[nuzuki]

Im a little confused, I am about to get some hatching eggs and my understanding was I just needed a brooder box then a girl who keeps chickens told me I need an incubator also? I know they serve the same purpose so what did she mean by both are needed, is the misinformed?

Thanks for your help

[Aunt Sally]

Yes, you'll need an incubator (or a broody hen) to hatch the eggs and a brooder box to keep the baby chicks warm  for the first 5 weeks.

There are lots of members on here who can give you very good advice

[joyfull]

the incubator replaces the broody hen to hatch the eggs. After the chicks have hatched they need keeping warm which if you have used a broody hen then she will keep them warm but if you have used an incubator then you will need a brooder box and either a heat lamp or an electric hen. So the person who informed you was correct you do need both if you don't have a broody hen and even if you do use a broody it is wise to still have the other items because hens can abandon both the eggs and newly hatched chicks 

[nuzuki]

Thanks for the prompt replies

I have a small brooder box which is 3ft by 2ft (it was an old laundry box) at most and I have rigged up two heat lamps via an electric thermostat. I also have an area of an outbuilding sectioned off (5ft by 3ft with two heat lamps. I thought I would use the smaller brooding box to hatch the eggs then the larger area to keep them out of the cold until they are 6months or so. So based on that if I still need an incubator, could I get away with using a propagator? As the only sense I can see in using a seperate incubator is the slight increase in humidity which I guess simulates a sweaty chicken bottom  Im guessing if I use a plant propagator to hatch the eggs I should put some sawdust in there or paper towels to make is less "sweaty" (humid). Is that right?

[Tony H]

Hi i havent herd of anyone using a propergater but if you google "making a incubater" youl find lots of things to do it, as for the sawdust i would advise no because when the chicks hatch they are wet and stiky and will get covered in sawdust and it will tend to get soggy with the humidity, just put the eggs on the plastic bottom or use a piece of polistirene, the best way of having enough humidity is to place a cup full of water in one cornner, you need about 60% for the first 18 days then increase to 80% for the hatching, you can get temp and humity guages from a pet shop they use them for reptiles igot mine from "pets at home" hope this is h :Delpfull and good look

[joyfull]

until you know more about hatching chicks I would suggest you go down the route of following the tried and trusted advice given by both the breeder, Aunt Sally and myself and use an incubator. It would be a shame to start them off and then risk them dying through incorrect methods. There are several good books about keeping chickens which may help you:-

http://www.allotment-garden.org/book/

and incubation, hatching and rearing by Katie Thear.

[Casey76]

Hi nuzuki,

The incubator and brooder have two different purposes

The incubator has to be very strictly temperature and humidity controlled.  It is usually a closed system (i.e. sealed, but ventilated) in order to preserve humitidy at 35-50% during the first 18 days if incubation and then 65-70% humidity during the last three days of incubation.  This is very improtant so that the egg loses moisture at the correct rate during the incubation process, so that the embryo is neigher too wet (chicks will die due to drowing) nor to dry (chicks will have difficulty hatching as the membranes will adhere to their skin.

It also needs to be kept at 99.5 degrees fahrenheit or 37 degrees celsius for the entire 21 days.

Furthermore, some input from an external source (i.e. you) will be needed to turn the eggs at least three times a day so that the developing embryo doesn't adhere to the inside of the shell.

The incubator simulates the atmosphere created in the nest and under the broody hen.

A brooder box plays a different role altogether.  This is the environment in which the baby chicks will live for approximately 5 weeks (though at this time of year, they will probably need artificial heat for 7-8 weeks, at least until the weather improves a little).  The brooder box needs to be kept at specific temperatures depending on the age of the chicks, starting at 33degrees celcius, and reducing to approximately 23 degrees celcius over approximately 6 weeks.

