Griffin Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 As I hate my incubator and need money for a new shed I'm selling it and the future was going to be broody silkies. Then a post elsewhere caught my eye earlier on this week and tomorrow I'm going to collect a very cheap second hand incubator Well of course it'd be silly just to leave it in the garage for use in emergencies, I might as well see if it works by bunging some eggs in it My OH is sooooooooooooo going to kill me I've already got some Silkie & Salmon Faverolle eggs lined up for when I'm ready Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egg Lou Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Well if it was that cheap it would have been rude not to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 I'm so baaaaaaaad Speckled Sussex, Salmon Faverolle, Silkies and a few Welsummers just for good measure going in on Friday The way I see it is that I set 42 eggs last time and including the three days olds I bought I have only 11 chicks in my brooder. I was expecting to be rearing far more than that and with a large family we need more meat boys to see us through the winter So it makes sense to test this incy and hopefully get some more dinners. That's my story and I'm sticking to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 A Then a post elsewhere caught my eye earlier on this week and tomorrow I'm going to collect a very cheap second hand incubator . What sort of Incubator was it that you got in the end? Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 It's a Covatutto 24. Pretty much the same as the Corti I can't get on with at all but hey ho, it was cheap as chips and in good working order. After this it'll be used just in emergencies because the Silkies should do the job for me next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Can I be nosey and ask how much you paid? We've just ordered one of these for school in a 'pack' and I think we paid about £180 which I though was a bit on the steep side, but don't know whats in said pack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 £30. It's an old one, been used for a few years but I know the chap who was selling it and he's had at least 80% hatch rates in it. Beats my Corti personal best of 50% by miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 £30. It's an old one, been used for a few years but I know the chap who was selling it and he's had at least 80% hatch rates in it. Beats my Corti personal best of 50% by miles It would have been rude not to buy it then wouldn't it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't go out anywhere so why not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 £30. It's an old one, been used for a few years but I know the chap who was selling it and he's had at least 80% hatch rates in it. Oh yes, bargain, for sure . I'm just keeping my eye out. I've a broody Buff Orp doing a splendid job for me at the moment, but we're only one week in so far and it's her first ever 'sitting', so I'm trying to ensure I have an emergency plan if she doesn't last all 21 days. With that said, she's doing a really good job so far and I suspect I'm worrying over nothing, but it's hard being an expectant father . Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidygirlsuk Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't go out anywhere so why not Good on you happy ing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 My OH has amazed me. He actually encouraged me to buy more eggs! So with his blessing I went shopping on Ebay There was a problem with the eggs I was due to collect on Thursday so instead I've had to get them on Ebay, still Salmon Faverolles but not any Silkies. Going in the incubator on Friday will be 6 Speckled Sussex, 6 Salmon Faverolles, 6 Houdans and 6 pot luck LF eggs. The pot luck aren't so much pot luck though because I was able to state which of the following breeds I didn't want, Leghorns, Ancona, Barnevelder, Marans, Araucana, Welsummer, Silkies, Fresian Fowl & Plymouth Rock. I said just leave out the Leghorns, I'll take any of the others so that'll be a nice surprise I'm particularly pleased to be getting more Houdans because of getting so near yet so far with my last lot. They were alive on day 18 but killed by my incubator after that. Molly, my ten year old daughter, was very upset because they were a breed she'd been really keen on keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidygirlsuk Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 good luck with the hatch. I know what you mean about the men. I had to really talk my husband into getting chickens and now I think its one of his hobbies too. I do the cleaning and omlet chatting, but he goes out talking to them, giving them treats and worms. He said he keeps dreaming about chickens every night. Last night that heavy rain woke him up and he woke me up in a tiz shouting 'have you shut the chickens in' 'yes' I said, a little bit dazed and confused. He replied 'I don't know how you manage to remember to do that every night' Then feel back asleep. I was left awake then It can be very funny sharing a bed with a sleep talker He don't remember what he has said in the morning and don't remember getting up and staring out the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 All eggs are here and have arrived intact. I'm chuffed to bits with my pot luck eggs. I said I had a preferance for Silkies but wasn't fussy about the rest. She's sent me 2 Silkies, a Copper Black French Maran, a Barnevelder, an Aracauna and an Ancona. Please please please please let that one hatch and be a girl So all of those along with the Speckled Sussex, Houdans and Salmon Faverolles will be set later Here we go again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidygirlsuk Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 how exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 First candling last night and I'm pleased that the majority of eggs are fertile and developing. There were about four that didn't look too promising but I'll double check again on Sunday before hoiking them out. The Ancona is fertile I lost track of what was what but I think all of the Speckled Sussex are fertile which is a fab result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Good luck, Griffin - i'll watch with interest! As to your broody, I've got a silkie-sussex cross (called a Goldtop) because they make fabulous broodies or so i'm told by my chook-breeding-expert friends. They have the broodiness of a silkie with the extra bulk of a sussex. I bought her off a prize winning breeder of Croad Langshans and she's beautiful! She's doing a fab job so far actually, so keen am i on her that I've got a secret plan to breed broodies! If one of my turns out to be a silkie male, then I'm secretly going to 'borrow' mostin's light sussex lady, nick her eggs, then sneak her back while mostin's back is turned don't tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 Your secret is safe with me Am I right in thinking Goldtops can be sexed at birth, boys yellow and girls gold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teri Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Good luck, Griffin - i'll watch with interest! As to your broody, I've got a silkie-sussex cross (called a Goldtop) because they make fabulous broodies or so i'm told by my chook-breeding-expert friends. They have the broodiness of a silkie with the extra bulk of a sussex. I bought her off a prize winning breeder of Croad Langshans and she's beautiful! She's doing a fab job so far actually, so keen am i on her that I've got a secret plan to breed broodies! If one of my turns out to be a silkie male, then I'm secretly going to 'borrow' mostin's light sussex lady, nick her eggs, then sneak her back while mostin's back is turned don't tell! my silkie hybrid is amega mom! she hatched seven out of eight eggs and has been brilliant with the chicks. good luck (pictures of the family on furum!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 If one of my turns out to be a silkie male, then I'm secretly going to 'borrow' mostin's light sussex lady, nick her eggs, then sneak her back while mostin's back is turned don't tell! I heard that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
