Incubation, Incubator Video Shorts... Watch

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Here I've put up two videos.

These are geared towards the novice who may wish to incubate his/her own fertile chicken eggs.

These are very affordable incubators and have good reliability.

If you have a moment, click on these links and watch. I'll be more than happy to answer your questions here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGHAlV4ZQIU (little giant incubators)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mRKAIC4lf4 (Brower Top Hatch incubator, this link also shows chicks hatching)

Incubation is really not terribly complicated.. YOU, can do it :}

[shebear]

That was fun watching those videos. Reminds me so much of grandpa's farm and all the chicks I fed and took care of. Now I know what grandpa did when he worked at the hatchery. No wonder he always had chickens. I guess he was somewhat addicted to the feathery peckers.

I want chickens. Maybe someday.

[plantoneonme]

Fred as usual, these were terrific. Someday...

Kim

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Thank you for your comments...

I'll be putting up a new video soon, of another table top incubator, this one has a battery backup unit... essential for those power outages.

Yes Kim.. "some day" you shall have peeps

Thanks again,

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[gardengirl72]

Thanks Fred. I love it when you talk science.

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Hi again...

A continuation of my video shorts reviewing incubators.. this one is of the ROLL-X Model RX2

Well above hobby level, but I thought it may be of interest to some of you out there... I have used this unit for several years and it's extremely precise... incubate 71 chicken eggs at once and then hatch in the same unit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQFbeTgfLK4

I hope you enjoy it, around 10 minutes in length... I completely ran out of time, but had to shorten it for YouTube.

If you are not afraid of sticker shock and simply must have the best, here is where you can pick a system like this up: http://www.strombergschickens.com/products/roll-X.php

As always,
Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[gardengirl72]

Thank you for the links Fred. The incubators do seem like it would be a significant investment.

[PJJ]

Fred,

I was wondering what you use to sanitize your eggs? I'm collecting eggs from my chickens and will be putting them in the incubator next week. Even though I've never sanitized my eggs and they've done really well, I do think it would be better if I did....

Thanks,

Penny

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Hi Penny,

I use Tek-Trol, as it's pretty much the industry standard. Word to the wise, do not confuse "egg-wash" with "egg-sanitizer" they are very different in their application. Wash simply cleans the egg for culinary and storage uses, not a good choice for fertile hatching eggs. Egg Wash will definitely dissolve the bloom.

When I get inspected, they even check the expiration date on my supply, it does have a shelf life, so I recommend buying in a small quantity. It comes in concentrate (I buy the gallon size) and also a spray.

For the incubators themselves, I use steam... from distilled water, followed by a nice dry out in direct sun light so the UV can wipe out anything left.

You will hear about how some don't sanitize due to the preservation of the bloom provided by the hen. Unless you "scrub" the eggs, that bloom layer is left in tact by Tek-Trol. You immerse the eggs, sit through the dwell time (follow instructions), remove and dry. The solution you mix should be much warmer than the temperature of the eggs themselves. We want the inside material to expand during sanitizing, not contract.

The steam system I use is simply a Wagner wall paper remover system. I don't remove wall paper, but it has so many other uses that I couldn't pass it up. It lets me blast around all the little nooks and crannies with a jet of nice hot steam. The heat alone kills the germs and the pressure blasts away dried baby chicken poo... (">

Those are my recommendations... there are other sanitizers like bleach (hate bleach)... 10% solution. Once your fingers touch bleach, you smell like it forever!!! And, if there is a tiny spot of chicken dropping on the egg shell, tek-trol soaks into it and sanitizes it in place... so, no scrubbing needed.

Thanks for the question!

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[PJJ]

Fred,

Thank you so much for the prompt reply. :) If you wouldn't mind, it would be great if you could either post the information for your supplier or pm it to me.
If not, I'll just do a search.

You're the best!!;)
Penny

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Hi Penny,

Here is my current source, cheapest source I've found. You may also click on the "review" and read my review of the product there.

http://www.amazon.com/TekTrol-gallon/dp/B00061MT66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1237949188&sr=8-1

This is by the gallon. Remember that this may be used for bio-security (foot bath), scrubbing out incubation rooms, sanitizing tools and poultry equipment. There are many uses. NOT for kids to use.

Hope this helps you out.

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[PJJ]

Fred,

Thanks for the link. You're review contains a lot of very helpful information.
I'll have to order some soon.

Penny

[PJJ]

Hello Fred,

I had horrible luck with my last batch of eggs. I put off ordering the Tek-Trol. Big mistake!

Out of 36 eggs at least 12 of them weren't fertile. My mistake for collecting them too soon after putting the rooster in. :eek:
The others had dead chicks in them.:( I've never had this happen before. I've always had great hatch rates.

Needless to say, I ordered the Tek-Trol. It came today.

I'll be putting another batch in the incubator in a few days. I've read the label but don't see how long to soak the eggs in the solution. Should I soak them or should I just dip them?

What would you recommend?

Wish me luck!

Thanks for all your help! I really appreciate it.:)

Penny

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Hi Penny,

Here is my egg sanitizing procedure...

Assuming the eggs to be sanitized are at room temperature and not overly dirty. Do this as soon as you can after eggs have been removed from nest boxes, don't let them sit for days prior to sanitizing.

Every egg which goes into any of my incubators is sanitized first. Eggs which are to be naturally hatched beneath a hen are not ( sanitizer could irritate the hen's skin ).

Mix the sanitizing solution according to label, here I will talk about Tek-Trol primarily, as it's what I use. It's made by Bio-Tek Industries, Inc.

Mix 1/2 ounce of concentrate with one gallon of warm water. In a pinch, if you've run out of Tek-Trol, you may use 1 ounce of Clorox to 2 gallons of warm water.

The water should be around 100-110 deg. F. (37-44 deg. C).
***If the eggs are warmer than the water, you risk drawing bacteria into the shell and contaminating the interior.

Submerge the eggs for one to three minutes, this allows the sanitizer to thoroughly soak into any surface matter and do it's job.

Let the sanitized eggs dry at room temperature, or place them directly into the incubator.

Do NOT rub the eggs with paper towels or any other cloth... Eggs have a natural protective cuticle that helps protect the interior from contamination... rubbing removes the cuticle and can actually force pathogens through the shell.

The sanitizer does not remove the natural protective cuticle/bloom if only soaked.

Ok, well I hope you have a much better hatch next time. Remember to start your incubator dry without any additional moisture, until you know the rate of dehydration in the eggs. Most table top incubators don't need water until the end of the hatch cycle.

Number one cause of chicks developing and not successfully hatching out, is what I call "chubby chick"... resulting from not enough dehydration during incubation. If the air cell is too small during pipping, two things may happen... one the chick drowns during the pip, or two, the chick has to absorb so much albumen that it can't successfully turn to complete the hatch, they just pip in one spot and sit there until they die. They must be able to move. Candling your eggs to see the air cell size is critical.

Best of luck,

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/HTCSWEOD

[PJJ]

Fred,

You are always so helpful. I believe I may have added water to the incubator too soon. It does sound as if it may have been "chubby chick". I will sanitize all the eggs with the Tek-Trol this time, wait longer to add water and hope for better results.

Thanks again,

Penny