4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[likeastar--x]

I've got my gap year next year, and a long year to kill. Ive got a part time job lined up, with short hours. Im planning on applying for Vet/Zoology for Uni in 2010, and I was thinking that hatching eggs could be great experience for my application, aswell as something i've really wanted to do for a long time Im starting research early because I want to be 100% prepared.

Soo ive found some information online but I thought id ask the experts. So these are the questions I have:

 

What amount of time/what period of time daily is reserved to care of eggs, and for chicks?

 

How long is the usual incubation period?

 

How old do chicks need to be to be sold or kept outside?

 

Do you keep all your chicks hatched, or do you sell them? What do you do with the males?

 

Ive looked on Ebay and you can get second hand incubators for around £50...are these trustworthy or should I really fork out for a good £100 one? What are the disadvantages of non egg-turning heater? (Or do they all rotate the eggs ?)

 

When hatched, what do you keep them in? Something similar to a glass reptile cage, from the impressions ive got?

 

Thanks a lot for your help, at least this way I can find out if im waay out of my depth!

[Griffin]

 

What amount of time/what period of time daily is reserved to care of eggs, and for chicks?

A few minutes a day for the eggs, even less with an automatic turner. I keep an eye on the humidity and add more water if needed. As for the chicks, I could watch them 24/7 and not get bored

How long is the usual incubation period?

21 days

How old do chicks need to be to be sold or kept outside?

They can be sold at any age but the owner needs to have the right equipment. Mine will not be going outside until they're completely off the heat and there's no risk of frost. I'd expect them to be off heat by 10/12 weeks. If I sell any I'll be waiting until they're point of lay.

 

Do you keep all your chicks hatched, or do you sell them? What do you do with the males?

My first ever batch of chicks were born on Sunday and the intention was always to eat the boys but we've been offered a home for them. Not sure which option we'll chose yet, I'm keen to eat them but the kids are not With 6 born on Sunday and another 12 in the incubator already I guess I'll sell a few, if not I'm happy to keep the girls.

 

Ive looked on Ebay and you can get second hand incubators for around £50...are these trustworthy or should I really fork out for a good £100 one? What are the disadvantages of non egg-turning heater? (Or do they all rotate the eggs ?)

I would be reluctant to buy a second hand one from Ebay because I'd be concerned about how well it'd keep it's temperature. If it arrives and doesn't, then what? Ones with automatic turners are more expensive and you can get away without a turner if you're at home a lot. I turn my eggs four or five times a day but it's easy for me because there is nearly always somebody here. If you can't be sure you'll be around then you'll have to have an automatic one or your chicks will stick to the shell and die, simple as that.

 

When hatched, what do you keep them in? Something similar to a glass reptile cage, from the impressions ive got?

Our last pet rat died a few weeks ago. The cage we had for them was huge so I've used this for the chicks. I was going to buy one of those big plastic indoor guinea pig cages. When they move out of my bedroom and into the garage they'll be in my old chicken run. When they're small they don't need a huge amount of space, as long as they're warm and well fed & watered they'll be fine.

 

[likeastar--x]

Thanks Griffin

 

Im thinking about getting a non-turning one, as i'll pretty much be home all day, and if not there will be someone home to rotate the eggs.

I want to get as few as possible, as im mostly doing this for recreational purposes, not to unexpectedly recieve a large brood of chicks to care for (i wish i could!!), so what sort of percentage of the eggs hatch? if you did sell the chickens, who would you sell them to? directly to friends and family/advertise on internet/breeder?? is there any market for roosters really?

 

[Griffin]

I guess it might be possible to sell pure breed cockerels but in all honesty "Ooops, word censored!"ody is going to want to buy a crossbreed. I'll put some notices up locally, shop windows and the like and if "Ooops, word censored!"ody wants to buy them locally I'll advertise online, somewhere like Practical Poultry (and I think there is a new chooks for sale bit on here somewhere).

