Styrofoam Incubators Club

[BusyBearMama]

We've had 33 hatch and all done well so far this year! Still waiting on a few in hatch #2, they're are a lot more colors than black and blue this time so cute!

 

[old mcdanold]

im sorry yall I didn't mean to cause a fuss I never said they were ee just came from a blue and green egg I have a third that hatched from blue egg and is all black and bare feet so who knows but I bought the eggs down the road from a buddy who has chickens for eggs not a breeder was just wondering there cute though and my wife is in love with hatching them now so either way I win well I do have another question I only had 3 of 6 hatch is there a way to increase that or is that around right

 

[BusyBearMama]

2 more in the hatcher and a few more to come I hope!! I only had 5 olive egger eggs in there and I want the last 2 to hatch!! A girl can dream

 

[linz44]

I ended up with one that pipped and died and then the next day had one hatch perfectly and then again one the next day again. Then nothing else. Its been 4 days since the last one hatched and no pips so I checked with a light but the eggs are too dark to see anything but there was no internal pips and so I down the water float test and it was almost 50/50 with sinkers and floaters. Pretty much all my brown eggs sunk and all the blue and green eggs floated. I didn't see any movement in the water with the good floaters. Anyone have any suggestions on how much longer I should wait? I'm going to assume the sinkers are Definately no good but im wondering about what to do with the others that were low good floaters.

 

[BusyBearMama]

I ended up with one that pipped and died and then the next day had one hatch perfectly and then again one the next day again. Then nothing else. Its been 4 days since the last one hatched and no pips so I checked with a light but the eggs are too dark to see anything but there was no internal pips and so I down the water float test and it was almost 50/50 with sinkers and floaters. Pretty much all my brown eggs sunk and all the blue and green eggs floated. I didn't see any movement in the water with the good floaters. Anyone have any suggestions on how much longer I should wait? I'm going to assume the sinkers are Definately no good but im wondering about what to do with the others that were low good floaters.

Sorry to hear you're having such troubles what day are you on? I don't think I've had anything hatch past day 25...

 

[mikeldb]

So I'm building a coolerbator I'm gonna start doing my hatching in... still gotta wash it out though and find a thermostat

 

[AllynTal]

Is thread still alive? I have a Hovabator Genesis 1588 with the IncuTurn egg turner. I'm lining up for my first hatch attempt. I spent the last week fiddling with temp and humidity control and the last three days off and on reading all the posts in this thread. Thank you all for your advice and for sharing your expertise.

I did a salt calibration on the humidity monitor and it tested spot on, so I feel fairly good using that instead of the read-out on the incubator's control center. The difference in temp between the thermometers is 3 degrees. I currently have the control center set to 98 degrees, which gives me a reading of 100.4 F at egg level and 100.7 degrees on the floor of the incubator. I have a light throw blanket wrapped around the styrofoam that someone here suggested to reduce temp and humidity fluctuations.

I have determined how much water surface I need inside the incubator to maintain between 30% and 35% humidity, and how much I need to achieve 68% to 73% humidity.

Right now, the turner is off, the temp at egg level is 100.4 F and the humidity is 32%. Eggs arrive tomorrow.

Can I join the Styrofoam Incubators Club?

 

[Intheswamp]

I'm inexperienced at incubation and hatching so I can't help you any except for what I've read/studied. Did you run the turner while you were doing your tests? It doesn't seem like the turner would generate much heat but seems I read *somewhere* that it affected the temperature a bit. Maybe I dreamed it. Best wishes for you hatch!!!! It sounds exciting!!!

Ed

 

[feedman77]

I am sure the thread is still alive. Just slacked some.

I am still incubating in a 1588. Just moved 7 turkey eggs into lockdown tonight.

Have 18 quail eggs set a week ago. Saving up some more for a fri. Set.

Not sure where your incubating but as long as your house temp is stable you might not need the blanket.

I have 2 1588 incubators and they are pretty stable.

Is thread still alive?  I have a Hovabator Genesis 1588 with the IncuTurn egg turner. I'm lining up for my first hatch attempt. I spent the last week fiddling with temp and humidity control and the last three days off and on reading all the posts in this thread. Thank you all for your advice and for sharing your expertise.

I did a salt calibration on the humidity monitor and it tested spot on, so I feel fairly good using that instead of the read-out on the incubator's control center. The difference in temp between the thermometers is 3 degrees. I currently have the control center set to 98 degrees, which gives me a reading of 100.4 F at egg level and 100.7 degrees on the floor of the incubator. I have a light throw blanket wrapped around the styrofoam that someone here suggested to reduce temp and humidity fluctuations.

I have determined how much water surface I need inside the incubator to maintain between 30% and 35% humidity, and how much I need to achieve 68% to 73% humidity.

Right now, the turner is off, the temp at egg level is 100.4 F and the humidity is 32%. Eggs arrive tomorrow.

Can I join the Styrofoam Incubators Club?

 

[Poultry Gal]

I bought my Hovabator Genisis during a crisis.
My other incubator went wonky after a week into the hatch.
( Brower Top Hatch, which is now a Great Brooding station )

I made some pretty dumb mistakes but was happy with the hatch.
Since I heard Bantams hatch early, I did a lockdown on day 16.
It was too late to go back by the time I realized what I had done.

30 fertile eggs went into Lockdown & 20 hatched.
2 were weak & deformed & didn't make it.
The other 18 are Healthy Happy chicks now 2 months old.

During Lockdown I figured out how NOT to lift the lid to increase humidity.
I used a long 1" strip of J cloth & a cup of very warm water.
I removed the red air plug & rolled the WET Jcloth & fed it thru the vent.
I got about 2 inches laying on the bottom.
With a mug of warm water on top of the bator, I laid the other other end of the Jcloth strip.
It worked like a wick & the water soaked along the cloth to the bottom of the bator.

I'm VERI HAPPY with the Genisis & my hatch - here's the babies