How to Position Eggs for hatching?

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JekkaLynn

JekkaLynn

Songster
5 Years
Apr 25, 2014
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Ontario
I have a staggered hatch going in my incubator. What is the best way to set them up during the hatch?
I have:
15 bantam eggs on day 17
7 fullsized eggs on day 12
12 fullsized eggs on day 3
 
I'm not sure how I would set them up for hatch because the older eggs don't need to be turned after lockdown but the younger eggs do that's why I never do staggered hatch. Either way one set of eggs are not going to get optimum incubation conditions. Do you have another incubator for hatching the older eggs in? And also at lockdown with putting your humidity up to at least 65% for hatching I don't think that's good for the younger eggs because they only need 45%. I hope this helps and the very best of luck with your eggs.
 
I am a chicken newbie, but I have found out the hard way that you really should not open your incubator at all during the last 3-4 days of incubation. That's why they call it lockdown. If you remove some of the rails of your turner, your hatching chicks could get injured under the turner. The only way to keep turning the younger eggs and not turn the hatching eggs would be to set the younger eggs in egg trays and tilt them. You could rig something that would do this through the hole in the top. But the humidity will be a problem too. Too high humidity will be bad for your younger eggs. You could try like 50-55% which might be ok? Decide which eggs are more critical to you and side with them. Overall, your best bet is to have 2 incubators.
 
The eggs set to hatch now are definitely more important to me. They are frizzled bantam cochin and silkie eggs the others I put in because my temperature wouldn't stay steady. I will be watching like a hawk and I have a egg carton ready to put the other eggs in if the turner becomes a problem and a water bottle to mist the eggs with to help keep the humidity up if I have to open it for any reason.
 
Last edited:
I was just reading through that thread about the fridge eggs. One person earlier in that thread said they always did staggered hatches, pulling out eggs close to lockdown time and setting them in a separate hatching incubator. But in your case, I would still try to rig something maybe with a wire coat-hanger to turn the earlier eggs.
 
I took out some of the egg turner trays and put the hatching eggs in their space. I wasn't 100% sure of my dates so i raised the humidity a but early and have been watching them constantly. Two have moved a few times but there is no peeping and no pipping yet.
 
Hi movement is good it means they are getting into position to hatch sometimes they can move a couple of days before hatching. You probably won't hear peeping until they have done there internal pip.:fl
 
Well two have hatched and five more are pipped. A small strip of cardboard blocks them from the egg turner.
 
Ooh congrats on your chicks hope all your pipped ones turn out ok :jumpy. I'm only on day 11 so have bit longer to wait for my new chicks all this hatching on here making me more broody :cd
 

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