I have a huge 300-500 egg incubator but do not have a seperate hatcher for the last 3 days and I'm finding it difficult to clean the bator when i overlap multiple hatches also i am concerned that when I raise the humidity for batch one that it is too high for batch 2.
Yep...the humidity will be too high and it will definitely compromise your remaining eggs. I use the 48 quart rubbermaid cooler for my hatcher. Set up like an incubator with thermostat/light, etc. but there is still plenty of room for hatching. I can easily fit 48 eggs into it with a small spot in the center for the hatching chicks...however, I do take my chicks out 2 at a time after they mostly dry. I have a side door on my bator/hatcher and I reach in and take them out using that door with very little loss of humidity or temp. I don't like my chicks walking all over the unhatched, pipped or zipped eggs. JMO.
Can you post a picture and possibly a supply list for the imagination challenged among us (that would be me). I could really use a hatcher where the chicks could be removed without compromising the rest of the batch. Please.
Here is my "hatching incubator" I put the eggs in this on day 18 and actually hatch in it. When the first 2 are hatched and pretty much dry, I take them out and put them in the brooder. I know this is controversial, but it works well for me. [/img] [/img] And the brooder that I put them in when they are mostly dry...the little corral in the corner is for the new ones that hatch until they get up on their feet and fluff out. [/img]