Hatching with incubators.

[Deleted]

Just interested in others experiences and sharing ours.

We fiddled with a cheap styrofoam bator from rural king years ago with total failure results.

Got a brinsea bator with two shelves and Turner and humidity machine now. Filled in over four days with any eggs that seemed decently clean and not cracked.

I actually realized later, I did not follow all the recommendations at all, other than not cracked eggs and pointy end down. And, it sounds like some things we definitely didn't do quite right.

Also, found that it was 25% cheaper if I bought from a different seller. But, no use crying over spilled milk.

Anyway, the eggs started hatching a few days earlier than I expected, and so far, we have 16 out of 98 left to hatch. One died trying to finish breaking out, from exhaustion I think. Everyone else is alive so far.

So, I'm pretty excited, because no doubt it's going well despite me, not because of me, lol.

Hoping to get some hatching eggs soon for some breeds we want to add to the flock. And, hoping other batches go well, too. Not sure if I any to try and do it all "correctly" next time or not. I'd hate to overthinkng it and mess up future eggs.

[shellymay]

Are you kidding me? I wouldn't change a thing you did with hatch rates like that....LOL Congrads and I do have one question, did you candle them at around 10 days or so? I will say that you had some really fertile eggs in that bator of yours, some times people just collect eggs and they are not sure weather they are even fertile or not until they candle them at a later date and this is a big factor on a good hatch or not, keep on keepin on the way your doing things now

PS, some people need to post pictures with great news like this, hint hint...lol

[Deleted]

No candling. I don't know if I'd do it right if I tried.

[Deleted]

@gibbsgirl,shellymay,Hens were barred rock. Roosters are all different breeds.

Eight eggs left as of this am. So, 90 hatched, with one dead, didn't finish getting out of shell on own.

Gonna ask my mister to help put pics up. Not sure how to.

[Deleted]

Perfect timing.  Storms are hitting again, so he had to come inside from working for a bit.  I have one pic of the chicks and four of some of the flock.

[Deleted]

Here they are.

[shellymay]

Beautiful birds you have, chicks are sooooooooo stinking cute and congrads again on such a great hatch, also want to mention your place is very nice as well, chicken areas look well kept and healthy environment  

[Rustaholic]

I am getting ready to make an incubator like the one in this video.

[Rustaholic]

I have never candled an egg but this is a great video showing how to do it. . .

[jangirl]

Great results! I'm tempted to make an incubator, too. I borrowed one of the foam ones from my friend, put 36 chicken eggs and 4 duck eggs in. Only had 6 chicks hatch from all of them. Very disappointing results. I think one day the temp dropped a bit too much, so that might have been the killing of the eggs. I candled them and took 9 out at day 10. Still not great results.