Does Anybody Incubate Eggs?

[DebM]

I am in the market for an incubator. Does anybody here incubate? What brand/model do you have? Pros? Cons? I would like to incubate 3 or 4 dozen chick eggs at a time.

Thanks :-)

[GreenZone]

The little styrofoam Hova-bator holds up to 42 chicken eggs. You can buy the automatic egg turner for it. The entire set up costs about $100.00. I've used it and seen it used and it works OK. One problem I've had is, the thermostat is only relatively reliable, by which I mean, if the room temperature fluctuates too much, the incubator temp will fluctuate as well. My house is heated by woodstove only, and has no air-conditioning, so this has been a real problem for me.

In the off-season, you can use it to germinate warm-temperature seedlings. I use mine for starting tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. I set it to 86 degrees F, and usually get speedy germination.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

GreenZone,

That's a fantastic Idea. I have one as well. I love watching the chicken, ducks and quails hatch. It's a good little machine for the money.

[Ohiorganic]

The problem with styrofoam is you cannot clean it well and keep it sterile. Bleach and #5 plastics (which is what styrofoam is as well as almost all garden pots) do not get along well. Bleach makes #5 plastics off gas some bad toxins wbich persist for days and can kill eggs.

best to use an incubator that is made out of wood or SS Steel.

That said, I have used the Little Giant incubator successfully for about 3 years before the styrofoam got too dirty to be sanitary enough to hatch eggs. be sure to buy the egg turner unless you want to spend an hour twice daily turning the eggs your self and also letting precious heat out of the incubator twice daily.

Oh and be sure to get a thermometer to put in the incubator so you know what the temp is. Do not trust the theromstat in the unit.

If I were to get back into incubating eggs I would make a wood box and gut the styrofoam incubator and put the guts in the wood box and use that.

[Denninmi]

I didn't have good results with the styrofoam incubator. Temps wouldn't stay consistent, even when it was brand new, and it got worse with age. My last "hatching" was really bad, a lot of deformities, etc.

If I were ever going to do this again, which I'm not, I would either invest in a high quality, more professional unit, or just buy pre-hatched chicks. It's not good to have deformed chicks which die after a few days, or won't hatch out at all. Very heartbreaking.

[Cliff Timmons]

I didn't have good results with the styrofoam incubator. Temps wouldn't stay consistent, even when it was brand new, and it got worse with age. My last "hatching" was really bad, a lot of deformities, etc.

If I were ever going to do this again, which I'm not, I would either invest in a high quality, more professional unit, or just buy pre-hatched chicks. It's not good to have deformed chicks which die after a few days, or won't hatch out at all. Very heartbreaking.

I have bought "pipping eggs" for Estes Hatchery.
This is where they are 24 hours or so away from hatching.
I just kept them warm on a heating pad.
The problem is, last time out of 15 eggs I had 12 roosters. <grin>

[Denninmi]

I have bought "pipping eggs" for Estes Hatchery.
This is where they are 24 hours or so away from hatching.
I just kept them warm on a heating pad.
The problem is, last time out of 15 eggs I had 12 roosters. <grin>

That would probably work out fine in one of the (relatively) cheap styrofoam incubators.

I guess you didn't get many eggs that way, huh? Lots of fried chicken though, I suspect.

[bluelacedredhead]

I've used styro incubators with much success for over 10 years now. I have 3 of them running in my living room for about 6 months of the year. One as a hatcher, the other two to incubate eggs. I'm not saying that they aren't without their problems. But for the money, they do a good job for the average backyard flock owner.

The new ones come equipped with a hard plastic liner for the base which is a great improvement over trying to scrub babypoo off styrofoam ( replacement liners are available from places like Twin City Supply or Smith's Gamebird). But I do soak the base of the hatcher in warm water with a mild solution of bleach or borax after every hatch. I also keep a botanical based pump spray disinfectant (lemon, clove and thyme oil based) on hand if I feel a more thorough disinfecting is necessary.

Yes, they are affected by fluctuations in temperature and drafts in the house. Find the room (closet) or corner that is least affected and regulate your temperature well in advance of incubating.
Here, in the winter, the living room is best. We don't use the front door and I seal it off with caulking and a big stuffed kitty draftstopper before setting up.
But in summer, upstairs is far too humid and the chicks drown in their shells. So by June, if I am still hatching, we move the units to the basement.

[Denninmi]

I've used styro incubators with much success for over 10 years now. I have 3 of them running in my living room for about 6 months of the year. One as a hatcher, the other two to incubate eggs. I'm not saying that they aren't without their problems. But for the money, they do a good job for the average backyard flock owner.


