Again by request...Hopefully these Threads will cut down on all of the seperate threads pertaining to these subjects that many of us may miss...
Hatching your own Fowl 101 - For all birds!
U are so AWESOME
Thanks Dusty! Ok, question #1......What is the best way to clean and sterilize an incubator before and after a hatch? Is there a good way to do it with things I may already have, like bleach or vinegar? Will bleach eat through a styrofoam incubator?
Ok, so that was more than one question but you get the idea.
Christy
i bleach mine and than spray and whipe with pine fresh
straight bleach on styrofoam or diluted?
Diluted 1/10. It will damage the styrofoam full strength.
diluted of course
Thanks for that. Until this point I have been using dish soap and a soft bristle brush, then setting it in the sun. That's not cutting it anymore, so I will get on the diluted bleach right away!
Christy
it will be nice and clean befor u know it
here is anothe rQ&A thread...
wat do u mean tam
i was just bumping it up, trying to keep the importanat informative threads where new folks can find them...
great idea. My crested have almost all their feathers except for around their neck. With it being in the 100's or dang close to it, that shouldnt be a problem with them going out in the yard. I may try to rig up a fence on the outside of the brooder so they can get out and see how they do. It get full sun until about 3 pm.
good idea tf
josh
I would like to try to hatch soem one day but not at this point.
L2G when is one day exactky tomorro
If any of you have links to incubators, homemade or store bought, would you please locate them and post them here??
Same goes for candlers.. Please post links...I know we have alot of people lurking in these threads that are afraid to sound dumb by asking questions.. but as has been said before, the only dumb question is the one not asked...
When you post your links, tell us which one you chose and why, and how well is it working for you...What things you like or dislike about it...
I personally have never owned one...GrandFather always let 2 of his hens set their eggs every year to replace the chickens he planned to cull for meat...He only had about 25-30 chickens at a time which produced enough eggs for eating and baking...
With the hours I work, and am gone for the day, I personally would not try hatching, and particularly not with an incubator that required manual turning of the eggs...so that is something you would need to consider...
I personally plan to start my flock early next spring so by the time the weather is ready, the chicks will be ready to venture out...I should have their pen built and ready to go, on the back of the brooder house by then...
Sue, I think this is something we need to work on together this spring as you will have enough on your hands at the farm next year...
my pet chicken has incubatores. i'm thinking of buying one there.
sorry, here's the link
http://www.mypetchicken.com/Incubating_Brooding-Thermal_Air_Flow_Incubator-P193.aspx
Tell us which one(s) you like Kathy, and why...
very good idea Dusty, no Josh, not to soon. I am hoping that my girls will do that job for me. That is why I got the banny's. Plus they are just so cute.
the one the link to you to is the one i'm looking at. never had one, so i need advice and suggestion. all are welcome
I do have a questiong tho, what would one suggest, forced air or still air?
I just looked at that one, and it has an accessory automatic egg turner to go with it for an additional cost...IMHO I would add that to it...would save alot of work and worry I'm thinking...and that one holds up to 50 eggs...I wouldn't want anything bigger than that for sure...50 babies is more than plenty to look after at one time... LOL
Don't forget you need something to check the humidity too, so be sure it has it, or get it seperately...
Since I have never done it before, I can't answer the Air question...but I'm sure TF will be along here soon...
Oh yea I would get the turner also. My middle name is I forgot. Yes i agree 50 is a bit much. What am I talking about I buy them by the 100's.
i'll be sure to get the turner and a humidity thingy
I bought a Hova-bator with an automatic turner. Unfortunately, I don't remember where. For the RD/thermometer, I went to Wal-Mart and bought the medium priced one that the clerk recommended.
The Hova-bator holds 42 chicken eggs, but by putting the thermometer down on one of the rows in the turner it held 40 eggs. I hatched out 25 of which 21 are alive and kicking. I am going to buy another incubator of the same kind next year so I will have two. That will give me the opportunity to hatch 80 eggs.
GG
Granny, I seen the sire for the same bater, that is the one I am thinking of getting if I do decide to incubate. Wal mart.......what section would they be in?
I got my hygrometer from walmart in the hardware department where the thermostats are it reads temp and humidty for about 7 bucks cant beat that. I also am using a still air hova bator which is working out great for me although I wish I had an auto egg turner
ok thanks
i have a hova bator and an r-com 3 incubator
josh
and.......... what does it have forced or still air, turner, and how do u like both.
Okay I found it! So will post my question here also. I have eggs purchased on ebay. They arrived well packaged, but dirty. No big hunks, just looks like where other chickens have stepped on them in the nest. A little poo and a little mud.
To wash or not to wash before incubationg. In all honesty I would never wash, because I would never use dirty eggs. But I have no choice this time.
Sheila
Hi, I posted this on the other thread--getting repetative in my old age:0)
Damerow says: "When possible, avoid incubating dirty eggs. If the eggs are extremely valuable, wash them in water that's a little warmer than the eggs, adding a little chlorine bleach as a sanitizer"
I've also heard of gently sanding off the offending muck--but then I heard that that will create microscopic dust particles that can work their way into the egg pores and float around and contaminate the incubator.
I washed my some dirty eggs once--they didn't hatch, but neither did the clean ones--they had been in the mail for 2 weeks.
Good luck--if they are the only eggs you are incubating, I would wash them right before you put them in the incubator
Check out chitty chat thread. Wash the second before you pop 'em in is what the coop queen said (ish)
Oops. Coop queen got here first. Sorry!
This message was edited Aug 5, 2008 8:49 AM
Okay since it had been a little while since I have incubated. The humidity should be 60 to 65 percent during incubation and 70 to 74 during hatch. Correct????
Turn odd number of times not less than 3 in 24 hours????
just wanting to verify.
I am so pyschiced (spelling) about these eggs. they are giant blue black and splash cochins.
Any one else raise cochins??
Sheila
You got it! Try to space the turning out evenly over the 24 hour period--so they don't spend too long at night in one position.
okay maybe I was wrong in doing this and lucky too but a couple of my eggs were dirty and everything I read said not to clean them so I put them in as they were and they hatched fine. knslwilliams I too ordered some eggs off ebay my first batch of 7 only 1 hatched I just ordered some more they should be here the end of the week.
sorry for the late feed back L2G the r-com is realy good and is forced air
my hovabator is pretty good to and is still air