Consistently for three weeks we have turned eggs three times a day - 6 to 8 hours apart - not knowing whether we had even purchased fertile eggs, nevertheless, hoping that our efforts would pay off. Friday was suppose to be hatching day, but I do understand that the temperature must stay within the 99 to 100 degree window for the process to even begin, so it can vary by a few days.
We started checking the eggs on Friday in hopes that we would be able to watch the little shells burst open and little creatures would emerge. My daughter and granddaughter, very excited over the idea, swore they heard scratching and chirping. I heard nothing and was sure they were hallucinating due their wishing to be part of the birthing process.
I had a rather busy morning on the inside and did not rush out to check my biddies and the eggs in the incubator, but around mid-morning I hit the barn. Two little biddies had hatched and were soaking wet and wobbling around in the incubator. With pounding heart and a smile on my face, I quickly gathered them in an old towel and tucked them safely into the corner of the incubator to keep them warm and dry. I removed the water and placed a small plastic top in the bottom with water and feed. It took about an hour for them to settled in and start to cuddle in their bed. That was about 4 hours ago and 5 more eggs are cracking and the little peeps are chirping away in their shells.
Of course I called hubby to let him know that his 10 dozen egg purchase was not in vain and that the little peeps were hatching fine. I am now the nursey and delivery nurse for the rest of the day. Will catch you up on my progress during the day. I am in the process of making a true nursery for the little darlings. I have read that the process can take from 5 - 10 days so I will be watchful until I am sure the process in over.
Stay with me on my chicken and biddy venture! It is so exciting to watch the miracle of birth which only further affirms that our God is one of miracles!
Happy reading!
Belle
Showing posts with label incubator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label incubator. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Diary of Hatching an Egg
As I related before my ever inspiring and adventurous husband purchased 10 dozen eggs at our local livestock auction. After much research he gathered the parts for an incubator (thermometer, thermostat, water container, egg racks - we had all these items on hand) and proceded to put one together. The trickiest part was keeping the temperature between 99 and 100 degrees. The incubation process will not start until the 99 degree temp is achieved and held for several hours. However, much over 100 degrees will fry the eggs and burn the embryo neither of which was our desire. We want baby chicks!
After monitoring the temperature in our incubator for 24 hours, we felt we were safe in adding the eggs. During the loading process, a egg carton tumbled to the floor and we lost 5 eggs, oops!, but that is just the first accident in this process. We were able to load 7 dozen eggs in our incubator and felt we were on our way. At 50 cent a dozen, hubby and I feel this is an inexpensive trial run and if we get baby chicks, so much the better. On Monday, one egg crack during the turning process. Tuesday produced the same problem. If it continues, we will have to investigate further, but soft shell eggs are more difficult to hatch. Soft shells is the result of the lack of nutrients in the laying hen. Now in Day 4, we are anxious to see if we have learned anything in this process and if successful to celebrate the little hatchlings.
When a setting hen sits on her eggs, she turns them with her feet several times each day. If the eggs are not turned, the clear fluid (known as the egg white) will adher to the inside of the shell and the embryo will not develop properly resulting in physical deformity. Nutrients are contained in the egg white to nourish the little chicken embryo until it is developed and ready to hatch. So, we started the process and turn the eggs at least 3 times a day. It takes only 15 to 20 minutes. The hatching process will take about 20 days depending on - well a lot of things! I think I am getting into this process of egg hatching.
None of our hens will sit on the eggs we put in the nest. I know there could be several reasons, but maybe I just don't have a brooder. I wish for a broody hen right now.
Meanwhile, the new baby chicks are hungry little buggers and are taking in three bowls of food per day. I guess they are making up for the time lost living on egg whites. They are all over my hands as I fill their bowl and devour the food like they are being starved! Black with some light feathering of down on the throat to their front legs, they are beautiful. They are growing rapidly and in a few weeks we will get them ready to go in with the other hens. They are confined for now in a nice roomy pen safe and sound, except when the grandchildren come for a look. At this stage they are not allowed to handle them, both are too young to understand the need for restraint or the power of their little hands.
I was sad to see that one of the Metro Atlanta cities banned pet chickens from their city limits. Chickens are not noisy, make great pets, and teach children responsibility among other things. There was much discussion on the fecal matter causing an unpleasant odor, but unless you have a lot of chickens, there is no odor. I am afraid for those who perfer the smell of vehicle exhaust and smog over the natural odor of people and animals.
The baby chicks are waiting on me and I have chores to tend to. Sound like a farmer again, don't I? Thanks for dropping in and come back soon as the Diary of Hatching an Egg continues.
Happy reading!
