I found one of these ... Hova-Bator 1602N ... with a turner ... and a turbo-fan on Kijiji.ca.I know NOTHING about incubators ... other than that they hatch eggs and that I don't want to spend a LOT of money on a new one ... :-)
Mark's Silkies have 5 eggs so far. I know that they'd hatch them on their own, but it is late and I'd like to 'simplify' the process ... :-).
Suggestions? Benefit of experience? I'd like to hear it all ... :-)
Life ... is good.
8 comments:
Actually, this time of year some birds won't go broody, even silkies. If you had a heat lamp on them, they might, but it's hard to say. What did you need to know about the incubator? The styrfoam ones are alright, but no where near as good as the cabinet incubators for viability. You need to keep one of the little "tunnels" underneath the wire rack full of water for the first 19ish days, then the last two days fill both little "tunnels" with water, so the chicks have enough humidity to assist with the hatch. Being your new to it, the chicks will start pipping (breaking out of the egg) anywhere from 20-23 days, depending on how accurate your temperature is. There is not much like candling eggs for the first time, it's amazing to watch the heart beating inside the shell....If you have any questions with the 'bator, feel free to email me. I'm not an expert, but I know enough :)
I've got one of those little guys, and it hatches quite a bit for me...but temperature is KEY. Get a second thermometer to verify the temperature, even 1 degree off can be too much. Keep it 99-100.
If the turner doesn't work, then hand turn the eggs 3 times a day or so, and you should be fine.
Get ready - babies are addictive. Peep, peep!
We used to have them for our 4-H kids. I take it this one is used but even when new it is idea to test it for a few days. Put several eggs in there (just any eggs, you aren't going to hatch the test eggs)that you have marked with Xs on two side (use different colors). Also put in a small combo thermometer - humidistat. You want to see the Xs turning and the temperature and humidity remain either where you set it (if that is possible with this one) or at the ideal temp/humidity for your birds. Even three days would give you enough info to try a run.
If your hens want to brood, by all means do let them. A good broodie is ever so much more reliable (not to forget the training she does) than an incubator or brooder box.
Have Fun Bill.
In my experience, Silkies will go broody and hatch out chicks any time of year. If you put a heat lamp out after the chicks hatch, it will keep their water from freezing and give them a chance to get out and scratch around for food, etc.
I've had good luck with styrofoam incubators. Just be sure to keep the incubator in a draft-free room with a steady room temperature - I always kept mine in the living room since I like to hand turn my eggs three times a day and candle them often. Be sure to calibrate your thermometer, they sell some really cheap ones with the styrofoam bators. If you plan to do a lot of hatching, a second still air (no fan) incubator is handy. The hatching process gets pretty messy and you need to clean out the bator thoroughly between hatches. If you don't have directions for your hovabator, try checking online or calling the company for detailed instructions.
Have fun!
I've always found mother nature does it the best, so let your Silkies hatch out any and all eggs you want hatched. I've had ducklings and chicks born in the fall and late fall and with a good mother taking care of them they thrive and don't need human intervention.
Bill
In my experience Silkies are MUCH better incubators than those styrofoam boxes. And (with all due respect) the Silkies will be much better mothers than you or any other human. Brooding chicks isn't a ton of work, but it does require some input on your part, while the little Silkies will do it all if you give them a safe, warm environment and good feed and water. I have used Silkies to raise much larger chickens and one even hatched and reared a couple of peafowl for me once. Forget the styrofoam. Count on the silkies.
all the comments are great...right on....we used to keep our temp a bit higher than 100 as i recall...somewhere between 101 1/2 and 102 1/2 max. What I wouldn't have given for an incubator that actually turned the eggs for YOU! :-) I had 2 metal table top models from Sears. They worked great. I hatched everything from chickens to ducks, geese, quail, pheasants, and peacocks.
Thanks for the input folks. I KNEW that there would be good information from the readers of this blog. I intend to let 'nature take its course' and use the silkies to brood whenever possible. As has been pointed out, that is the easiest way ... :-).
I'm also going to get an inexpensive incubator, just to have as back-up. Mind you, if Silkies are a good at brooding as I hear, I might just get more silkies as well.
Thanks again for the input.
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