after i got my day old chicks, and they are finally LAYING! i am looking forward and planning to hatch my next flock! so tell me what you wish you had known before you got started incubating eggs? i am planning on borrowing an incubator, and hatching on my kitchen counter. i am looking forward to reading what you have to say!
Not to put it by my window and to put it some where Rita (a cat) could not sleep on it and turn the temp up.(I lost 2 chicks at 17 days because one or both of these)
#1 Once you start you cant stop #2 No matter how large the bator is it is NEVER big enough #3 There is No 12 step program for hatching addicts
I would say.... To expect disappointments, sometimes they all dont make it and its hard to have to put one down, or see one go slowly. I also would say, CALIBRATE YOUR HYGROMETER...can make a huge difference in your hatch... Put the bator in a comfort place, you will spend ALOT of time staring at it... And its an ADDICTION, there is no INTREVENTION...if this is a sickness, then Please dont find a cure.
Things to be aware of: #1 - If you purchase eggs, the ones you spend the most $ on will have the lowest hatch rate. #2 - If you don't know how to correctly set the incubator, you will have a horrible 21 days. #3 - If you have to adjust the thermostat at all after you set your eggs, then you don't know how to correctly set an incubator. (Or it's broken) #4 - Don't open the incubator after lockdown until the eggs have hatched. #5 - You shouldn't need to "help" ever. #6 - Keep track of the temp & humidity daily. #7 - Make sure your hygro/thermometer is calibrated correctly. #8 - If you have any questions, ask someone... and wait for a few answers before any actions. #9 - It really is addictive. #10 - Save up for a cabinet incubator... yes, it's worth it!
That the thrill is so great, I'd want to do it again and again. Candling an egg with veins and a dancing embryo never gets old!
That it would be so addictive. Everyone told me it would be though--so it's not like I didn't "know." I just didn't KNOW. Didn't know I'd be spending money on new brooders and building new fences just so I can accommodate all the babies I'm hatching. That I'd be thinking of getting quail just because they hatch out faster. That I'd start coveting breeds of chicken I'd never heard of before. That every time I drive by a "farm fresh eggs" sign by the road, I want to stop and buy them, even though I have three dozen eggs in my fridge, but I want something new and surprising to hatch out. Also didn't know I'd be posting on the forums asking about humane ways of culling when I get a crippled or severely injured baby. So far haven't had to cull, but I do have a crippled duckling I thought I'd have to kill. And I know it's only a matter of time before I have to. That the time between the first pip and hatch would be centuries, even if it's really only 24-36 hours. That candling would be so much fun. That I wouldn't be able to put my incubator up for the season. That even though it seems like I really ought to be able to sell a few batches of ducklings to make up my investment in an incubator, it wouldn't actually happen for a long time because I can't stand to give up babies I've hatched myself. That it would be so heartbreaking when one dies in the shell. That it would be so hard to keep my fingers out of the incubator toward the end. That I would actually cry at the miracle of it all every single time a duck pokes its head out of the shell for the first time ever.
Whatever can go wrong, will! Someone or something unplugged my auto turner and I didn't notice it until day 18 when I went to unplug it. I don't know how long it was unplugged or if any of my 3 dozen eggs will now hatch!!!
