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Post by bergere on May 17, 2015 21:00:48 GMT
For all the years I have raised chickens, I always used broody hens. This year I bought a small incubator. Chicks the Hens hatch out, are hatching at 19 days.... they are smaller and more lively. Incubator, takes 25 to 26 days, and the chicks are larger, .... same batch of eggs split between hen and incubator. Anyone else notice this? Am a bit depressed, the 6 lavender d'Anver hatching eggs I got, I thought the hen would hatch out more than two. There were of been three, but she squished it by accident. She did not eat it, so that was a very good thing. Will be day 24 today, for the rest of the lavender d'Anvers... will give it one more day and a listen, tomorrow evening will throw them out if I don't see anything. This egg hatching is getting to be spendy, with as few as I can get hatched out. But there is no other way to get rare breeds into this state.  Mean while, the batch of Quail d'Anvers... the same batch that is in the incubator, I stuck two under the hen, they hatched out right quite. Still waiting on the ones in the incubator. With figures crossed! And I have decided, I want some buff colored Frizzle Polish Bantams. ( yea, I know, I need them, like I need a hole in my head) Anyone know where I can get some hatching eggs? So that is the drama on the egg and chick front. LOL |
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Post by woolybear on May 17, 2015 21:49:46 GMT
I have peeping sounds from the incubator today, day 20. First year I incubated I had them hatching on day 19-20 (I think the incub. was/is running a bit warmer than I realized).
Have you tried looking for rare breeds on a facebook group? I belong to the Maryland Farmers Exchange and see some rare breeds on there some times.
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Post by bergere on May 17, 2015 22:41:51 GMT
What kind of incubator do you have?
I looked into the clubs, but none had what I wanted around here.
Found a couple of breeders that have d'Anvers. First two years I ended up with all Roosters. This year I hope.. I will get some hens finally.
Have not found anyone with a d'Uccle with the proper conformation or beard and muff's yet. (most people seem to be selling Booted Bantams as d'Uccles and they are totally different breeds)
The Lavender Ameraucana bantams are nearly impossible to find. Though I hope to have 15 chicks sent to me in the next few weeks. I won't be selling any of those off again, until I get my flock built up.
Have some of Kat's full sized Wheaten Ameraucana hatching eggs under a couple of hens right now. Though the eggs are not blue like the photos. Will see what happens when they grow up.
Oh, and a line I am working on right now, bantams. Will see how they turn out before I say more about them.
Not like I need any other breeds of poultry. LOL
Also have my Welsummers, Blue Cooper Marans (love both of their dark eggs),, Speckled Sussex, couple of Orps, golden comets... though I am not planning on raising those.
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Post by WindyRidge on May 18, 2015 11:34:35 GMT
Good luck with all your hatching! I often dream of ordering rare breed eggs, but have always been afraid to because my luck with incubators has been terrible.
Last year I ordered eggs (nothing fancy, cheap off eBay). Of 14, only 5 hatched and they were all roosters. Tried 18 farm eggs from a friend. Had 8 hatch, but 7 died over the winter (not sure what happened there!). So far this year I've been hatching my own farm eggs which was going well until the heater on the incubator quit a few days ago. Lost the last 2 eggs in that batch because of it (but at least it was only 2!). Incubator is stil under warranty so calling about that is on my to-do list today.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2015 11:44:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2015 11:54:17 GMT
Chicks the Hens hatch out, are hatching at 19 days.... they are smaller and more lively. Incubator, takes 25 to 26 days, and the chicks are larger, .... same batch of eggs split between hen and incubator. Your temp was way off being it took that long in the incubator----that also affects their health. What type incubator is it, does it have a fan, what was the incubating temp?? |
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Post by bergere on May 18, 2015 11:55:06 GMT
Thanks Windy Ridge. Ah... Fire-man... never mind.. that is weird. At first your whole post was blank. I have a little Brinsea mini incubator. it is running at 99.5 to 99.6 , I was worried about upping the temp a couple of degrees... guess at this point, it won't hurt?? What do you think? This is just the 2nd batch I am trying with an incubator.  |
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Post by allenw on May 18, 2015 14:52:42 GMT
Fan or still air incubator? Either one your hatch time is telling you the temperature is too low.
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Post by bergere on May 18, 2015 15:01:36 GMT
It says it has Fan assisted air flow.
Slowly figuring all the quirks this thing has, with everyone's help. I upped the temp a little bit, they are pipping.
Will get more eggs next week... need to find a temp gauge small enough to put in with the eggs, so I can make sure what the temp is. But I will run it a little warmer than
what they say is recommended.
Is much easier to put eggs under broody hens! LOL But I go impatient this year and had to try an Incubator.
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Post by bergere on May 18, 2015 15:01:58 GMT
OK weird.. double post...
