Newbie to Incubation

[rossfam06]

Hi everyone!!! I just bought a little giant still air incubator and automatic egg turner. I would like some advice before I order my eggs and start that process. I want to have a very successful hatch rate, esp if I spend money on hatching eggs! Please help, and all advice is appreciated!!! Thank You so much!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My first set of eggs came in today!!!! I ordered 6 but Kingdom Hills Farm sent me 8. All were perfect, no cracks or splits in shells. All the air cells still look attached! Right now they are resting, and I can't wait to get them in tonight. I shared the pictures on the yo georgians forum.

Good luck!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My first time hatching was with an older LG fan model bator and I had a great hatch rate. Prior to that, I had never even really been around a chicken. These were my first chicks and I decided to hatch them out myself. I borrowed a bator and away I went. I bought some fertile eating eggs from a farmers market and 8 out of 9 of the ones that made it to lockdown hatched. I also had eggs from another source that got about a 50% rate, so I think it was more the source since my others did so well.

For me I think the key was research, research, RESEARCH. I made sure to locate the bator properly and use an accurate thermometer and hrGRometer (a hydrometer is a totally different thing). With a cheaper bator it's closer monitoring but you also have to resist the urge to mess with the thermostat because that leads to temp swings and spikes.

You can read a lot of discouraging things about LG bators but I think they can be used successfully if a person just does the reading beforehand.

Alot of problems that first time hatchers have using theses bators is they rely on the instruction manual to tell them how to hatch and that is the WORST thing that can be done. Those are misleading and often wrong! Research and UNDERSTANDING (especially in the area of humidity) is important. Having an idea of what you are doing before you buy the incubator, before you buy eggs is a must. I cringe when I see a new hatcher buying expensive eggs for their first hatch. Not that you can't have a successful first hatch, but I think it's chancy and better to try your first hatch with some local cheap eggs first and work the kinks out.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My birthday is next week. I've been dropping hints for Octagon #2 for weeks.,.

Good luck to you too!! lol

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hi everyone!!! I just bought a little giant still air incubator and automatic egg turner. I would like some advice before I order my eggs and start that process. I want to have a very successful hatch rate, esp if I spend money on hatching eggs! Please help, and all advice is appreciated!!! Thank You so much!

Welcome to BYC. Well, the LGs can be tricky. They are a incubator that needs closer monitoring than your more pricier models. I am assuming you have one of the newer digital ones. (I have an older model w/fan kit installed.)
Number one, the styro bators need to be in a room where the temp is stable and doesn't very widely. They need to be out of direct sun light or out from under room lights. These things will help steady the temp in the incubator. (They are very affected by the ambient temps.) Make sure they are not in a draft or you will surely be fighting temp swings.
Number two, still air bators should be maintained at 101-102F with the temp taken near the top of the eggs. (Despite any incubator instructions. 99.5 is the recommended temps for forced air.)
Number three, the best thing you can do is learn about humidity, why we need it, and how to use either air cell growth or weight loss to know if your humidity is good. Do not listen to any source that says 'fill your water trays.wells [this] full for the first 17 days.....blah blah blah' Also, just because [this] percentage works for person a does not mean it will work for person b. I am a firm believer that the air cells will guide you. Consider dry incubation. Seems to work better in styro bators.
Number 4, if you don't have a full incubator/turner, try not to use the egg spots closest to the turner motor, that baby gets hot and can make the egg or two closest develope more rapidly.
Number 5, use more than one accurate thermometer. Never rely on just one and never think because a thermometer is brand new that it is accurate. A couple good thermometers and a good hygrometer (even and especially if you are dry hatching a good hygrometer is needed,) can be the difference in a good hatch or a bad.
NEVER trust the thermometers built into the bators unless they are checked for accuracy...
I'm sure I will think of more later....lol

 

[rossfam06]

Thank you so much!! I will head out and get some more thermometers and a hydrometer.

 

[scflock]

Thank you so much!! I will head out and get some more thermometers and a hydrometer.

I hope you will stay hooked up with AmyLynn and keep us updated on this thread when you start incubating. This incubator has gotten a bad rap, and I think a lot of it is due to first timers, including me, using it per the instructions given in the manual. I am very interested to see if someone incubating for the first time can have a successful hatch following the advice of someone else who is more experienced

 

[AmyLynn2374]

If you'd like my opinions on humidity I can give you those too...lol

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I hope you will stay hooked up with AmyLynn and keep us updated on this thread when you start incubating. This incubator has gotten a bad rap, and I think a lot of it is due to first timers, including me, using it per the instructions given in the manual. I am very interested to see if someone incubating for the first time can have a successful hatch following the advice of someone else who is more experienced

I would love to see that too. Especially since my first hatch was so bad. I think that if it hadn't been for relying on one thermometer that was (unknowingly) way off, I think I would have had a good hatch. I love to have the opportunity to keep that from happening from sometone else and I love seeing good first hatches!! I know how dissapointing it is to be so pumped up and then have your expectations doused

 

[scflock]

If you'd like my opinions on humidity I can give you those too...lol

Honestly, I would love to watch a first time LG incubation totally following your advice. The directions that come with it are horrible, and many people have been terribly disappointed. You have success with one, have been using it for a while, and if I still had mine I would follow your advice over the manual. Not saying that your setup is ideal for everyone, but it has been very obvious that the operator's instructions are sorely lacking. I vote for dry incubation, and let AmyLynn coach you through your first. I would love to see a first timer have a successful hatch in this incubator, especially if you are paying for eggs. If it is successful, I think this thread should be pinned