INCUBATION NOTES AND LINKS

I have been incubating eggs for three years now. It is amazingly challenging.  I would prefer to set under a hen any day as to put eggs in an incubator.  However, I hatch far to many eggs for my broodies to keep up with.  At the present I use my broodies to hatch waterfowl.  They have a considerably higher percentage of hatch-rate than I can get in the incubator.  However, I just bought a large Jamesway 2940, and I hope to hatch some waterfowl along with my chickens in it.

This was my first incubator.  It is a Dickey and I am very happy with it.  I did take the humdity tray out and retro fit my own.  I am still working on the humidity factor.  It is the most challenging aspect of hatching.  The low humidity increases the temperature, and high humidity lowers the temperature. When the humidty is high, the egg does not evaporate enough so the chick can hatch, and if it is too low, they stick to the shell.  Learning to regulate the humidity may be the most important aspect of hatching.

My Jamesway 2940. It took several days for it to warm up and stabalize temperature after I brought it home.  I have it in an unheated outside shed, so I am curious to see how well it maintains temperature during cold weather.  I did get a crash course in electricity and switches while fixing the egg turner.  One of the switches was wired backwards, but after I fixed that, she is up and turning.

I'm a bargain junkie, and I picked up the old round tin incubator at an antique/junk store for $10 and the styrofoam incubator for $15.  They both hold temperature very well and I use them as hatchers, so I can separate different birds within the hatch.  I fill the water trays on these still air incubators and they retain high humidity, which is vital to a hatch.

January 15, 2006 My new Jamesway: I fixed the switches for the egg turner.  They had been wired incorrectly.  I'm not very mechanical, but with a little outside help and reading the diagrams I was able to get it up and running.  Now I've got to see if it will pull up and hold temperature. January 25, 2006 I have been fine tuning the temperature and it is holding good at 99.5 degrees.  It took about 4 days for it to get up to temperature and hold.  I have it out in an unheated shed, so I may have to add supplimental heat on the coldest nights.  Now to add eggs.

Candling Pictures by the Easy Chicken

Rocky Top General Store has some poultry and incubation supplies.

InfraredHeaters.com

I do not have all my sources and links finished yet.--still working on it.