- Aug 4, 2013
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Quote:
That actually sounds good. I have several polystyrene incubators that is very much the same design.
I use plastic egg shelves that can hold 30 eggs, like a egg tray at the supermarket just plastic, then I only turn the whole tray with all the eggs in it twice a day.
This cuts down on the amount of time your machine is open in a day, providing a more constant temperature for your eggs.
I place the trays at a 45 degree angle. With this technique I've had as many as 80% of all fertile eggs hatch.
Now humidity makes or brakes a hatch ----
All the books will tell you 50 % is ideal, but those are boiler eggs, not little bantam eggs, also the commercial boiler industry don't pack any eggs that are considered large..
Now large isn't really that large at all, it means any eggs over 51gram is "large" this is done for a very simple reason.
"Large" eggs needs a lower humidity to lose enough moisture to be ready to hatch and not drown in their own fluids during the internal pip, also if the chick is to "fat" swollen with moisture content,
it can't get out, its essentially stuck.
Layer hens over a year just about all lay larger eggs.
I found that little bantams can hatch at day 19, which means you were turning it while it needed to lay still and didn't raise the humidity when the little chick needed it... So then you get a very tired little chick that is prone to get trampled.
Read up on the "Dry hatch method"
(To buy a reliable humidity meter -- Poltek has a online shop, they are not that expensive and will mail it to you.)
To counter all this you need a small bright flashlight and 10 minutes at night. Read about candling -- it's actually easy to see and internal pip. Don't give up on "large" eggs if they don't hatch at day 21, I've had some hatch at day 26. Yes, I was pushing the limits of what should be packed, but not all have a 100 eggs to select from.
For humidity in my 70cm by 35cm by 35cm incubators I use two teacups that I keep full of water, if the wheather is rainy I use only one. Only at hatch do I increase humidity.
Hope this helps
That actually sounds good. I have several polystyrene incubators that is very much the same design.
I use plastic egg shelves that can hold 30 eggs, like a egg tray at the supermarket just plastic, then I only turn the whole tray with all the eggs in it twice a day.
This cuts down on the amount of time your machine is open in a day, providing a more constant temperature for your eggs.
I place the trays at a 45 degree angle. With this technique I've had as many as 80% of all fertile eggs hatch.
Now humidity makes or brakes a hatch ----
All the books will tell you 50 % is ideal, but those are boiler eggs, not little bantam eggs, also the commercial boiler industry don't pack any eggs that are considered large..
Now large isn't really that large at all, it means any eggs over 51gram is "large" this is done for a very simple reason.
"Large" eggs needs a lower humidity to lose enough moisture to be ready to hatch and not drown in their own fluids during the internal pip, also if the chick is to "fat" swollen with moisture content,
it can't get out, its essentially stuck.
Layer hens over a year just about all lay larger eggs.
I found that little bantams can hatch at day 19, which means you were turning it while it needed to lay still and didn't raise the humidity when the little chick needed it... So then you get a very tired little chick that is prone to get trampled.
Read up on the "Dry hatch method"
(To buy a reliable humidity meter -- Poltek has a online shop, they are not that expensive and will mail it to you.)
To counter all this you need a small bright flashlight and 10 minutes at night. Read about candling -- it's actually easy to see and internal pip. Don't give up on "large" eggs if they don't hatch at day 21, I've had some hatch at day 26. Yes, I was pushing the limits of what should be packed, but not all have a 100 eggs to select from.
For humidity in my 70cm by 35cm by 35cm incubators I use two teacups that I keep full of water, if the wheather is rainy I use only one. Only at hatch do I increase humidity.
Hope this helps
Good luck and post some pics when they're out please!