Belle
After monitoring the temperature in our incubator for 24 hours, we felt we were safe in adding the eggs. During the loading process, a egg carton tumbled to the floor and we lost 5 eggs, oops!, but that is just the first accident in this process. We were able to load 7 dozen eggs in our incubator and felt we were on our way. At 50 cent a dozen, hubby and I feel this is an inexpensive trial run and if we get baby chicks, so much the better. On Monday, one egg crack during the turning process. Tuesday produced the same problem. If it continues, we will have to investigate further, but soft shell eggs are more difficult to hatch. Soft shells is the result of the lack of nutrients in the laying hen. Now in Day 4, we are anxious to see if we have learned anything in this process and if successful to celebrate the little hatchlings.
When a setting hen sits on her eggs, she turns them with her feet several times each day. If the eggs are not turned, the clear fluid (known as the egg white) will adher to the inside of the shell and the embryo will not develop properly resulting in physical deformity. Nutrients are contained in the egg white to nourish the little chicken embryo until it is developed and ready to hatch. So, we started the process and turn the eggs at least 3 times a day. It takes only 15 to 20 minutes. The hatching process will take about 20 days depending on - well a lot of things! I think I am getting into this process of egg hatching.
None of our hens will sit on the eggs we put in the nest. I know there could be several reasons, but maybe I just don't have a brooder. I wish for a broody hen right now.
Meanwhile, the new baby chicks are hungry little buggers and are taking in three bowls of food per day. I guess they are making up for the time lost living on egg whites. They are all over my hands as I fill their bowl and devour the food like they are being starved! Black with some light feathering of down on the throat to their front legs, they are beautiful. They are growing rapidly and in a few weeks we will get them ready to go in with the other hens. They are confined for now in a nice roomy pen safe and sound, except when the grandchildren come for a look. At this stage they are not allowed to handle them, both are too young to understand the need for restraint or the power of their little hands.
I was sad to see that one of the Metro Atlanta cities banned pet chickens from their city limits. Chickens are not noisy, make great pets, and teach children responsibility among other things. There was much discussion on the fecal matter causing an unpleasant odor, but unless you have a lot of chickens, there is no odor. I am afraid for those who perfer the smell of vehicle exhaust and smog over the natural odor of people and animals.
The baby chicks are waiting on me and I have chores to tend to. Sound like a farmer again, don't I? Thanks for dropping in and come back soon as the Diary of Hatching an Egg continues.
Happy reading!
Belle
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday Night Date
My Friday night date was very special. My husband took me to the local livestock auction featuring 350+ cages of rabbits, chickens, guineas, turkeys, pheasants, ducks, and geese and then throw in the goats, calves, emus, and sheep. It was quite a night at Buggytown Auction Barn!
We arrived a little late for the miscellaneous sale which usually starts at 6:00, but must have started around 5:30 on Friday night. Anything goes during the miscellaneous sale and we have seen some really good buys during this sale. Advertising signs, truck parts, tractor accessories and parts, cookware, handtools, work gloves and so much more are included. Some people come for this sale only and then others stay for the livestock.
On Friday night, there were not as many goats as from previous weeks and prices on the goats were higher. The price of calves on the otherhand were down - small (two week old) were selling between $16 and $22 per head compared to $65 a head a couple of weeks ago. There were also several nannies with babies that I would have bought in a minute if I had a good spot to put them. One little family of black goats stole my heart for a little while, but I got over it and waited patiently for the chickens.
Some of the auctioneers tend to dawdle over the livestock and attempt to draw a higher bid out of the audience. The owner of the auction will move right along and if you want to bid you better be on your toes and make sure you are seen.
Usually, hatching eggs are sold between the miscellaneous merchandise and the small livestock. Friday night however, all the eggs did not get sold during this time so were presented before the poultry and rabbits. As I walked back into the bidding area from reviewing the poultry in the back of the building, my dear hubby was saying $.50 a dozen, that's a deal and ask me what I thought. Well, this is what I heard out of all the commotion - from the auctioneer "50 cents a dozen but there is only 10" from my hubby "that's a deal, what do you think?" My response, "whatever you want dear" - big,big mistake. Well, 10 dozen hatching eggs are now on my kitchen table waiting to go in the incubator my hubby has rigged up. Okay, I now know to keep my eyes and ears open and to never, ever leave my hubby alone at an auction. Well, it doesn't matter whether he is alone or not, because not more than thirty minutes later with me safely at his side, he was calling out his number again and had bought 5 baby black giants for $1.50 each.
At this point I gave him my sternest look and said "No more!" He has the most innocent smile - he never committed to the "no more", but I did get a "we'll see." We have increased our flock by 120 eggs (which if estimates are correct we should get 60 chicks, but it will take 21 days once the hatching process is started) and 5 chicks. Oh my, we are now chicken farmers. I will admit our chickens have made wonderful pets, are no trouble to care for, and bring many hours of joy. They enjoy a good game of race when we give them scaps of lettuce or celery and compete for our attention in a friendly manner. Some of them are real show offs.
