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Barnyard Buddies:  Incubator advice  |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 04:53:04 AM
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I'm incubating my first set of eggs. They're due to hatch in a little over 2 weeks.
I've realized I have NO idea what I'm doing. I've been googling and googling for advice on incubating, and there are so many different views on everything!
I've got 3 very porus eggs in the incubator. I've tossed one out after it got a crack in it. I'm not sure about what the other two will do. Some people say they hatch, others don't.
I've been moving the eggs around the incubator so they don't stay in one spot, but, I only started doing that after a few days. Is that going to cause any negative effects?
I'm incubating brown eggs. Some of the shells are so thick I can't see anything when I candle them!
Any incubator advice would be really welcome, as I'd hate to waste all that electricity on eggs that aren't going to hatch!
I've got a hen laying on a nest, so I'll at least have chicks from her, but I'm nervous about my incubator!
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 05:54:50 AM
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well megan, i have no ideas either. i am going to watch what others say. i know they need humidity and being turned. good luck you farmgirl you. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 07:52:44 AM
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Yes they need to be turned at least 2 times per day. You also need to have water in there for the humidity. Now i will say based on experience i have not turned mine 2x per day and they still hatched they just dont hatch as well. The shells stick to the chicks and they cant get it off. What kind of bator do you have? Cam you get an egg turner for it? That way you dont have to remember to turn them! I dont have an egg turner as i like being able to fill the bator full so i like to run 60-100 eggs in mine versus 42 in an egg turner.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Jun 02 2011 : 03:15:55 AM
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Nope! I don't have an egg turner. I'm a SAHM, so I'm able to turn them once in the morning and once in the evening at the very least. What's your experience with porus eggs? What candling technique do you use? I'm putting my eggs down in hair ties (New ones) to keep them in place so they don't roll around.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Jun 02 2011 : 06:30:33 AM
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We've incubated eggs and thought we did everything right and had terrible hatches. We've incubated eggs and thought "these are never going to hatch" and we've had perfect hatches. We turned ours twice a day because we didn't have an egg turner. Just make sure the temp is decent and the humidity stays up and wait and see what happens (if you can). Those brown eggs are really hard to candle - I don't have any advice for those. We just assumed ours were good and waited. One thing I learned was to not get too flipped out about it, reading advice on the internet. Some people would make you think things have to be sooooo specific. I wonder if they have ever seen a hen hatch chicks. We had a hen who would regularly leave her nest and I was sure nothing would hatch because they "cooled off". She hatched her eggs just fine.
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jun 02 2011 : 08:09:11 AM
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Hens do not "TURN" their eggs, they just get moved around when she gets in and out of her nest to eat, drink and poop. The temp needs to stay at a basic temp for what ever type of eggs you have at all times, along with humidity, but with poultry, not as humid as water fowl. If you have eggs rot in the incubator, thru no fault of your own, they will release gases that will cause failure in the other eggs, and can cause high bacteria in the bater which in turn will cause chicks to die just before or right after hatching. Its a crap shoot hatching eggs at best, one time they will all hatch, and the next 2 they will all be duds, good luck...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 03:44:27 AM
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Am pretty much a novice too. We hatched out first set of eggs over the early Spring. We also tried brown eggs. Out of 18, I tossed over half, and felt really bad when most has developing chicks in them. Out of curiosity, I opened them up and found mid sized chicks and felt absoutly terrible. But that';s how you learn too
I went ahead and splurged on an automatic egg turner and a digital thermometer/hygrometer. Eggs are supposed to be kept at around 95 degrees with at least 85% humidity. This goes up slightly a week before hatch for temps upped to 99 and humidity reamining about the same I think.
Also, if you hear peeping clsoe to hatch date, DO NOT OPEN the lid!! Hopefully your unit has a window. Repeated openings will cause the settings to drop. Hens and chicks "talk" to each other prior to hatch, so if you hear peeping insdie the egg shells, this is really cool, and natural
Hope it goes well! Good luck ! |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 07:05:21 AM
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Like everyone else said, keep them turned at least twice daily, keep the temp and humidity steady. I had an uncle who made his own incubator out of a styrofoam cooler and instead of a water reservoir he would just dunk his eggs in room temp water when he turned them--he always had excellent hatches! (and I've never known anyone else who does that) When we started setting eggs earlier this year (a first for my husband) he read all kinds of books and stuff online and it was so funny (to me anyway) because he made log sheets to write down every little detail several times per day --the humidity, temp, what position the eggs were in, when he opened the lid and for how long, etc. I asked him why he was being so anal about it--sheesh does he think hens are like that? LOL. Anyway he has calmed down with it some. He asked what would I do and I said, put the eggs in add water turn it on and let it roll. Anyway, some of the clutches turned out with a really good hatch off and others didn't. Oh and he is all about candling eggs--that is something I have never done (nor my parents growing up) so that's something new for me...and I pretty much have no idea what I'm looking at/for! We've had a good time with it, and don't feel bad if it doesn't go like you think it should..use it as a learning experience and try again! Just be sure that after you finish with one clutch you clean the incubator really well and let it air out. We use silver wipes and some homemade cleansers (with essential oils) to clean ours and let them sit for a few days to air out before we try setting more eggs. Hope that helps some.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet--Dr. Kioni
http://madame1313.wordpress.com/ |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1145 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1145 Posts |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 8:56:57 PM
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I would only suggest purchasing a very bright LED flashlight for the candling job. I bought one (it cost me 30 bucks and it's small! but prices have come down since then) and I couldn't live with out it. You have to be in total darkness to candle them, so I either wait until nightfall or get in my closet, lol. My hatches haven't been stellar, but I have hatched out some chicks. I do not pay as much attention to humidity as some other people...you can 'drown' your chicks if it's too high, though. I have also heard to keep the bator (esp. the foam variety like I have) in a room where the temperature will remain fairly constant, since wide variation in temps will have negative effects on your hatches. I actually was blessed with an incubation room here at the farm. My farm used to be an emu farm! Anyway, it keeps the temps fairly constant, and I have had better hatches, though I, even still, had some dead in shell chicks.
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Jun 04 2011 : 05:02:40 AM
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As long as I don't cause the chicks any pain, I think I'm okay with not having stellar hatches. I just will feel horrible about killing ones that are able to feel pain...does that make sense?
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2011 : 09:47:49 AM
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I got 9 out of 12 chicks! I think for my first hatch, and just taking eggs straight out of the coop, I did good!!! :)
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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CMac
True Blue Farmgirl
1074 Posts
Connie
Ashland City
TN
USA
1074 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2011 : 09:50:38 AM
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Wow! I'd say so Megan! Enjoy those chicks!
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2011 : 6:23:14 PM
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That is a pretty good hatch! Congratulations!
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet--Dr. Kioni
http://madame1313.wordpress.com/ |
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Barnyard Buddies: Incubator advice |
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Incubator advice