I suppose it's very possible I just got a "dud" unit with a bad thermostat. I pretty much did what you described above in terms of location, etc. I only had the one, and used it four times.

The last time I used it, it wasn't planned. A wild hen mallard, who had been hanging around in my koi pond that spring, made a nest under the boxwoods by my front porch. One morning in mid-May, I took the dog out for a walk, and she was dead on my front lawn. I don't know what would have killed her and not eaten her, probably one of the feral cats that hang around. I checked the nest, and all of the eggs were there, 8 total, sort of cold, but I thought, what the heck? So, I scooped them up and put them in the incubator. Two of them had hairline cracks but weren't leaking, so I washed the cracks in peroxide and put scotch tape around them. About 9 or 10 days later, 8 healthy wild mallards hatched out. I raised them all summer in a pen out back I cobbled together out of old pallets and wire mesh. I would take them out for outings in my yard and garden, which they loved. After they learned to fly and seemed more "wild" than they had been, I took them over to the local "duck heaven" an old historic farm which had been converted into a touristy place which sold antiques, had a petting zoo, etc. The Huron River flows through the property, and there are hundreds of semi-feral and wild ducks there. My babies rushed out of the cardboard boxes and joined the duck frenzy instantly, and didn't even look back to say "thank you" until I broke out the popcorn and created a melee of a hundred or more ducks all wanting food. I'm sure in such a situation they had at least a fighting chance of having a good life. I think I did a "good thing."

[bluelacedredhead]

No, I think it's often inexperience that is the culprit. Not the fault of the unit. There are many different factors at play as well. Health of the flock, holding times and holding temperature of the eggs prior to hatching, temperature, humidity and yes, mechanical failure.

Always keep a spare thermostat on hand.

And when hatching I run two or more thermometers in the hatcher. One with a hygrometer, the other just a good thermometer. Make sure that they are calibrated to read the same as well.

[Denninmi]

No, I think it's often inexperience that is the culprit. Not the fault of the unit. There are many different factors at play as well. Health of the flock, holding times and holding temperature of the eggs prior to hatching, temperature, humidity and yes, mechanical failure.

Always keep a spare thermostat on hand.

And when hatching I run two or more thermometers in the hatcher. One with a hygrometer, the other just a good thermometer. Make sure that they are calibrated to read the same as well.

All sage advice.

The problem I had with mine is, I'd look at it, perhaps adjust the thermostat a tad, it would stabilize at temp for a few hours or even longer, then, suddenly without warning, without touching it, and without any big changes in room temp, etc, temp would either spike way up or drop way down.

I actually wonder now, after the fact, if it had something to do not so much with the thermostat, but with the power supply and useage trends. I have a toaster that acts wierd, too. During "peak" useage hours, like breakfast time or dinner time, it takes forever to toast a slice of bread. I can put the same exact slice of bread from the same package, into the toaster at an "off peak" time, like the middle of the night, not touch the setting on the toaster, and cremate it to charcoal in half the time it took to barely toast during "peak" useage times. We laugh about this all the time in our house, when we're not cussing the dumb toaster out.

[HOD]

One can also use the "guts" of one of the styro units, ( heating unit and thermostat ) in a somewhat larger container, like an Ice chest, old fridge, etc. or custom build a well insulated box and have a much nicer unit.

We have had some some sucsess hatching our own.


Hod

[Chickens-on-Mars]

Wish I could type at length on this subject dear to me but I tend to tangle up in my words and delete.
I can't stand by the styro bators much, I last used mine to cure a small tobacco crop, before that rehab for an injured chick.
I went for a cabinet model after two years of fighting for each hatch, and while I have yet to get 270 eggs into it at one time, every hatch set goes like clockwork.
Of course candle eggs before setting. Be picky about the eggs.
I use what some call a "dry hatch" method sort of.
A surge protector evens out the rural electrical quirks I'm told.
Around here it's back to the roos corner and out of mine.
Brian

[DebM]

Hmmm. Well, I had 18 out of 20 hatch in a borrowed $400 incubator last summer. It's like heirloom seeds, I look for one simple thing and it kinda gets out of hand, hope I can keep my purchase reasonable :-) Thanks for the suggestions for alternate uses of 'bators, never thought about that side benefit.

