Setting Eggs Wed the 6/20/2012 Who's going to join

Hello!  I am not sure if I will start today, tomorrow or the next day.... but I definitey need some buddies, and hopefully some with experience!, because this will be my first time incubating eggs as an adult (I used to help my Mom when I was a kid, but don't remember much other than turning the eggs, the feeling of it taking forever LOL, and the chicks hatching!).

 

The reason I am not positive which day I am going to start for sure is because my Dad brought me a surprise yesterday... my Moms old Brower 846 100 egg inclubator (the one I remember using when I was a kid) and 24 fertile turkey eggs!  Yeah, surprise!  Thanks Dad LOL.

 

So we have been monitoring the temps in the bator since yesterday evening, I stayed up late reading EVERYTHING I could find on the 846 and on incubating eggs, turkey specifically LOL, and I am not sure if it is working correctly yet or not, not sure I can get replacement parts today or not or if I am going to have to order them online.

 

Yesterday we plugged it in and the temp got up to 99.5 in short order.  We checked it every hour or so and the last check it was at 106, so I adjusted the screw on top and left it over night.  This morning when I got up it was at 100 exactly, so I will check it in a couple hours and see what it is at.

 

I feel I need a new thermometer and humidity reader, and I may need a new wafer.  I am hoping I can get both today so I can start the eggs, but if I have to order them online, it might not be by tomorrow.

 

Right now I have the eggs in a box in a cool room, and have no way to keep them at a certain temp.  They have not gotten colder than 55 but have been just out and it was pretty warm yesterday (about 75-80).  They are 24 hours old.

 

So I hope I will be joining you! :)

I put 30 eggs in the incubator last night (6/18/12).  I'm a couple days ahead of you, but I would love to share my experience and follow everyone else's.  I just hatched 30 eggs last week, all of which are doing great!  They are game and ameracaunas.  The eggs I put in yesterday are copper marans, red stars and more game.  We love game chickens, they are easy to take care of and we allow them to free-range.  I also have 12 duck eggs, but we put them under one of our game hens.  I have another game hen sitting on 2 peafowl eggs, which should hatch either today or tomorrow.  I can hear peeping in both eggs, can't wait to see them!  Good luck to everyone with their hatch!

I have checked the bator 3 times since I got up this morning and it is still reading exactly 100 degrees!  If it is the same readin when my husband gets home from work in a couple hours, I think we will put the eggs on in :)

We put them in!  A couple of the eggs were cracked and my Dad must have miscounted as we ended up putting in 20 eggs (he thought he had 24). 

 

Even though we ran the bator for 24 hours before putting in the eggs and the temp held true for about 11 hours today, I am still a nervous wreck LOL.

 

 

I know the pan of water is probably supposed to be under the wire, but it turned skummy pretty quick (in 24 hours) and I wanted to be able to clean it frequently.

I plan on getting the eggs into the incubator in a few hours, so I will be starting a hatch the 20th. =)

 

I'm new to hatching eggs, not raising chickens.

I already made the mistake of rubbing most of the eggs clean with a washcloth...

 

I also haven't got  humidity reader, didn't know I needed one when I got the incubator.

 

I'm hoping to get one tomorrow or sometime before the end of the week. Hopefully it doesn't mess anything up when I slip it in.

 

Here is to hoping for baby chicks!!

(I currently have 6 chicks I'm brooding, sadly one has a hernia or something and I highly doubt it will make it. I'm going to try nursing it but I have low hopes.)

 

Wish me luck!

 

<3
 

Turned the eggs for the first time this morning.  Debating on turning 3 or 5 times a day... 3 would be easier to remember LOL. 

 

If I decide to do this much, I am going to get an egg turner to put in the bator!  I also ordered a digital thermometer/humidity reader yesterday, which should be here by the end of the week/early next week.

 

Planning on doing our first candling at day 10 to see if any of them are viable.

I'm in! I just got my eggs, they are shipped so I'm going to set them first thing tomorrow! I have a home made cooler incubator. It runs great and holds perfect temp. I'm setting 12 BBS orpington eggs, and I'm going to try the dry incubation method for the first time. Best of luck to everyone!

set my eggs this morning. =]

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What's everyone hatching?