Gift from DH

My DH is very thoughtful and I love him to bits. Yesterday he bought me an incubator! I have been wanting one for some time. He got it at TSC and I am so happy to have it. It doesn't have a turner or a fan but you can buy them seperately to add to it. The turner costs as much as the bator. I can turn the eggs myself since I won't be hatching out tons of chicks. Just the eggs from my 2 game hens. I'm also going to hatch a few bantams for DGS to piddle around with. He can sell them at the local flea market. As for the fan, it's not a have to have but it's better to have one to keep the fresh air circulating. But I have that covered. A week ago I rescued a food dehydrator somebody had put out at the dump. I took it apart and had my electrician friend look at it for me. The heating element was shot but the fan worked fine so I kept it thinking I would try to make a bator and would need it. The bator DH bought for me has some holes in the bottom for air circulation so I will set the bator up on some "legs" and put the fan underneath it to keep fresh air circulating around the holes. I am collecting my eggs for the bator's maiden hatch. They are under my bed.

Here is the fan I salvaged.

A friend gave DH an egg today to give to me. He doesn't know which of his chickens it came from but it is a pale blue. It is fresh and had not been in the fridge so I am going to put it in the first hatch.

How exciting! I have three of the same bators--two with the fan and one without. The one without seems to work just as well as the ones with. But I do have egg turners in all of them, because I work away from home.

Congrats Cajun! Yeah, right, just gonna hatch a few.. LOL Famous last words! LOL *just kidding* But that's what I thought..

Have fun! I love blue eggers! My favorites.. they are sweet and friendly. Good luck!

Oooo the fun begins! :-)

Catscan
I figure when I sell enough chicks I will use the money to buy a turner. It would be a nice convenience.

congrats and what a great DH u got that is awesome!! u will have loads of fun hatching and raiseing ur own chicks it is so rewarding. u will learn so much u never thought possible especially when u start candleing and seeing different stages of developement. good luck and can't wait to see pics of all ur hatchlings!!

AwwwwwlllRIGHT Cajun! What a sweetie you've got for a DH. =0) Will he 'roo' the day? LOL

Can't wait for the first hatch!
Jay

Jay -that hurt...

Congrats Cajun!! Go for it!!

Huh? Ya lost me, Grow.

pun pain...

What a nice Dh - I'm impressed! The fun starts now...

OH, what a can of worms he opened..... Have fun!!

Grow.... ah, that was nuttin', I can inflict worse!

You've been warned...
Jay =0)

{{{warbling mightily here}}}
Anything you can do,
I can do better.
I can do anything
Better than you.

No, you can't.
Yes, I can. No, you can't.
Yes, I can. No, you can't.
Yes, I can,
Yes, I can!

Anything you can be
I can be greater.
Sooner or later,
I'm greater than you.

No, you're not. Yes, I am.
No, you're not. Yes, I am.
No, you're NOT!. Yes, I am.
Yes, I am!

I can shoot a partridge
With a single cartridge.
I can get a sparrow
With a bow and arrow.
I can live on bread and cheese.
And only on that?
Yes.
So can a rat!
Any note you can reach
I can go higher.
I can sing anything
Higher than you.
No, you can't. (High)
Yes, I can. (Higher) No, you can't. (Higher)
Yes, I can. (Higher) No, you can't. (Higher)
Yes, I can. (Higher) No, you can't. (Higher)
Yes, I can. (Higher) No, you can't. (Higher)
Yes, I CAN! (Highest)

LOL My favorite song of all time!!!
Wasn't she grand?!

Yes, I CAAAAAAAAN!!!!

teeheehee. I was just looking up Lakme Sopranos. found out over Christmas I am one....so I DO get to sing highest. (I think)

Oh, I'll concede... you do inflict more pain. Nooo contest.
LOL

Scared the bezongas out of them. DB and DD and I were at the computer looking at Youtube Lakmes and one poor woman was so frazzled I sang with her out of pity. DB(the opera singer one of course) sat back, shook his head and said "Well, it's definitely in your range" lol. poor guy... 'course I shouldn't oughtta, but who ever thinks of that?!

