Author Topic: Turned on the Incubator Today  (Read 16541 times)

bantamhill

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Turned on the Incubator Today
« on: December 08, 2012, 07:09:25 AM »
I cleaned the incubator and turned it on today. I set seven dozen eggs tonight. They are mostly bantam silver and blue wheaten/wheaten. It will be interesting to see how fertility is. I have had lights on since early November.

Anyone else have anything in the incubator?

Michael

John

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2012, 09:41:47 AM »
Quote
Anyone else have anything in the incubator?
I generally don't start until the end of February, but plan to fire up the incubators after the first of the year.  I've sold the old incubators (still one for sale) and am building some new ones.  The two setters will hold 792 LF eggs each and the 2 hatchers will have enough capacity to handle what comes from the setters.  I'll post some photos as I go.

Sharon Yorks

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2012, 02:17:16 PM »
I am gathering right now and am planning to set early next week. I only have two girls laying right now, so the hatch will be small. Not 100% sure about fertility. I've checked a couple of eggs and they looked good, then kicked myself for wasting/killing those two potential chicks. Will know more when I candle.
Sharon Yorks
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Birdcrazy

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2012, 03:15:49 PM »
Just call me the hesitant dog, but I will wait until March to start setting eggs. It's fun enough to take care of the adult birds in zero and sub zero weather and not worry about keeping chicks warm while growing out. It can still be nasty weather here until mid April!
Gordon Gilliam

Beth C

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2012, 02:02:22 PM »
I normally have mine running by now, but I'm way behind this year. I probably won't start setting anything until January. Which leaves me a short season, since I try not to hatch past March because it gets so hot so early here. But then, I've had to scale back a lot for financial reasons, so that might not be a bad thing.  ;)

Don

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2012, 02:57:44 PM »
Ive often quipped that we keep chickens so we can build things.  John, i think you fall in that vein too.  Custom incubators, sounds interesting.  Where are the first pics?
Don Cash
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Sharon Yorks

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2012, 03:33:00 PM »
Finally got my eggs set this week. A couple more of my girls started laying so I ended up with 19 total. They were in with a cockerel, just not real sure how well they got to know each other. QUESTION: if after 6-7 days I find that several of these eggs aren't fertile, would they be too old or ??yucked?? to feed them back to the birds? My first thought would be NOT to because of possible bacteria starting since the eggs have been warmed up. Just curious as to whether or not anyone else thinks of such things and/or have read about it or tried it. 
Sharon Yorks
Mark 11:23

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Mike Gilbert

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2012, 04:27:50 PM »
Sharon, unless they have dead embryos already after 6 - 7 days, I boil them, mash them up fairly fine, shells and all, and feed them back to the laying flock.   They love it.  Be careful to break them slowly, as sometimes a little liquid will tend to squirt.   The mixture smells fine, and apparently tastes great to the chickens.

Sharon Yorks

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2012, 05:17:42 PM »
So, once opened, as long as the egg looks like a normal store bought, (unfertilized) egg, and it doesn't smell bad, it should be okay? Well that's good to know. At least they won't go to waste. I have always just thrown them out. Huh! 
Sharon Yorks
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Paul

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2012, 08:49:02 AM »
  The eggs that don't hatch are opened.  If they don't have a chick in them, they are put into a styrofoam coffee cup and frozen.

  When it comes show pig feeding time, the eggs are fed to Matthew's show pigs-one cup a day to three hogs on their feed.
Paul Smith

Sharon Yorks

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2012, 02:02:23 PM »
That is a good way not to waste them, too. I usually candle at 6-7 days, and if I think there's nothing in some of them, I put them back in and candle again at 10 days. If I still don't see anything, I take those out. I figure there's no sense in keeping them in there. It's good to hear of ways to use them.

I'm really getting chick fever and am collecting for another batch to go in around the 1st of the year. I may think differently later this winter, trying to keep them all warm...then getting them adjusted to going outside. 

Sharon Yorks
Mark 11:23

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Beth C

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #11 on: December 17, 2012, 07:35:12 AM »
I microwave them, let them cool & stir them up so there aren't any hot spots (no burned crops), and feed them back to the chickens. And I save the plastic trays from TV dinners so I can cook serve & toss!

Mike Gilbert

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #12 on: December 17, 2012, 08:52:38 AM »
The shells are a good source of calcium and whatever other nutrients are needed for the chickens to make new eggshells.   Do you break and microwave the whole egg or just the "innards?"    It's a good idea to crush those shells into small pieces before feeding them, so they don't get the idea to start pecking ungathered fresh eggs.

Sharon Yorks

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2012, 10:38:31 AM »
I save and dry all of the egg shells from the eggs I eat, then after they are dried out, I crush them up into real small pieces and feed it back to them in their feed and/or sometimes I sprinkle the pieces on the ground and let them scratch for it. I rarely buy oyster shell. I heard their egg shells were basically the same stuff...source of calcium. I just make sure they don't associate the little pieces with their eggs to prevent them from pecking at their own. The pieces were kind of pretty when I had brown egg layers, too.

And so far, I've candled 12 out of the 20 eggs I set and all but one is doing something. I was a little worried about fertility since those 12 were from the babies who had just started laying (and some just 3 days before I set eggs) and were in with young cockerels who didn't act as though they knew what they were doing. I guess they had been sneaking around the corner where I couldn't see them.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2012, 10:43:44 AM by Sharon Yorks »
Sharon Yorks
Mark 11:23

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Beth C

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Re: Turned on the Incubator Today
« Reply #14 on: December 17, 2012, 12:44:52 PM »
Quote
Do you break and microwave the whole egg or just the "innards?"

Yes, I mix shell & all with a potato masher. I also feed the shells from my hatches, but they're usually brittle and crumble easily.

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young cockerels who didn't act as though they knew what they were doing.

I've noticed the young cockerels aren't too obvious. I've gotten fertile eggs from birds that never showed the slightest interest.