Recent content by hart31

I don't have automatic turners and my last two hatches have been in the cartons from day one. Simply tilting the cartons from side to side on pieces of styrofoam has certainly been easier and much less time consuming than hand turning. I have had fewer chicks dead in the shell without pipping...

4 chicks and 2 more pips so far

At 10:00 am CDT I've got my web cam up and a chick trying to climb out of the shell http://farmcam.hobby-site.com/

Were you turning them by hand or did you have an auto turner? A few people who turned eggs by hand with them laying on their sides have lost a chick or two in the carton method becuse the chicks were upside down and didn't get oriented upward to the air cell. I think this would be less likely...

The chicks I've hatched in the carton were also incubated in the carton. I will continue to use this method. The only drawback for me has been space and I could easily add another shelf to my "tv" bator if I wanted to. I'm taking some 10 day old chicks and some 5 week old chicks to the 5th &...

umpyLooks great! The carton method sure works for me. It was neat watching a chick climb up out of the egg and then out of the carton.

Quote: So far the only negative is the slightly reduced capacity of the bator. Turning time with the incubator open is greatly reduced compared to hand turning. Cutting holes in the cartons like I did does reduce the strength and rigidity of the cartons so you do have to be a little careful...

I seldom see much movement the last time I candle them. Especially my brown eggs.

Quote: I really don't know if it's necessary or not. I operated under the assumption that the greater area of the egg exposed to the air the greater the oxygen exchange area for the embryo

Tipping the cartons seems to work fine for turning. Pics of my "tv" bator can be found at https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=5810 I'll post some pics of the hatcher later today

They were turned by tipping the carton back & forth using a piece of styrofoam as a block underneath it. They were incubated in a bator made from an old black& white tv case and an electric fry pan control for a thermostat. Then they were moved to a hatcher made from an old printer case with a...

Here are pics of the chicks from eggs left in a carton. First out of the carton Look at us nap time look at my sister zip! What's that pointed thing? Almost zipped! Almost out I want out! I made it! Gotta rest a minute! That was a long fall! Guess I haven't got my "land...

Most household wall thermostats are 12 volt with very light wire. You might possible use one but then you would also need a relay to operate your heat source. I have 2 homemade bators. One uses an electric frying pan control for the thermostat the other uses an electric water heater thermostat...

I missed it too! My DW knocked the cam over. Got one more pipped tonight

Two babies out! and I moved the webcam from the brooder to the hatcher. http://www.farmcam.hobby-site.com/