1st try with old metal incubator!

[twink90]

I found an old metal incubator last Sunday. I have 2 dozen eggs from my flock that's a mix of EE, RIR, Barred rock, Polish, Eracuana & dads an Americauna
This incubator is enormous & im picked by up 2 dozen Silky, Cochin, EE & Cinnamon Queen eggs this weekend. I'm going to seperate eggs as they will hatch a week apart.
I have bowl filled with water, got a new thermometer & temps holding steady at 100.
I'm so scared, nervous but extremely excited
My last time I tried with a styrofoam incubator & auto turner it was a total loss

When can I start Candeling? This is day 4

 

[QueenMisha]

Incredible, I had no idea they ever made metal incubators. I wonder how well they work? I've sometimes heard that older incubators (redwood especially) are even better than modern ones.

White/tinted eggs can usually be candled around day 4 or 5, darker eggs are usually day 6 or 7.

 

[twink90]

I did candle the eggs last night. For the 1st time ever I saw veins in at least half my eggs!! I didn't count or mark the eggs yet since its only day 4.
I did notice a couple just had yolk & 1 pretty sure I saw the blood ring. I will check again Sunday or Monday. At that time I will mark the eggs I think are alive!!

 

[QueenMisha]

I did candle the eggs last night. For the 1st time ever I saw veins in at least half my eggs!! I didn't count or mark the eggs yet since its only day 4.
I did notice a couple just had yolk & 1 pretty sure I saw the blood ring. I will check again Sunday or Monday. At that time I will mark the eggs I think are alive!!

Nice job! And there will be at least a few "no's/unsures" that were just hiding, mostly in dark eggs. There always are in large batches. And definitely don't throw out any "unsures" - several times I've been fooled that an egg was dead, when it really wasn't. Not a fun time.

 

[twink90]

Most eggs were at 7 days so I candled them. I had 2 infertile & 4 developed blood rings
Now I'm scared I did something wrong for them to be dying.
When I turn them how gentle should I be? Maybe I turned them to quick?

 

[QueenMisha]

6 out of a couple dozen isn't a huge loss. With my modern incubators, I get a 50% and 80% hatch rate, respectively. Not all eggs will survive to hatch, and in fact it's always a shock when I get a 100% hatch rate (which has only happened a couple times, anyways, even with my lovely little Cadillac of an incubator). As long as the humidity hovers around 50% and temperature is 99.5 (99-100 works but I've always had best results at 99.5) you should have a good hatch.

 

[twink90]

I candled my 11 day old eggs last night.
OMG!!! I saw a blob wiggle around in 1 of the eggs!!! I squeeled like little kid!!!
I'm going to have a staggered hatch. I have some at 11 days, 6 days & picking some up today. I know at day 18 I stop turning & most lock down. I can't so can I take cheese cloth wet down & lay over eggs ready to hatch. That would increase humidity.

 

[QueenMisha]

I think we all squee a bit when we see our first wiggler. I've hatched chicks for 3 years, everything from bantams to peafowl, and I still get excited when I see them flopping around inside the shell.

Pretty much all of my hatches are staggered. I don't recommend cheesecloth; I've hatched many birds at 50-55% humidity, and these days I basically never raise the humidity. My most recent large hatch at 55% was way more successful than my previous big one at 80%. I had zero in-shell deaths this time, while the last had three. Definitely stop turning on day 18, but lockdown doesn't have to be as strict as people teach. I wouldn't candle, but if you need to move something or remove dry chicks, don't be afraid to open it up - just be quick.

 

[twink90]

Awesome tips, thank you!!
Now how long do you normally keep a chick in incubator after it hatches? I've heard it stimulates other chicks to hatch.
But... I doth want it to hurt itself either.

 

[QueenMisha]

I like to go 3-5 hours, less or more depending on how quickly they dry. You'll know it's done cooking (so to speak) when it gets all fluffed up and cute looking. It spends the first few hours drying off, and until it does so, tends to look rather like it's been drenched in water. They'll still wobble around for a while - they take about 24 hours to get the hang of walking - but once they're dry they're ready for the brooder.