Hatching strategy opinions?

I was gifted an incubator, this isn't my first hatch though However, this will be my first shipped eggs hatch!

I bought Silkie eggs, they came 3 day insured, priority mail. A few were cracked. I filed a claim on them. Anyway, I candled them all right away. 4 seem to have detached air cells, two appear to be still attached. They are all in an egg carton on my kitchen counter at room temperature (about 71 degrees) resting for 24 hrs.

I planned to begin incubating after the 24 hr period but I've been reading more about detached air cells and am torn about what my hatching strategy should now be. I planned to hatch all 6 eggs together but with 4 detached should I:

1. Remove turning tray from incubator and hand turn the attached air cell eggs beginning on day 1 while letting the detached eggs remain unturned for 36 hrs? This will mean lots of temperature and humidity drops... or
2. Let the incubator turn them all after 36 hrs and avoid having to open the incubator often?

What would you do/ what have you done?

Also, any experience with the Brinsea Mini Advanced incubator and monitoring the humidity? Would you be concerned about calibrating the new incubator?

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions!

LinaNate said:

I was gifted an incubator, this isn't my first hatch though However, this will be my first shipped eggs hatch!

I bought Silkie eggs, they came 3 day insured, priority mail. A few were cracked. I filed a claim on them. Anyway, I candled them all right away. 4 seem to have detached air cells, two appear to be still attached. They are all in an egg carton on my kitchen counter at room temperature (about 71 degrees) resting for 24 hrs.

I planned to begin incubating after the 24 hr period but I've been reading more about detached air cells and am torn about what my hatching strategy should now be. I planned to hatch all 6 eggs together but with 4 detached should I:

1. Remove turning tray from incubator and hand turn the attached air cell eggs beginning on day 1 while letting the detached eggs remain unturned for 36 hrs? This will mean lots of temperature and humidity drops... or
2. Let the incubator turn them all after 36 hrs and avoid having to open the incubator often?

What would you do/ what have you done?

Also, any experience with the Brinsea Mini Advanced incubator and monitoring the humidity? Would you be concerned about calibrating the new incubator?

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions!

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The Brinsea is pretty fail-proof. Wonderful incubators.

I like to incubate all shipped eggs standing up, which is easy to do in the larger Brinsea incubators. I have no idea how you would incubate them upright in the mini.

I would put them in after 24 hours, all upright. I would turn 3 to 5 times the first day, very gently, and after day one let the incubator turn them, but keep them upright.

For the mini, you might need to cut down some egg cartons into odd shapes to hold the eggs upright, and then for turning, I would prop the incubator sideways. Turn it that ways.

I'm only just now incubating my first batch of shipped eggs, but here's what I did:

Let them rest for 24 hours in a cool, humid place (which you're doing). When I put them in, I placed them fat end up in an egg carton with holes in the bottom for air flow. Since you're using a Mini, you might want to cut a cup from the carton for each egg, so they can all stand free.
I didn't turn my eggs for the first 4 days. I'd read somewhere on here that that gives the air cells a chance to reattach, which most of them did. I had 3/12 that still had wobbly air cells, but they weren't floating around like they had been before I put them in.
Doesn't the Brinsea Mini take the eggs in a circle around the bator (if I'm even thinking of the right incubator). Anyway, if that's the case, I would probably just hand turn them the whole time. I think if they're in cartons, you'll just end up with a cute little egg train and the eggs wont be turned properly. For mine, I just marked them with the standard X on one side and O on the other, and I lean them in the cartons. I thought about propping the bator with a book, but with 2 children and 2 large dogs running around, I had visions of everything ending up on the floor!

Best of luck with your shipped eggs, happy hatching!

I've got 2 Brinsea Mini Advanced incubators. In the past with shipped eggs, I've done the holding for 24 hours, then popped them in the incubator, set the timer and (this is hardest part) leave them alone. No peeking, no checking, no opening.

The Brinsea Mini Advanced in an unbelievably easy incubator to set and forget. If you've got a new one it should come with directions on how to do it.

Thank goodness we're not raising elephants with an incubation period of...what...12 months?