Whether it was the seller or just the turnover of the buyers, the price of chickens were up and down. Some beautiful roosters went for $3.50 a piece early on then the price quickly jumped to as high as $15. The same with the chickens, but the highest price I remember was $18 a head for a pair of black copper morans. (I know that is probably not what the auctioneer meant to say, but that is what these ears heard. Beautiful long tail pheasants brought $26 a head while one big tom turkey sold for over a hundred. I can't figure out the logic, but it is always interesting to see what draws a persons interest. I learned there is a chicken/turkey mix called a turken. They described them as turkey neck chickens.
We left at 11:45 with the sale still going strong, but it was a little late for me (it was past my bedtime). There were still cages and more cages of poultry and we were told later it was around 1:30 before all was over.
That is the best $12.50 date I have had in a long while! Every time we go I learn something new and see something unusual. And everytime I make the trip the kid in me comes out and I get that "daddy please?" syndrome. I love animals! And yes in a couple of weeks, I will have another Friday Night Date, but this time I am taping hubby's hands to his side.
Next week maybe you can have an exciting, educational Friday Night Date. Try a visit to the Buggytown Auction on Highway 341 south of Barnesville. In the meantime, thanks for dropping by.
Happy Reading!
Belle
We arrived a little late for the miscellaneous sale which usually starts at 6:00, but must have started around 5:30 on Friday night. Anything goes during the miscellaneous sale and we have seen some really good buys during this sale. Advertising signs, truck parts, tractor accessories and parts, cookware, handtools, work gloves and so much more are included. Some people come for this sale only and then others stay for the livestock.
On Friday night, there were not as many goats as from previous weeks and prices on the goats were higher. The price of calves on the otherhand were down - small (two week old) were selling between $16 and $22 per head compared to $65 a head a couple of weeks ago. There were also several nannies with babies that I would have bought in a minute if I had a good spot to put them. One little family of black goats stole my heart for a little while, but I got over it and waited patiently for the chickens.
Some of the auctioneers tend to dawdle over the livestock and attempt to draw a higher bid out of the audience. The owner of the auction will move right along and if you want to bid you better be on your toes and make sure you are seen.
Usually, hatching eggs are sold between the miscellaneous merchandise and the small livestock. Friday night however, all the eggs did not get sold during this time so were presented before the poultry and rabbits. As I walked back into the bidding area from reviewing the poultry in the back of the building, my dear hubby was saying $.50 a dozen, that's a deal and ask me what I thought. Well, this is what I heard out of all the commotion - from the auctioneer "50 cents a dozen but there is only 10" from my hubby "that's a deal, what do you think?" My response, "whatever you want dear" - big,big mistake. Well, 10 dozen hatching eggs are now on my kitchen table waiting to go in the incubator my hubby has rigged up. Okay, I now know to keep my eyes and ears open and to never, ever leave my hubby alone at an auction. Well, it doesn't matter whether he is alone or not, because not more than thirty minutes later with me safely at his side, he was calling out his number again and had bought 5 baby black giants for $1.50 each.
At this point I gave him my sternest look and said "No more!" He has the most innocent smile - he never committed to the "no more", but I did get a "we'll see." We have increased our flock by 120 eggs (which if estimates are correct we should get 60 chicks, but it will take 21 days once the hatching process is started) and 5 chicks. Oh my, we are now chicken farmers. I will admit our chickens have made wonderful pets, are no trouble to care for, and bring many hours of joy. They enjoy a good game of race when we give them scaps of lettuce or celery and compete for our attention in a friendly manner. Some of them are real show offs.
Whether it was the seller or just the turnover of the buyers, the price of chickens were up and down. Some beautiful roosters went for $3.50 a piece early on then the price quickly jumped to as high as $15. The same with the chickens, but the highest price I remember was $18 a head for a pair of black copper morans. (I know that is probably not what the auctioneer meant to say, but that is what these ears heard. Beautiful long tail pheasants brought $26 a head while one big tom turkey sold for over a hundred. I can't figure out the logic, but it is always interesting to see what draws a persons interest. I learned there is a chicken/turkey mix called a turken. They described them as turkey neck chickens.
We left at 11:45 with the sale still going strong, but it was a little late for me (it was past my bedtime). There were still cages and more cages of poultry and we were told later it was around 1:30 before all was over.
That is the best $12.50 date I have had in a long while! Every time we go I learn something new and see something unusual. And everytime I make the trip the kid in me comes out and I get that "daddy please?" syndrome. I love animals! And yes in a couple of weeks, I will have another Friday Night Date, but this time I am taping hubby's hands to his side.
Next week maybe you can have an exciting, educational Friday Night Date. Try a visit to the Buggytown Auction on Highway 341 south of Barnesville. In the meantime, thanks for dropping by.
Happy Reading!
Belle
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