chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 (edited) I've just bought my very first hatching eggs, gulp! Im so excited I had to tell someone, but also I am very nervous. I feel very responsible for these little things and just hope I can manage to incubate, hatch and grow them on. They are cream legbars, so will be nice and easy for me to sex. Fingers crossed they survive our marvelous postal system and then my first attempts at hatching Still excited though hee heeeee Edited March 13, 2010 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 ooooh how exciting!!! You know we want weekly photos!!! Are you hatching in an inccy or under an obliging broody? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Just bought myself a lovely new inccy, none of my girls are been obliging at the moment, but think i would still use the inccy anyway, wanna see the eggs every minute of every day Im so excited. i said last year that this year I wanted some cream legbars as the only one I had, Tallulah, had to be PTS due to prolapse before she even laid her first egg. Plus, they are easy to sex so no probs there. So thought i would give it a go. A bit scared but mostly excited. i hope it all goes well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 What inncy did you buy matey? I know I am being really nosey!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 I bought this one http://www.brinsea.co.uk/products/octagon-20-eco/361/ Its only arriving today, Im tracking its progress with parcelforce, it should arrive this morning, how sad am i Dont think that link works does it. I sould get the eggs friday or next week, so will give me time to scour the instructions. Have read everything I can get my hands on re hatching plus have ordered a book too. Overdoing it do ya thnk edited to add; links works! yay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Oooooo good luck! My baby Legbars are getting really big now Angelina is very pretty & aloof and her brother Percy is a bumbling idiot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Gotta love those bumbling idiots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Brinsea and good incy's, I think they had an older version of one of those at the farm. Cream Legbars ... I wanted one or two so set the eggs ... I managed to completely mess up the auto-sexing and they were all boys How many eggs are you setting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 oooh exciting I have the advance version of that inccy, they are very straightforward and easy to clean Dont forget: Let the eggs settle point down for 24 hours after arrival While settling prop one end of the egg box on something (for example a nice thick hardback book) so that they are at an angle in their box, after some hours change the box round so the other end is propped up, change 'ends' at least twice during that 24 hrs You can set the eggs in the inccy point down or on their sides, the cradle rocks them quite far so ensure they are held in with the bars!! Dont make the bars too tight as they can crack the eggs though! You can set the bars in a slight curve not straight across if you like this tends to hold eggs in better Put the screws in the cradle (supplied) its very unstable otherwise!! (dont ask..) Set the inccy up at least a day before you start incubating Clean inccy out before setting eggs The day you set the eggs is day 0 The inccy fan makes quite a noise so a rarely used room is a good siting place! a spare room is ideal as the natural humidity level should be more stable (where in a kitchen it can fluctuate - I do always set mine in the kitchen though ) If you are going to candle the eggs wait till at least day 7 if you can resist it! the heart beat starts from about day 4 and the egg is very vulnerable during this early stage Wash your hands before touching the eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Thanks Redwing, will be asking more questions later re broody cages, heat lamps etc. already starting to look. better to be prepared! I know I need a non slip surface in the brooder for them, is it a special type of flooring or is there anything more common i can use? i can candle the eggs with a torch cant i? or do i really need a candling torch? Do i need the proper inccy cleaner or is there something else i can use? lewis Im setting 6 eggs, so hopefully at least 2 of them will be girls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 You can get non-slip mats from the £ shop, they are normally to do on draining boards I think. A torch can candle, I bought a pen candler for £5 and it works well ... some people use a mobile phone torch. I used a spray disinfectant but the best on would probably be the specialist incy ones - one disadvantage of having a wooden incy is that you can't leave it to soak for girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I use the light on my phone for candling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Oh thats great, thank Lewis. Im so nervous about getting everything right and I havent even got the eggs yet They're due to arrive tomorro. Keep ya fingers crossed for me ( and the chicks ) Thanks griffin, i have a torch app on my phone so ill try it with that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 if you have it use some poultry sheild on the inccy if not a little washing up liquid in plenty of water or ecover spray rinse off will be ok, dont use harsh household cleaners/disinfectants Cream Legbar eggs are tricky to see inside at the best of times! try a strong torch in a loo roll tube, set the round end of the egg on the end of the tube (be careful!!!) and exclude all other light. You dont need to candle the eggs but it does give you a chance to remove any duds early on to remove risk of infection Any problems give me a shout and I'll pop my candler in the post on day 7 as long as you can get it back to me quickly (I have more eggs going in at the weekend.. ) For the first few days I use a square of toweling as a cover for the floor (kitchen roll, J cloths, corrugated cardboard etc.. work well too) then once the chicks are eating I move the Aubiose in. You can use Aubiose or shavings from day 1 but I always like to be sure they know what is food before putting any bedding in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 ahh I have plenty of poultry shield so will use that. should I just dilute it the same as for cleaning the coop? Thanks for the toilet roll tip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I'd dilute it down a bit more than normal Use kitchen roll to dry the outside of the inccy base as opposed to using a cloth Dont bother drying the inside just set the inccy going with the air vent wide open and in a couple of hours it will have dried and any excess humidity will have dispersed Needless to say dont get any electrical bits wet, just wipe inside the lid with some damp kitchen roll (with the dilute disinfectant) avoiding all lecct and whirring bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Ok, will do, thanks Redwing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 How exciting I am hoping to hatch my first eggs this year too Although I am planning to use a broody, although Grace has decided to be broody now and I want the weather to be warmer What are you planning to do with the boys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Wish Id waited for a Broody, SC! Ive only had the machine a day and im befuddled already! Ill get there though Re; Boys, Im getting cream legbars which you can sex at day 1 and OH will 'do the business'. We had a big discussion about this and the only reason that I am doing this (apart from wanting to hatch and raise cute ickle chickies) is because he said he could and would do 'it'. If all goes well, in the future I want to raise more and keep any boys for meat. by then hopefully i wont be such a wuss about it all. (and I do feel a stupid wuss and have huge respect for those that do do it) He will still have dispatch and clean etc though I am hugely excited but also nervous, I dont wanna do anything wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Good on your OH CW My OH is having morale dilemmas at the moment. We are looking at mega pricey, rarer breed eggs (even chocolate Orps at hundreds ), so we stand a chance at rehoming boys for our first go. Even though we would both like to have meat birds, I am really not sure if we could bring ourselves to do the deed I did think about the "bars" for the day 1 sexing/dispatching, I wouldn't mind another cream legbar or maybe a gold legbar or a welbar. I will be watching your progress with great interest CW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 When my son heard I was hatching eggs and asked whats an incubator, I told him and he said 'so its like a chicken brothal! ' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 It's all very exciting and I'm trying to resist the temptation of hatching this year. I have a Brinsea Octagon 20 and had great success with it. I've hatched dozens of Cream Legbars and had, I suppose, about 75% boys. I said if I ever hatch any more autosexing or sex-linked breeds I would cull at hatch........watch this space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emchook Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Hey chick wiggle ... Whats your strategy for dealing with any boys ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 Any boys will be culled at hatch, dont wanna get attached I am hoping for at least 2 girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 My OH said he'd do the deed too. Good luck with the hatch Chickle - I am looking forward to your pics too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