[liznbeatle]

Hey All,
My chickens just started laying:):):):) We got our first eggs this week from one buff orpington hen, she's about five months old now. I only have one buff orpington roo, he is just gorgeous!!! I have two buff hens, thats all I could get when we started in the fall, we filled in with black sexlinks and cornish rocks. We will see about the balck sexlinks, but I don't care for the cornish rocks, they are total pigs, they will eat til they die if you let them. If I had a seperate pen I would raise them just for meat with rationed food I guess, but I really want to have all Buff Orpingtons. So I am just venturing into the world of hatching also:) I have a question, as I have only one layer so far, can I hold the eggs at incubating temperature and they will just hatch staggered, or should I wait until I have enough laying to start ten or so at a time? And what is candling? I can get the styrafoam hatcher with the turner, what about lining it with plastic then fabric like white cotton to keep it clean? I have raised hatched chicks from the farm supply, but I would prefer to learnhow to hatch my own so I can selectively breed my flock. I would apreciate your experiences! Lisa

[springfever]

I bought that unit and didn't have a lot of success with it, sort of hit and miss. I like the idea of using it for seedlings.

[springfever]

liznbeatle; My first chickens were buffs and I just loved them. They are so sweet natured. My chickens are my pets and sort of spoiled.

[liznbeatle]

Hey Spring,
Yes! I love their personalities, they are very affectionate and have the most beautiful feathers. They are very hard to find in my area, you have to find someone on the farm who has them, the few hatcheries are always sold out. I recently found a few people, but decided to wait til spring weather to start any more chicks, I need to build a seperate coop for the younger ones I think, maybe a chicken tractor. What kind do you have now?
Lisa

[Chickens-on-Mars]

Lisa, it would be best to hatch on weekly basis if you have the room, older chicks can sometimes (will usually) injure younger or newly hatched chicks (no big ole boss-mom policing all), and will out compeat for food and water.
Candling is using light to 'see' inside the incubating eggs to check progress and for finding non-starters or infected eggs. But it is most important to candle before setting the eggs. Not all egg shells are created equal. Defect in shell structure is a common problem that causes low hatch rates.

[Denninmi]

A surge protector evens out the rural electrical quirks I'm told.

Ah, yes, I could forgive them if it was Hooterville Gas and Power, run by farmer Bob's mule following a carrot on a stick and turning a turbine. I live smack dab in the middle of a metropolitan area of 6 million people. My local utility just sucks. Their corporate motto:

ETD Energy: We don't care, because We don't have to! :mad:

Names have been changed to protect the cynical and sarcastic (ME!):D

Don't know why I'm complaining. My electric service is marginally more reliable than in Iraq. I guess I should be just grateful they haven't killed all of SE Michigan, SW Ontario, and NW Ohio yet with their nuclear plant!

[GeorgeSims]

HOD promised to let me borrow his this year. I was in the local MFA store yesterday, and saw a model that will hold 42 eggs, for sale at $44. If you want to get the "automatic egg turner" attachment, that's another $30. I was sorely tempted, but decided to give HOD's "free" version a try first. (I still remember my soil blocker fiasco from last year:rolleyes:)

[bluelacedredhead]

Ah, George, you've brought up another pitfall of folks that are new to incubating. Buying the ineggspensive Still Air model.
I have a still air that I use as a last resort, but it's a difficult model for those who have not done much incubating. Pay the extra and buy one with a Fan, as the fan keeps the temperature and humidity constant throughout the unit. In a Still Air, the temperature can vary 3 degrees F from the centre of the unit to the outside wall. Too many variables.
I'm using one right now to incubate turkey eggs, but as I turn the eggs (at least 3 times a day) by hand, I move the eggs to a different part of incubate at the same time that I turn them over...Sound like a lot of work? Then a Still Air isn't for 'you'.

[sparrowgrass]

I don't worry too much about marking eggs with an X and being sure to turn them exactly 180 degrees. I just open the lid, and gently roll the eggs around with my hands a couple times a day.

I have a turner, but I found that it got stuck from time to time.

I figure mama hen isn't too anal about how the eggs are turned, why should I be?

Your extension office will have a flyer on how to hatch eggs and how to care for chicks, if you are a newby.

[Cliff Timmons]

George, you got us both in trouble with your danged eggs. <grin>

[springfever]

I only have a few hens now and they are all different. I do have the cutest banty rooster that someone gave to me and lately a little white with black tipped feathers banty hen. I have 2 pens. Here, I have to have a little chicken house enclosed by fencing and actually fenced top or the owls, hawks, raccoons, etc. would get my chickens. I use one pen for the bigger chickens and later, this spring, I'll get more banties and put them all in the 1st pen. Then I switch days letting them run loose.I have a "maternity pen" that my husband made for me to put the hen and her eggs in. Then after they hatch, I leave them in there for a week or so til the chickies are bigger before I put them back with the others.