I have birds,incubators. Want to share secrets with others. I learned the first months of spring for collecting eggs to hatch are greater for 'chick' quality then other times. the hen turns into 'egg machine' if you don't control it,by letting them set nest,eggs will be of lessor quality,thus making for weak chicks or other problems.

-- Dusty Ross (ourpinkroses@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002

Answers

Dusty, so are you saying you collect eggs from chickens and hatch them in an incubator or are you saying you let the chickens hatch them for you. Sorry but I am confused about what you feel is giving you more vigorous chicks.

Susan

-- Susan northern MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), January 28, 2002.

I'm not quite sure what you're saying either, Dusty! :^) The eggs my hens hatch in the winter produce just as healthy, vigorous chicks as those hatched in the spring/summer. My gals do a great job, laying all year around. I don't use heat or lights. I have no desire to have an incubator and all the problems that go with it!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), January 28, 2002.

"learned" is a trick key here. all I am trying to do is get tips from hatch in a incubator. if you all don't understand,please don't respond.

-- Dusty Ross (ourpinkroses@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002.

Sorry Dusty! I was trying to understand so I could either help or find a good tip. I guess you don't need my help today. Hope you have luck finding what you are looking.

Sorry again!

-- Susan norhtern MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), January 28, 2002.

I can tell you of my many experiences.I've done incubators and I've gone back to hens sitting. Invaribly the incubator would decide to go high temp and I would throw out buckets of candled bad eggs. I had a FREEZER-SIZE incubator which consumed huge amounts of elect. so I felt my return was terrible. I finally decided God,nature and the hens had a better slant on this situation than I did.Yet when I do decide to incubate the best sucess stories I have are with the styrofoam incubators. GOOD LUCK!

-- carla (herbs@computer-concepts.com), January 28, 2002.

I think Dusty means that the earlier eggs are laid by a more nutrient rich hen, so there is less chance for the chicks that hatch to be deficient in some nutrient and have to catch up as they grow. Later on when the bird has laid a lot of eggs, the quality of egg (for hatching purposes) is lower because the hen may have lowered or even exhausted her own body resources of certain elements. A bird with a very good diet probably won't show the effects of this, whereas a bird with a poor diet might very well show lower vigor chicks later in the season.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), January 28, 2002.

Hmmmmmm, I haven't noticed any difference in quality of little ones in properly fed and exersized moms? Anyone else noticed? Dusty, you might enquire of the Professors and commercial breeders who post on some of the poultry forums and see what experiences they have had. I suspect that might not hold up. Interesting though. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), January 28, 2002.