me, I need to buy another auto-turner now!

 

[Riffecreek]

Mime was build like a gqf or dickies, so it holds 288 chicken eggs and I can never find room in it to set eggs for other people until the off season, then No one wants eggs hatched

I hatch chickens, quail, pheasants, and chukar in mine. I'm going to give ducks a try this year and never had a hatch rate under 60% even with shipped eggs.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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I am hoping my rate is better--now that we have a PO that will hold & call me. They used to leave them on the back porch in the hot sun all day while I was at work.

I am going to try a few goose eggs this year and I have a few people wanting Muscovies, too.

This is a photo of the two rack one...

The hatching drawer actually slides out the side of the 'bator so you don't have to open the door to get the chickies out.