Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:43 pm Post subject: Gift from my DH
My DH is very thoughtful and I love him to bits. 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.
The almanac says today, tomorrow and Friday are best days to set eggs. I don't have enough from my own chickens yet so I will have to try and get a dozen from a friend tomorrow to add to mine. Then I'll be in business.
Oh what fun you are going to have! Be sure to show us pictures when you get it set up with the eggs in it, and especially when they hatch! Pray over them!! I've heard that it helps to have a little pencil mark on one side so you can tell if you turned them all. I'm sure that you frequent the pountry forum over on DG where there are a lot of people hatching eggs in incubators.
The poultry forum is where I got the itch for the incubator. I am going to order some Black Sexlink pullets from Eagle Nest Poultry for my egg needs but I needed the incubator to hatch my game eggs. We'll also hatch bantam eggs and sell the chicks at the flea market. I am very eggcited (couldn't resist) about this adventure!
We are on our way! I got a dozen big, brown eggs from my friend yesterday, plugged my incubator in and fiddled with it for a couple hours until I got the temp regulated. I put 22 eggs in it late last night. I have turned them 3 times today and I added another bantam egg today. I have an "X" on one side of the egg and an "O" on the other side. That way I know at a glance if the eggs have all been turned. Chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch so April 3rd and 4th is our target date. I know it might take some a few days longer. I will candle them in 10 days or so and look for any progress.
One of my Bantam eggs cracked in the bator. I think it may have had a hairline crack since the beginning and just showed up. The others are fine as far as I can tell. Just 5 more days and they should begin to hatch. I have to stop turning them Wednesday. I sure hope they all hatch. I'll keep you posted. I have to get a brooder box fixed up for the chicks. I am going to used one of the big gray totes and a clamp-on light. I have both of them already.
Yes, my rhubarb is up and going strong. It is about 8" high now. Everytime I look at it I think of you. Not that I think you look like rhubarb. LOL
I tried to candle an egg but my flashlight was not bright enough. This late in the game all I'd be likely to see is a black blob. I have to quit turning them Wednesday. I don't know why but it says to quit turning them 3 days before they are suposed to hatch. Friday will be 21 days. I have to get my brooder box ready. I will be using a big plastic gray tote with a clamp-on light. I have everything. I just have to get it ready. I also need to buy a couple of newspapers and get my water and feed jars ready. I think the feed jar is here but the water bottle is at the barn where I had the other chicks and hen in the dog crate. They are doing good. It looks like the white plymoth rock is a roo. I think I can see the beginnings of wattles. I don't see any on the dominique so I am hoping it is a pullet.
We are hatching! The eggs started hatching last night and as of now 9 of them have hatched. Seven are in the brooder and 2 are still in the bator. I will leave them there all night and move them in the morning. Nothing is happening with the other eggs. None of the bantam eggs have hatched. I will be leaving them up to another week just to give them every chance. I aslo went to the market today and bought 5 mixed big stock chicks that are only a few days old. I put them in with the others and they are doing well. They were a good deal at $1.50.
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