Gail

Thank you everyone After the 24 hr settling period I still saw detached, rolling air cells. Poor eggs.

So, I did cut out the individual sections of the egg carton and placed those in the incubator, I cut a hole in the cup too- to allow better air flow.

Yep, the Mini does rotate them in a circle... So, I set the cooling time to off and turned the auto turner off. I'll just tilt them side to side in the carton section by hand each day after the 36-48 hr period of incubation rest is over. Is once a day to little to turn turn/ tilt them once I start?

I knew this was going to be tricky and have questionable results when I decided to buy the silkie eggs on ebay but it's a good learning experience (thanks to you all) and it lets me try out my new incubator. Thanks again for the input

I am planning on hatching eggs from my chickens in the spring. What type of incubator does everyone recommend. I may try 10 eggs at first. I only have 4 hens and two roosters so I am getting only 2-3 eggs /day now in the cold, Michigan. Do I need to let then rest 24 hours like you talked about? How often do I turn them? When I candle, what am I looking at and how soon before I can see this?
thank you

LinaNate said:

Thank you everyone After the 24 hr settling period I still saw detached, rolling air cells. Poor eggs.

So, I did cut out the individual sections of the egg carton and placed those in the incubator, I cut a hole in the cup too- to allow better air flow.

​

Yep, the Mini does rotate them in a circle... So, I set the cooling time to off and turned the auto turner off. I'll just tilt them side to side in the carton section by hand each day after the 36-48 hr period of incubation rest is over. Is once a day to little to turn turn/ tilt them once I start?

I knew this was going to be tricky and have questionable results when I decided to buy the silkie eggs on ebay but it's a good learning experience (thanks to you all) and it lets me try out my new incubator. Thanks again for the input

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You should probably turn them at least 3 x's a day so they don't stick. That being said, I've seen posts where people have turned very little or not at all and still had chicks hatch...

georgiagail said:

I've got 2 Brinsea Mini Advanced incubators. In the past with shipped eggs, I've done the holding for 24 hours, then popped them in the incubator, set the timer and (this is hardest part) leave them alone. No peeking, no checking, no opening.

The Brinsea Mini Advanced in an unbelievably easy incubator to set and forget. If you've got a new one it should come with directions on how to do it.

Thank goodness we're not raising elephants with an incubation period of...what...12 months?

Gail

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Elephants incubation/gestation period is 21 months! Funny you said that cause I just literally made the comment on another thread that thankfully chickens are only approx. 21 days...lol I barely can stand the three weeks as it is....lol

sagicraw said:

I am planning on hatching eggs from my chickens in the spring. What type of incubator does everyone recommend. I may try 10 eggs at first. I only have 4 hens and two roosters so I am getting only 2-3 eggs /day now in the cold, Michigan. Do I need to let then rest 24 hours like you talked about? How often do I turn them? When I candle, what am I looking at and how soon before I can see this?
thank you

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The most recommended around here is the Brinsea line of incubators. I've only ever heard good things about them, but they are pricey. (I use a little giant w/fan and turner.) If you are using your own eggs, you do not have to let them set, but I am assuming that you would be collecting 3 or 4 days worth before setting them for incubation. If you are using a bator with an egg turner installed you won't have to worry about turning. If you are turning by hand they need a minimum of 3 turns a day, but more is better. They need to be turned an odd number of times before left for the night so that they are not spending the night on the same side every night. This is an excellent thread for candling: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation It's the one I always use. (Mind you how well you can see depends not only on your candling equiptment but also on what kind (how dark) your eggs are..

Great responses, thank you so much!

howfunkyisurchicken said:

You should probably turn them at least 3 x's a day so they don't stick. That being said, I've seen posts where people have turned very little or not at all and still had chicks hatch...

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Perfect. I'm turning more than 3x a day... Not sure if it's an even or odd dumber though. Will pay attention today

Upon candling I've only seen 2 eggs of the 6 that are showing very minor vascular development- they are on day 7 of incubation. If vascular development is slow doesn't than mean it's a touch too cold? Slow incubation= lower than ideal temps?