Quick question about hatching!

Beastie

Songster
7 Years
Mar 11, 2014
161
8
121
Hello all, we are incubating eggs for the first time and they are due to hatch in a few days; they go on lockdown tonight. My question is this, currently the eggs are just resting on the metal grate that the bator came with, will it be okay for them to hatch on the grating? It a pretty small grating so I don't THINK their legs will fit through but I don't want any broken toes or anything either. Do I need to put something else down under the eggs? Also, we have a still air and we have a really small fan that we are considering putting on top of the bator and aiming into the vent holes, is this a good idea?
 
It's ok to hatch them on the grates, I do put a paper towel down on top of the grate in my incubator. As far as the fan, I think it might dry up some of your humidity, so personally, I wouldn't do that. I would follow the instructions that came with your incubator. Sometimes you have to plug the vent holes to bring up the humidity.

Good luck with your hatch! :)
 
I used some of that nonslip cupboard liner mesh stuff on the grate just to be safe. It worked really well. I wouldn't personally use the fan because it seems to me that it would be more like having the incubator in a drafty area rather than with a fan designed to use inside the incubator. it may work but I wouldn't go that route myself. Good luck with your hatch!!!
 
Putting something down on top of the grates will also help make it easier to clean your bator and keep it clean over long term if you have a styrofoam bator.
 
Thanks for the quick responses guys! I bought some of the drawer liner since it was only a buck. Can't wait to see some peeps!
 
I had hardware cloth but plan to replace it with some type of plastic mesh. (Maybe counted cross stitch stuff that I saw in craft store) I didn't like seeing the new pink chicks scratching around on the rough screen. I hatched bantams an so was also worried about their legs falling through the screen. That plastic stuff is much finer though. Just hope it doesn't mess with the humidity levels. Also I rested the eggs in an ice cube tray while hatching and it seemed to work reasonably well. The padded shelf liner from the dollar store would also be good on top of the existing floor and then dump it after hatching out.
 
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