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Post by woolybear on May 18, 2015 17:24:49 GMT
I got the following thermometer from amazon to use this year www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0099Y9SUQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1It seems very accurate, but I’ve also used aquarium thermo., and those little stick on the window thermo . I try to keep the temp. between 99-100 not an easy task. Sometimes the temp ran up to 101 until I realized that the probe was going far up close to the heat source and way down low because of the auto egg turner. I blew the contents out of an egg, then taped the probe to the hollow egg and plopped it into the turner that gave me a bit more staple temp readings. My incubator is a Styrofoam hova-bator with an auto egg turner, no fan (but I may get one for the next time) we bought many years ago. The first time I tried hatching in it the temps were everywhere 95-103 degrees. The thermostat wafer was bad. Once we got a new one it’s worked pretty good. Out of 33 eggs 6 were no good, 6 are iffy, one chick has hatched out, one is working on it, the rest are unknown for now. Two years ago I had 24 eggs in it, had 21 hatch out. |
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Post by bergere on May 18, 2015 18:24:34 GMT
Thank you for the temp gauge info Woolybear. Will go check that out!
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2015 20:33:36 GMT
need to find a temp gauge small enough to put in with the eggs, so I can make sure what the temp is. But I will run it a little warmer than what they say is recommended. You do not need another thermometer---it will probably read different---then you will not know which one to go by. I am not familiar with your incubator but It might have a temp calibration built in it??? Either way ""I"" would just up the temp 1 degree for the next batch and see if they will hatch late day 20, early day 21 and adjust from there. Lets make sure we are on the same page----if you put eggs in the incubator any time today-----Day 1 will be 24 hrs later----set at 12 noon today---tomorrow will be day 1 at 12 noon----Just added that because some people want to say the day they set them is day one----Not. Sure if you only set a few eggs------using a broody makes it easier BUT think about this-----How Many broodies I would have to have to have 949 eggs set at one time---LOL. |
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Post by woolybear on May 18, 2015 21:33:54 GMT
Well if you have a couple of broodies like my EE last year you would be set, lol. By the time I found her in the barn she had over 2 dozen eggs under her. If I remember correctly I think she hatched out 8-10, maybe a few more than that. She had made a nest in the hay pile, had her sister to help her lay eggs. The eggs were 3-4 layers deep. I was still finding eggs that fall, which I very carefully removed and then tossed as far into the woods that I could.
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Post by bergere on May 18, 2015 22:04:40 GMT
Fire Man, you would need an army to hatch that many eggs at once! My head would explode if I tried to raise as many chickens as you do.
I have three broodies I am using, on top of the little incubator. LOL
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Post by bergere on May 19, 2015 10:03:52 GMT
One of the incubator chicks hatched last night, one other is just starting to pip through. So hopefully I will have a few more soon!
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Post by aoconnor on May 19, 2015 12:15:08 GMT
It seems that my incubator hatching is always a day or two longer than I expect. Glad you are getting some now! I love seeing new chicks...so cute:-)
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2015 20:20:21 GMT
It seems that my incubator hatching is always a day or two longer than I expect. Glad you are getting some now! I love seeing new chicks...so cute:-) It shouldn't be! Have you upped your temp a little from the hatch before??? If you get it a little to high then they will hatch early. |
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2015 20:29:17 GMT
Fire Man, you would need an army to hatch that many eggs at once! My head would explode if I tried to raise as many chickens as you do. I have three broodies I am using, on top of the little incubator. LOL I told my Wife less than a Year ago I was going to get into raising chickens on a "bigger" level than where I was at----I am making Sure I Told Her The Truth----LOL. Its Been a busy year for sure----I have learned so much. I have had real good luck with my home-made cabinet incubator and hatcher. I did buy some other cabinets and they too worked good after I got them straighten out and "learned" the incubator. I got so many other idea's I want to try with this chicken deal-----If I decide to stay in it---LOL. |
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Post by woolybear on May 19, 2015 23:23:33 GMT
Sigh it's going to be a big pic. I don't know how to resize it and then get it from photobucket. This is from an hour ago.  |
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Post by bergere on May 20, 2015 10:22:19 GMT
Very cute chicks Wooly! Had 3 more d'Anvers hatch out... so far.. only 5 hatched out of 12 eggs. I will let the eggs sit until tomorrow morning, but if I don't hear any talking....  Belgian d'Anver in Lavender, Blue Quail and Quail.   This one came out of an egg marked Blue Quail... not a blue quail, but will find out as it grows up. |
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Post by shellymay on May 20, 2015 10:39:05 GMT
So cute everyone thanks for sharing, and Woolybear the bigger the better on pictures as some of us are slowly loosing our sight  |
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Post by aoconnor on May 20, 2015 11:45:04 GMT
It seems that my incubator hatching is always a day or two longer than I expect. Glad you are getting some now! I love seeing new chicks...so cute:-) It shouldn't be! Have you upped your temp a little from the hatch before??? If you get it a little to high then they will hatch early. It could be temperature fluctuation that causes mine to go over. I have hatched every time I have incubated and the chicks are all fine, but that was after trial and error runs on two sets of eggs. I am very new at hatching, will try to watch the temps better. |
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