Monthly Archives: September 2014

The Little Giant 9300 is completely replacing the previous 9200 model. Little Giant has made a huge upgrade by adding a digital control module similar to the GQF Genesis 1588. It reads both temperature and humidity. The temperature sensor sits on top of the eggs while the humidity sensor is towards the ceiling of the incubator. Instead of spending hours, and sometimes even days trying to stabilize the temperature with the little 9200 knob, the 9300 comes pre-set to 99.5 degrees F!

Another distinguishing feature is the way the incubator is heated. There is now a different heating element in the center of the incubator ceiling. It is a heated wire tha

When people decide to raise chickens, a common question is which breed will be the best to choose for laying eggs. This decision is based upon innumerable factors and this post could not possibly cover them all, but we will go over several of them.

First, of course, is overall egg production numbers. Different breeds of chicken produce eggs in varying numbers and with varying consistency. Before you select a breed, look into this and find out not only how often the hens will lay eggs but for what duration. At what age will they start and stop laying eggs? How consistently do they lay eggs year round? When looking for consistency and overall production, commonly recommended breeds include the leghorn variety or a high production 'hybrid' bird. (A hybrid chicken is a mixture of species bred to get particular results.)

Also consider chicken management and upkeep. By 'management' I refer to the amount of attention, care, time and other particulars the hens may need. Will

1.  The name comes from the city of Banten (or Bantam), a City in Indonesia once known as being a major trading seaport. When European sailors restocked on poultry in Banten they found the small breeds of poultry very useful and began calling them Bantams.

2.  Bantams are great egg layers. Some breeds of Bantams can lay up to 150 eggs per year!

3.  Old English Bantams used to be used for fighting in Europe.

4.  When kept as backyard pets Bantams have a higher mortality rate. Their small size makes them easier targets for smaller predators such as Hawks, Cats, and Foxes.

5.  Many Bantams make great show birds because of their beauty, such as this Dutch Bantam Rooster pictured to the right.

Upgrades, Modifications, Additions, Hacks whatever you want to call them, there are so many for your incubator. That’s why we compiled a list of the top 5 hacks to turn your boring old incubator into an extreme egg hatching machine!

1. Fan kit

This hack comes in as number one because it’s a simple addition that increases your hatch rate so much! There are many fans that you could add to your incubator but you need to be careful to get the right one. The whole idea of a fan in an incubator is to eliminate hot spots from forming inside. If you have a fan blowing too much air it could dry out your eggs. What you need is a gentle flowing fan that simply moves the air in your incubator. This is a must have modification for any still air incubator. Check out our selection of

In an earlier post, several commonly asked questions about hens’ egg production were discussed. In this article, we will go over a few more.

How often will a hen lay eggs? Even in conditions that are ideal and constant, egg production will depend on various factors, including breed and, most notably, age of the hen. At prime age, in prime condition, you will get an egg almost every day. When a hen first begins laying eggs, it may take a bit for egg production to get to that point. Once there, the pace should maintain until the chicken begins to get old. If it suddenly stops or slows down drastically there may be something wrong with the hen’s diet or environment. This also may be caused by seasonal factors.

When a hen gets ol