what do you wish you'd known before incubating?

[louloubean]

i am planning on being ready to hatch in february or march, so i have some time.

i am stunned by the prices of ready made incubators, so i am thinking of making my own.
since there are so mnay great pictures of homade incubators, i think this maybe the way to go.
but maybe not?

so tell me, oh great BYC oracle:

how many do YOU incubate at a time?
what would you do different?
what did you do right?
do you hate/like/love your incubator setup?
what will no one else tell me?

thanks for your advice and input!

 

[Gerardi]

Hello! I made a homemade incubator out of a small 1.5 gallon fish tank. A 5 gallon bucket lid was my lid with a hole cut in it for the light fixture! We installed a dimmer knob to help regulate the temp. I was so excited! At first i didnt think it would work, so i got some eggs from a neighbor and put 4 in there. out of the 4 i have one that is almost here!! Its hatch date is thr Fourth of July!!!The only thing that kills me is having to turn the eggs. Sometimes i forget! Then there is the temp. I always feel as if it is to low or to high! and the waiting.. Killing Me!!!! So, since i had just one eggs showing me that it is possible, i went out and got 12 more! I cant wait. Just make sure not to set it beside a vent or a drafty window. I set mine beside one and it took me a week to figure out the right temp. Oh, if you have kids also, Let them help turn them. They will most likely leave them alone if you let them help! Hope that helps. If you want a pic of my little bator, let me know ill post one for you, give you some ideas! I was out a total of like $20 on this thing.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I wish I'd known how obsessive/compulsive incubating eggs would make me.

How the absence of the fan hum in the night would wake me up wondering what was wrong? (I'm not incubating right at the moment).

I wish I'd know how every turkey egg I don't set or sell feels like a waste now.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Don't start

It is an addiction affliction and you can't stop until you have no more room for chickens......I would have one incubator and make a hatcher with a good view so you can stare

. I like the fish tank idea for a hatcher or a brooder if you have the space. Chicks are better than TV any day. I have one Styrofoam incubator not as easy to clean up and 3 hard plastic body models and those are very easy to clean. Cleaning up fast and easy is the biggest plus for me. I like my most expensive incubator the best because it holds the temp and humidity and rolls the eggs for me I just check it to make sure it is okay...my cheaper ones all work great just takes more effort to turn the eggs and keep the humidity correct but it's not difficult. Happy hatching

 

[Chickenfarmer 1-2-b]

One thing I learned about better hatching is to leave the eggs alone as much as possible. I dont wash the eggs before setting, just clean it with a paper towel. I read that you could also clean the eggs with sand paper. I only candle the eggs on days 7, 14, and 18. The more times I candle the eggs due to curiousity, the worse my hatch rate is. Not sure if it is from contamination even though I wash my hands and wear surgical gloves when handle the eggs. I realize telling someone to leave the eggs alone on their 1st hatching is difficult. Just get cheap eggs to hatch the first time, and candle them as often as you want to quench your curiosity, then leave the eggs alone in the future hatches. Oh, another thing I learn is that you rather have temperature set a little lower than a little higher, I usually get better hatch that way. I usually read that you have to keep the temperature at 99.5 ALWAYS. Not entirely true for me. Chicken eggs are more tolerable in temperature fluctuation than you think. My 2 cents.

Andy

 

[Bloomie]

I would have to say reading up on humidity control, it may have saved me a chick,
and the heartache of havin' to tell my 9yr old Granchickie we'll be holdin' a funeral tomorrow

 

[Southerngirl]

That there is no going back!!!!!!!!!!!!! It just gets worse! You order from a hatchery, start incubating your own, have broody hens, etc etc. Then you log on to BYC for therapy!!!

 

[aprophet]

Quote:

 

[pkw]

Quote:
I like that .. logging on th BYC for therapy

 

[simplycreative]

how addicting it is !!