At least the computer still works....

It was a 'near' thing...

It always is with these blighted contraptions.
LOL

Congrats Cajun!!! I have that one as well. I just used it to hatch out all the showgirls!! I cant wait to see your hatch!!! wooohooo! Your DH rocks!!!

Isn't he the best!? He does lots of thoughtful things for me. He's a keeper. I've had him nearly 30 years now and I'm pretty satisfied with my choice. LOL

Seems like he's pretty tickled with his as well. =0)
Looking forward to the hatch.

Didn't get any more eggs today.

From your girls? Are you hatching your own eggs?

Yes. Gonna hatch a few bantam eggs for the maiden voyage of my bator. We can sell the chicks at the local flea market.

Sounds like fun. How many are you doing for the maiden voyage? hehehe

I hope to put nearly 2 dozen in but the hens are throwing a monkey wrench into my plans. The stingy little beggars!

Free loaders huh? I know the feeling. I had three go broody and they have not come out of it yet. One already hatched out eggs for me, but she still sits. :/ I hope with the time change the extra daylight may do them good. Best of luck!!!

I ended up getting some big stock eggs from a friend to add to my bantam eggs for the bator's maiden voyage. I started with a dozen big stock brown eggs, 1 blue egg and 9 bantam eggs from my girls. I egg started leaking so I tossed it. Now I have 21 eggs in the (step)mother ship. LOL They are due to hatch Friday so I stopped turning them yesterday. I sure hope they all hatch. How long do I leave the eggs in the bator after they begin to pip?

I give mine 48 hours after the first hatch. Really it shouldn't take that long...but some lagers seem fine. Try not to open and remove any chicks until they have been out for 24 hours....they need the time in the incubator to develop. But some people have good luck taking them out and drying them off. Every time you open the incubator you make the temp and RH drop though, and that is not good for chicks that are still hatching

Good luck!

So, I let the chicks hatch completely in the bator then leave them in it for 24 hours? After the 24 hours I can move them to the brooder box? I am planning to use a large plastic tote lined with newspaper and heated with a clamp on light. What watt bulb should I put in the lamp? Also, do I put the food and water in as soon as I put in the first chick?

Hey, great! Looking forward to minute by minute updates on the launch! Wooo-hooo!!!

Sounds like you have a great brooder set up. Just like mine:0).

A 75 watt bulb is good enough if you aim it down. Eventually, if you don't have one now, you may want to get a red bulb (I get red flood lights--they are about 100-150 watt, but you can buy a special red brooder bulb which is 250--a bit much for just a few chicks--and costly). Red bulbs help not over stimulate the chicks since the light has to be on 24 hours for the first few weeks. They also discourage picking since if there is any blood (chicks will keep pecking an injured chick and are attracted to red) it will not be visible to the chicks under the light.

The chicks technically don't need food or water for the first couple days since they are absorbing the egg yolk. However, after 24 hours they do enjoy pecking and it is a good time to sprinkle some chick starter on the paper towels (I put shavings in my brooder and then cover it with paper towels for the first couple days till the chicks know what food looks like). Make sure the water is out of the direct heat of the bulb and is in a very shallow container. Chicks can and will drown in almost no water since they fall asleep very quickly. I put marbles or something similar in the water dish to help keep them safe. Show them the water and dip their beaks in it at first. They should start drinking and can take it from there.

Sixty percent is considered a very good hatch in an incubator.

I have a water dish that srews onto a quart jar. It is very shallow and they can't actually get into it. Thanks for the info.

I have an egg pipping and I can hear peeping from across the room.

Here is what is going on in my bator.
(Sorry. I can't seem to get it to work.)

This message was edited Apr 3, 2009 9:47 AM