staggered hatches!?....HELP!? - Page 2

The problem with leaving the turner in is that sometimes newly hatched chicks get caught and injured or crushed in it, it moves very slowly and they don't know enough to avoid it.  You could take the eggs not due to hatch and put them in cut-down cartons instead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReikiStar 

Did he have them refrigerated or kept in any way that he knew he was going to wait a month until he had them incubated?

 

no, he just said he had been turning them. it amazes me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1muttsfan 

The problem with leaving the turner in is that sometimes newly hatched chicks get caught and injured or crushed in it, it moves very slowly and they don't know enough to avoid it.  You could take the eggs not due to hatch and put them in cut-down cartons instead.

that's what i do. i thought of leaving them in the turner and just unplugging it, but i was afraid they would get caught under it or get into some sort of chick-fix! lol!

Yes, I suppose I could go  to the cut down cartons for the extra 10 eggs or so and then just hand turn them till the frst batch is hatched.  By that time, the 2nd eggs will be ready for lockdown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chkinut 

no, he just said he had been turning them. it amazes me.

I've hatched eggs a month old before they had sat in a basket on the table. I didn't turn them.  At the time I didn't know you can't hatch old eggs, but it can be done. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenjeran 

I've hatched eggs a month old before they had sat in a basket on the table. I didn't turn them.  At the time I didn't know you can't hatch old eggs, but it can be done. 

 

and what was your hatch rate? almost all of his hatched! pretty neat!

Not 100% sure. I had put in all the eggs I had gathered that morning maybe a 10 and added the ones on the table because they were sitting there so long lol. I think  5 or 6  eggs were old ones.  I had all but a couple eggs that didn't hatch and didn't pay attention if was the old ones or new ones, but if I were to guess knowing what I do now I would say some the old ones didn't hatch, but some did.  This was over 10 yrs ago not sure if I even had internet then. 

Another idea I was reading was to take out thsome of the reails and put the eggs ready to hatch into a tall-ish tupperware container and let the chicks hatch there so that you can continue to use the auto-turner during lockdown.  I think I will go that route..  Another idea was to build a "lockdown" incubator that you can transfer the hatching eggs too...

My first batch should be hatching on the 19th and the 2nd batch on the 23rd..  I also have another 18 eggs sitting on the sidelines waiting for the incubator.

Last night I candled all the eggs..  Out of 27, I had 2 that were dead.

Sure we can talk about the hatch..  You can PM me directly if you want.

Not exactly sure what I am going to get from this hatch.  I have appleyards and runners in the same enclosure..  I will probably wind up with Applerunners or Runneryards...  Either way, I think I will be selling most of the chicks to the local seed and feed for like $2ea for day olds...  I probably should have just started out with one of the reare breads like the Anacona.

Mike-

I have eggs going in and out of my two little giant bators all the time.  I only have a few chickens and a few ducks.  So I put new eggs in about every week.  I have had very little trouble.  I do not use a turner.  I prop up the side of the bators using a roll of duck tape.  And just rotate sides.  I raise humidity when I have ones ready to hatch.  I also move eggs between the bators so I can clean whatever bator had eggs hatch in it.  I keep chickens in one bator and ducks in the other.  I just had chickens hatched that came from shipped eggs. 9 out of 14 eggs.  Also just hatched out 16 of my own ducklings.  I have even had call ducks hatch this way.    Most probably would say not a good system but hey it has been working for me.