12 little eggs heating up as I write! Here they are carefully arranged before the lid went on.....
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The eggs are marked with the hen colour (keep reading for our choices!) and I have marked a 'o' and 'x' on each side for turning purposes.
I bought a Hexabator unit last weekend online after reading a lot of reviews and research done by lots of people more experienced than I am! It ticked all the boxes for our needs. I only wanted an entry-level unit as I'm not sure how often we will use it, and while there are others on the market that are huge or have extra features, the cost was way beyond what we were prepared to pay.
It can hold up to 60 hens eggs, has fan heating, clear top viewing window and digital thermometer. Its also made of plastic which is so much easier to clean after hatching than the other lower priced models made of polystyrene.
I bought it from Planet Poultry, with registered postage cost $230 all up. So far I am really happy with it, so easy to use, the temp is stable, very quiet - no worries.
Chris from Bushland Project had used hers succesfully before I bought mine - see her more detailed review here.
We drove down to Penrith today to meet a Wyandotte breeder named Mick, a great bloke who was very helpful. We even got to see his chicks at around 8 weeks old so we could see what they might look like as they get older. He breeds a huge range of Wyandottes including the popular Silver-laced and Gold-laced, as well as more unusual Blue Laced Golds, Blue laced Silvers, Buff laced, ... and more!
We ended up getting a pick'n'mix! We bought 4 x silver laced, 2 x gold laced and 6 xBlue laced golds- the offspring from BLG's produce a range of the ones mentioned above so we should have a colourful flock!
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All I need to do meanwhile is turn the eggs twice daily, top up the water reservoir if needed (for humidity) and we can 'candle' the eggs in about a week to see if they are all fertile. I will do another post on candling later with the results - cross your fingers for us!
7 comments:
Good luck!
Just wanted to say Hi. Cam e across your blog tonight. Good luck with your eggs. Ill be back to visit soon. xo Meagan.
How very exciting for the whole family. I'm really looking forward to see which coloured Wyandottes come out.
The hardest part I found with incubating eggs, was what to do with myself after I turned them and topped the water up. I found it really difficult to stop thinking about the eggs all day, LOL.
Then you get to the last three days, and you have to stop yourself from opening it to see if they're moving!
The anticipation is all worth it in the end though. Especially when you hear them peeping inside the eggs.
Happy days!!! :)
If you want any help, email me on cdriley@bigpond.com.
All the best.
Hi ecoMILF and welcome :)
You're so right Chris, I feel like I want to do more, to hurry them along or something! Thanks for contact details... might just need some advice later :)
How exciting! Can't wait to read about it all.
I found your blog after you left a comment on my blog...I am excited to see how your googie eggs hatch ,we recently purchased a incubator to start hatching our own eggs but havent found the right spot to place it where it will be safe from children..so i'm excited to see yours progress
Hi Mashelly, I revisited your blog too after a long time away- you were on my followers list from way back when I started! (I think from ALS?)
I was worried about my kids too (4 y.o. twins) with the incubator but they know they rule (look but no touch!)and they have been great.
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