What do you wish you had known before incubating?

[cmom]

Gotcha.

Since I breed... and constantly have birds in different phases... growing, molting, hatching, laying and so on... I always feed 20% protein minimum (flock raiser)...

That's why I like to ask what "more" is... or try to state that I mean more than standard layer *usually* is.

I'm far from an expert, this is just the way I feed my birds. After the breeding season and when the weather starts getting hot, I switch the birds over to the layer feed to give their bodies a rest in the heat. Luckily all of the pens have nice shade trees and a shade/rain table in every pen to get under during our hot and rainy summers. The chicks will get a 26% protein feed for 2/3 months, then they are switched over to a 20% protein grower pellet. When the young females start to lay they are switched over to the breeder feed.

 

[cmom]

I do not sell chicks. I grow out all of my birds so there is a time of the year when I still have to feed them even though they are not producing. As long as I can afford to do it and my health holds out, I will. I do sell the excess males, but I grow them out to pick out the future breeders.

 

[ChristieB]

Good thread. Thanks for the read. Ive just turned my little incubator on to hatch some eggs I got from a client (I’m a pet sitter) my last hatch just turned 1 year old! Problem is I have more eggs than my incubator holds and I’m going away a few days after predicted hatch date. Ah well I’ll work it out.

I don’t have a lot of experience but I’ve had the luck of 100% hatch rate from lock down (once non starters and early deaths have been removed) and roughly 90% success from setting in my little eBay 10 egg incubator. Honestly i wouldn’t buy it again, the thermostat isn’t accurate and I need to insulate the whole thing with a styrofoam box to keep temp stable but I am religious in checking temp and have 3 extra thermometers so I can adjust accordingly, i also have to turn 3 times a day which can be a pain if I have plans. All that aside as stated so far knock wood I’ve had everything that reached lockdown hatch with only some intervention by myself. I incubate with low humidity after reading tonnes of articles here. My first hatch I had it at the recommended 70% and they just wouldn’t lose weight, let it dry out and they came good, so now i keep it around 50% and I don’t stress if it drops, if I have room I also put in a heat sink, a small glass jar filled with warm water to help keep temps stable when I have to open it.
Definitely mark eggs so you know which side is up each turn, and mark starting aircell so you can see that they’re losing moisture at the proper rate, I do have 2 cheap hydrometers but aircell growth is a better indicator of good humidity. Do not open the lid after day 18 except to add water once you see that first pip keep it closed, if I’ve had to open during a hatch I use a cotton bud to wet any exposed membranes but it better to just not touch at all, leave chicks till they are dry, they can go a day or 2 without food just watch they aren’t disturbing other eggs excessively (a little jostling is fine and can encourage later chicks to get moving) don’t freak out when you humidity jumps to 90% or higher once they start hatching, open a vent or drop temp a little if you want but don’t stress, it’s normal.
I think that’s all the advice I have. I’m in Australia so this will be a summer hatch, much easier than winter,

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

I wish that... someone had let me know that my incubator picture would be use to feature this thread.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

I wish that... someone had let me know that my incubator picture would be use to feature this thread.

HAHAHA!

 

[igorsMistress]

First, I wish I'd known to calibrate my hygrometer, one I could calibrate manually so I didn't have to think about adding or subtracting x% from the readings when I checked it.

I learned that what works for one person doesn't always work for me and that's ok. It's a learning experience.

 

[aart]

I highly recommend this one from Thermoworks.
https://www.thermoworks.com/RT301WA
It is the most accurate available at an affordable price and is more accurate than my GQF dial.

Just ordered one...they are on sale!
My food thermometer is my most accurate too...
....but it is not instant read, nor can it be calibrated.
I hope it really will read in the 5-6 seconds they claim,
will be of much help in the kitchen as well as the incubator.

It got here the next day, despite only paying for cheapest shipping.
Tested in boiling water.....and it does indeed read temp in 5 seconds

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I only recommend things I know are worth having.

The company has good products and I like dealing with them.

 

[BReeder!]

Good thread. Thanks for the read. Ive just turned my little incubator on to hatch some eggs I got from a client (I’m a pet sitter) my last hatch just turned 1 year old! Problem is I have more eggs than my incubator holds and I’m going away a few days after predicted hatch date. Ah well I’ll work it out.

I don’t have a lot of experience but I’ve had the luck of 100% hatch rate from lock down (once non starters and early deaths have been removed) and roughly 90% success from setting in my little eBay 10 egg incubator. Honestly i wouldn’t buy it again, the thermostat isn’t accurate and I need to insulate the whole thing with a styrofoam box to keep temp stable but I am religious in checking temp and have 3 extra thermometers so I can adjust accordingly, i also have to turn 3 times a day which can be a pain if I have plans. All that aside as stated so far knock wood I’ve had everything that reached lockdown hatch with only some intervention by myself. I incubate with low humidity after reading tonnes of articles here. My first hatch I had it at the recommended 70% and they just wouldn’t lose weight, let it dry out and they came good, so now i keep it around 50% and I don’t stress if it drops, if I have room I also put in a heat sink, a small glass jar filled with warm water to help keep temps stable when I have to open it.
Definitely mark eggs so you know which side is up each turn, and mark starting aircell so you can see that they’re losing moisture at the proper rate, I do have 2 cheap hydrometers but aircell growth is a better indicator of good humidity. Do not open the lid after day 18 except to add water once you see that first pip keep it closed, if I’ve had to open during a hatch I use a cotton bud to wet any exposed membranes but it better to just not touch at all, leave chicks till they are dry, they can go a day or 2 without food just watch they aren’t disturbing other eggs excessively (a little jostling is fine and can encourage later chicks to get moving) don’t freak out when you humidity jumps to 90% or higher once they start hatching, open a vent or drop temp a little if you want but don’t stress, it’s normal.
I think that’s all the advice I have. I’m in Australia so this will be a summer hatch, much easier than winter,

You can discard eggs that you determine to be undeveloped after several days. That should help with room and hopefully there's an auto-turner for when you are away that holds the eggs that are developing.

 

[Spartan22]

So PNW, did you get the the Brinsea mini II? I got the same model except it has the EX model, it regulate the humidity by itself through the flexible tubes connected to an outside sport bottle. I have had near 100% hatched all the time, the last hatches been 6/7 and all hens in comparison previously mostly roos which I’d been batch culls on my day off work.

I wish I’ve known that hatching is extremely addicting (wife just Warned me last week to quit) and I wish I’ve known that when you hatch, roos ratio can be overwhelming. Which I will be sending 3 to freezer camps in 20 minutes as I write this since quite a few had reached good weight and breeding maturity. Keep us posted about your hatching adventures, I have yet get disappointed with Brinsea.