Have you thought about what you will do witht he boy chicks which hatch?  you should allow for at least 50% of your eggs to be boys.  Last year I was really unlucky, and of 60 chicks which hatched, I had over 85% boys

[nuzuki]

Thanks for the advice

I have a feeling im getting my terminology mixed up. The small brooder ive made is meant to be an incubator and the bigger area we can refer to being the brooder box/area. I'll rig it up tonight to test whether im getting near to those tempreture and humidity readings and post back with how it went.

[Tony H]

I know its exiting to hatch eggs, but at this time of year it is realy difficult, the eggs you buy will be less fertile and the temp is more harder to control, I have learnt the hard way, its upsetting and may put you off doing it again, I have a perpose built incubater and still only hatched 2 out of 12 this last set of eggs i am trying to hatch has hsd temp problems so am waiting to see now, if you could leave it a couple of monthes you would be much better off, you could always go and buy some day old chichs to rear, the cost works out the same with the cost of eggs and the electric used and the ones that dont hatch and if your unlucke to only hatch 2 eggs they could both be boys, but good look with whotever you chose

[emotion-2003]

hi
incubator and brooder two different things and also if you hatch the egggs you ll need both of them.i was planing to hatch some eggs this year also.like most of people i was trying to find incubator for to buy. on ebay i found a few incubators which you can use as a brooder as well.
good luck:)

[nuzuki]

Hello ladies and gents, my hatching eggs arrived today. I thought i'd share with you some pictures of my incubator which should also double up as a brooding box if I remove the metal mesh at the bottom.









The mesh is to grip the eggs to allow me to turn them. The dish of water is for controlling the humidity. I have 2 thermometers in 2 different places, one high up and one low down. One of them has a humidity gauge also. The thermostat is a normal house/central heating thermostat and seems to be keeping the temp at a constant 38degrees and 50-60% humidity. Im going to leave the eggs to settle for 24 hours (I should have another 6 arriving tomorrow so I hope they shall all fit in there ok). The breeds I have chosen are rhode island reds, cuckoo marans, and light sussex. All bought from ebay from 3 different vendors.

I'll keep you guys posted as to how I get on. If anyone has any advice on anything ive missed please let me know 

[GrannieAnnie]

I can only wish you luck.  You may be keeping a constant humidity and temperature level at the moment, but you haven't got the eggs in it yet.

I had a very good, fully automatic incubator, with a very loud alarm.  I lost count of the times I've been woken up at night or brought in the house during the day to try to adjust one or the other.

Will be interesting to read your updates though.

And I really do wish you well.  At least you are trying!

[nuzuki]

Thankyou I did have a heat spike upto 110degrees F but have adjusted the thermostat down a little and am monitoring the temps, making notes and working out averages. Ive taken out the dish of water to bring the humidity down and Im going to remove the woodchips after the comment above saying about sticky wet chicks rolling in sawdust.

My girlfriend has bought today an egg storage breifcase type thing from a poundshop so im hoping to use this and get rid of the mesh also as I dont think chicks will want to be bought into the world stepping on that. Im just looking for an easy system in order to tilt or turn the eggs but am trying to avoid cardboard for fire reasons. I could just use the poly boxes the eggs were posted in.

[GrannieAnnie]

Don't put the eggs into anything like an egg box.  If the chick hatches from the bottom of the egg, it might not be able to push the shell off.  Shells usually get pushed sideways.

The best thing I ever got for my incubator was some of that matting you get from cheap shops and market stalls that stop things sliding around.  Pound shops do it, and its washable.  So it also helps prevent spraddle leg in the chicks.  Also an old clean towel or tea towel would do the trick.

This sort of stuff!

Eggs don't have to be turned right over.  My incubator only used to turn about 45 degrees one way, then back the other way.  But as it was auto, it was magic.  I just sat and watched it!! lol

[Casey76]

Hi Nuzuki,

You're not going to have any room in the "brooder" once you add food and water

The chicks will also need some space to move around and an area that isn't under the heat lamp.