What would be better a Silkie or a Lil Giant Incubater ??

[Farmlife4me]

Just wondering if a Silkie would sit on any type of egg ...even if she did not lay them ? I have a incubater ..but I was looking more on the " lets save energy bill " part . If any body can help thanks alot !

 

[PurpleChicken]

A silkie will brood a standard but won't be able to brood more than a few. Plus you will have to time her broodiness.

My answer is the Little Giant. At 40 watts it won't use more than $.20 a day worth of electricity.

 

[Whimsical Farming Wife]

My Silkies sit hatch and rear around 12 Barred Rock eggs each (and could probably do more). No problems~ they are great little mamas! I love that I don't have to worry about the whole process. We had a batch hatched in December, and I especially liked that I didn't have to worry about power going out!

 

[tammyd57]

You might save a few cents in electric, but you would spend that on feed for the silkie. And she has to eat all year, not just 3 weeks.

 

[Kiwibird]

Broody hens have a higher hatch rate than inexpensive incubators, provided that they stay broody, and usually they do.

If you have a broody hen, she is auto-turning, she modifies the humidity herself, she decides which eggs are no good, she is a brooder as well as an incubator, she teaches all the chicks to drink and to feed, and she can usually deal with predators.

However, a hen will not become broody just because there are classy eggs at auction, or because you have done your maths and decided it is the right time to set eggs so that your pullets will start to lay in autumn and continue through winter.

I feel fortunate to have hatched eggs both ways because you learn different things. I am glad I began with broodies, because they do do a lot of the worrying for you, and that counts for a great deal the first time.

ETA: You can't get Lil Giant Incubators here and I have no idea if they are inexpensive or not, but in my experience most people consider an inexpensive one first when they are weighing up the options. Should you be looking at the Rolls Royce of incubators, please forgive me, and don't assume I was calling you cheap!

 

[Farmlife4me]

WOW THANKS EVERYONE FOR EGGUCATION IN THE INCUBATING PROCESS !!!!

I have a lil gaint and a silkie .. I am scared to try the lil gaint ( power going out in storm and worrying about have done everything right .... etc.. ) To set eggs you go by the moon ..RIGHT ! I mean thats what my hubby and me do for our garden .... THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN !!!!

 

[thunderwagn]

I just did a hatch with a silky and a lg. I would take a silky mama any day over the lg. I have one that will go broody almost on demand. Its a brainless process as well under the hen. She takes care of everything...naturally! Now that they are hatched, she is the perfect brooder as well. After my very poor results with the lg, I won't use it again. Silkies are known for making good mama's! Only downside is the amount of eggs hatchable at a sitting.

 

[GlitterBug]

Quote:
I agree! My silkie, Henrietta, is the best broody hen and I prefer her far above any incubator I have tried...so far anyway. But you really cannot fit a huge amount of eggs under them...that is also true.

 

[geebs]

A broody silky could hatch dinosaurs out of rocks!!! I am not that confident with an LG personally... Make sure she has what she needs and protect her from the rest of the flock and she will do ALL the work for you... If you are looking to mass reproduce... I would go with a Hove.. unless the LG is brand new out of the box... then it could be trusted somewhat for a hatch or two. I have 4 of em on the shelf...(where they will stay)

 

[gocrow77]

Yes, it's more or less a case of 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. Broodies, no matter how "good" they are can not incubate 40 eggs. But, their power never goes out and if you have them isolated from other chickens they are unlikely to break any eggs as some people have done when candling etc. I have both an LG with air and a turner and a few silkies and cochins. Both are incubating eggs for me ATM. My bantam cochin has collected about a dozen eggs - what fails to hatch will be candled and popped in the bator to finish off since I am sure these were not all started at the same time. I hate to say I "don't care" about these eggs - I will be thrilled when they hatch - but the eggs I am REALLY wanting to hatch I put in the incubator to keep a much closer eye on. Other people may do the exact reverse with eggs they really want to hatch. I think egg incubating practices vary a great deal and most people end up finding out what works best for them by trial and error. I have to dry incubate most of my eggs, others find they have great success watching humidity like an eagle thoughout incubation. I just add water the last three days, otherwise my air cells don't grow and I have drowned chicks. Hope you have great success whatever you decide; it's never a bad idea to have a "backup method" or spare bator around just in case! Best wishes to you.....