 

There are so many variables leading to a good hatch rate. Health, fertility & age of the parent birds, their diet, storage of the eggs, hygiene, length of time between laying & setting in the incubator, correct temperature, humidity, turning, the list goes on and on. Your best bet is to have a good incubator and if not able to hatch your own eggs then to buy them locally from a good breeder.

 

I bought a 24 egg incubator about 6 weeks ago. I bought some cheap eggs on Ebay to learn how my incubator works. Of the 18 eggs I bought, 6 were infertile, 6 died early on and 6 hatched at the weekend. I've learnt a lot, tweaked things around with the incubator and hope to do better this time. I bought 6 Light Sussex and 6 mixed large fowl eggs nearby. Fingers crossed!

[Lewis]

You'll also need a camera to take lots of pictures!

 

A candler would be a good thing to get, so its a bit more sciency for your vet application.

[likeastar--x]

Ahhhh Im such a newbie with this stuff!

 

Whats a candler? I was thinking about getting a R-Com mini auto which holds around 3-4 bantam eggs...but this will seriously reduce my odds of any being fertile. Im trying to decrease the odds of getting a male, though of course thats always going to be a possibility that I should be prepared for. So what options are there, except from (attempting) to sell them?

 

[Lewis]

Ahhhh Im such a newbie with this stuff!

 

Whats a candler? I was thinking about getting a R-Com mini auto which holds around 3-4 bantam eggs...but this will seriously reduce my odds of any being fertile. Im trying to decrease the odds of getting a male, though of course thats always going to be a possibility that I should be prepared for. So what options are there, except from (attempting) to sell them?

 

A candler is a light which you hold the egg up to, and you can see inside the egg, and if it's fertile you will be able to see the blood vessels and veins inside the egg.

This is my candler attempts - I need to take some pictures of the fertile eggs being candled.

 

You can't really decrease the odds of getting a male, because you could only hatch one and it be male. You would either have to keep it was a pet (neighbour permitting), find a new home for it or kill it possibly to eat.

[mad house]

Why dont you look on line and see if there is anyone near you that might rent one out.

We have a lovely lady near us who not only rents out incubators but will also have the chicks off you if you don't want to keep them. I've been thinking about it as an experiment for the children, i would get eggs that you can tell the sex of the chick when it hatches therefore keep the hens and give the cocks back.

Knowing oh luck we would have all hens

[Nuggywoo]

You don't really need a candler - I candled mine with a small torch.

 

In a very dark room hold the egg between finger and thumb with the torch underneath it and you should be able to see the veins after about 5-7 days. Quite fantastic to see the development of the embryo!

 

I have an auto-turning Brinsea incubator which cost about £120 (?) and I would highly recommend them. Auto turners turn the eggs very slowly over a 24 hr period, more precise than a manual turner and probably about £30 more. Worth it!

 

When my Beauties hatched I kept them in a large (4'l x 3'w x 2'h) cardboard box with mesh over the top, in my living room with a heat lamp over them, adjusting the height of the lamp according to their requirements (huddled=cold, spread out=hot etc they let you know what they want!). Water & food were at the opposite end from the lamp so they didn't get warm. As they grew I changed the box for a larger one.

 

I'd never done it before so I was apprehensive but I hatched some beautiful, healthy chicks.

 

Good luck x

[Griffin]

I found it easy to candle eggs with the light on my mobile phone. It's very small and very bright. Perfect!

[Egluntyne]

When they have hatched, they will need to be kept in a brooder, with a special heat lamp....not just a 40 watt bulb. There is lots of info on 'tinterweb about these.

 

Depending on the time of year, they will need to be kept in the brooder for 6-8 weeks, before they are weaned of the heat.

 

The brooder will need some sort of non-slip flooring, and you will also need a chick drinker, or at least a shallow bowl with marbles or pebbles in it so that they don't drown.

 

They will also need chick crumbs.

 

When they are in the brooder, they loose their baby feathers and develop that rather moth eaten look. This leads to an awful lot of dander being created and it gets everywhere.

 

There is a great deal to take into consideration before you embark upon hatching and you will need a clear plan for any cockerels that hatch.