The Poultry Keeper

Sylvia · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 9:07 am Post subject: Beginners Luck

A friend gave me a dozen eggs to eat but as I had just bought some I decided to put them in the secondhand incubator I had just purchased as the instructions were not very clear (a poor translation into English) and I wanted to know what I had to do to get right combination of Temp and humidity before buying some pure breed eggs.
The eggs had been in her refrigerator for a few days and I have struggled to get the humidity levels correct but decided to leave the eggs in full term to see if anything happened.

Monday evening (day 21) I couldn't believe it when I heard a cheeping but saw 2 eggs had pipped, by Tuesday morning I had 4 chicks, another 4 have arrived over the past couple of days. they are a pretty mixed bunch as she has different breeds all in together.
It was a mad panic to get a brooder ready, fortunately the chap gave me a brooder lamp with the incubator and we still had the pen that we had used for our dogs when they were puppies so a brooder was quickly cobbled together.

I will leave the other 4 eggs in the incubator until Sat/Sun but I think I am pretty lucky to get the 8 out of 12, especially when they were not supposed to hatch.

Incidentally my friend put 30 fresher eggs into her incubator on the same day and to date has only 7 chicks.

I've just got to hope now that the chicken house I ordered is going to turn up on time Smile

CP · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 9:12 am Post subject:

Wow! How lucky is that. Well done. Wink

NannyP · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:27 am Post subject:

Excellent, well done....not far off addiction now Wink

Sylvia · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks CP and Nanny P, I have been an addict for a long time but it is only now that I have been able to appease that addiction. There is probably going to be quite a lot of questions starting with this one:-

The brooder lamp I have is one of those red ones (not sure of its correct name) but a friend told me they must have daylight or they will lack vitamin B and their feet become deformed. If we have a nice warm sunny day is it OK to put them outside in their run?

JustChickens · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 794 Location: Sussex

Grats! my eggs are on day 8 Smile

my first time ever to incubate eggs! soo exciting! gl!

NannyP · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:44 pm Post subject:

I think you need to let them grow a bit before you let them out in the sun, and then they need shade, and draught proofing.

I normally allow mine out onto grass at about a week, but I watch the weather carefully, and block off the sides of the cage against any breeze.

Sylvia · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 6:25 am Post subject:

Thanks NannyP, Hubby has made me a solid sided run about 10 inches high (sorry still can't get my head round this cm, mm) with a cover over one end but will wait until we have a really nice day to put them out. I will have to cut the grass first or I will lose them in the jungle Laughing

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JC I can confirm incubating very quickly becomes a real addiction, I have some mandarin duck eggs lined up to go in the incubator next. Do you know what colour your Pekins will be?

mojo · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject:

i always have a normal bulb on in the brooder room during daytime an d infrared over brooder and just red infrared at night...well done