Broken egg in Brower Top Hatch

[terrif]

Hi All - well I set some new eggs last week and things seem to be going awry with this one. They keep turning end over end instead of rolling, and then this weekend I had one break. I can't decide if I should take everything out and clean it or leave things alone. The eggs would have to come completely out to get this done.

What do my chicken loving friends think - clean it out or leave it alone - I have 2 and half weeks of incubation left.

Terri.

 

[ddeans]

The problem is the time that it takes for the bator to come back to temp and you to get it right again could damage the eggs, plus how long would it take to clean it.

If you think you could clean it within 10 minutes, then you could put the eggs in a towel and take it apart, clean it, then put it back together, put the eggs back in and get it back up, so no longer than 20 minutes of being out the bator you should be okay.

 

[swtangel321]

IMO, you should get the mess cleaned up !!! Did you take the egg out that broke ??

They eggs will be fine to for up to 30 mins (think about a broody that gets off her nest for up to 30 min a day)

I would still try to do it quickly but safe.

Lay a towel down (you could even put a heating pad down under the towel on low if it makes you feel batter), put all the eggs on top of the towel, cover them to keep them a little warm, Clean the bator and get eggs back in !!! Even if you just do a quick wipe down (that way you dont have to un plug it) I think that would be fine, I would just think that the mess from the egg would start to stink after a while.

How many eggs you got in there ?

 

[jimnjay]

Yes, wrap the eggs in a towel and if you have an electric blanket place the on that. Clean it all up and then make sure your turning spoke/wheel is pushed down on the tower properly. It sound like it is to high. The wheel will sort of snap down into some grooves in the tower. If you turn it one way it is for larger eggs. Turn it over and it will work for smaller eggs. Also if you don't have it full of eggs you need to make sure each section is full before placing eggs in the rest. It works by having the other eggs buffer the turning. Re read the instruction sheet it tells about that. If you have only one or two eggs in a section, you can add some from the refrigerator to keep those few turning property

 

[terrif]

This is all great info you guys, thanks very much. jimnjay I can tell you have my bator. I did reread a bit of the instructions before setting this batch, as its been since summer since I hatched any. I don't think I knew though that the divider tray could be turned upside down. I did make sure it was in the 'tracks' provided on the tower, but its loser this time than in the past because of that.

I did take the broken shell out, but the yolk, etc. had seeped down into the water tray already. I started out with 15 eggs and am now down to 14. I am using the divider tray sections that are across from each other, so 5 across from 5 with 4 across from my thermo/hygro meter. I'm hoping this arrangement will balance things out a little bit.

Thank you all!!!!!!!!

Terri.

 

[jimnjay]

That should work very well Terri, Good Luck.

I don't have the Top Hatch any longer, I sold it when I got the Tx-6 and I could kick myself. It is a very nice unit and I had great hatches with it. It was a bit hard to force the humidity up during the winter here where it is pretty dry but I used a little table top humidifier next to it and that helped a lot.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

Hi! So Nevada Gal, do you think i would have too much trouble using a top hatch in really low humidity NV? I was looking at them, but now I see this...

Did you get the thing put back together? Is it back on track?

 

[jimnjay]

I dont' think you should have to many problems with it but you will need to add water very often. I use the TX-6 and it has an automatic water dispenser. I go through nearly 2 quarts of water here in 21 days. The Top hatch is bigger and has a larger area so you should use at least that much water or more. I did not know how much water to put in when I was using it and most likely should have added more. If you get one measure the water in a measuring cup before you set it up so you can see how much it takes to get the humitity where it needs to be. I also added wet sponges and kept them moist by using a straw through the vent plug. I hate opening the incubator during the last few days to add water. With the Top Hatch you can just tilt the lid and add more quickly with out loosing as much heat and humidity like you do with the Hovabator. I like to keep it shut up tight so the Top Hatch works great for that purpose.

Where in Nevada do you live, I was in Carson City and Gardnerville

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

We lived in Reno for a year, then bought a house in Washoe Valley last year. Now I have 2 acres to fill with critters!!!!! WOOOOHOOOO! I already got dairy goats and ducks and a new cattle dog...I am fixing up a shed for a coop and getting chickens really soon. I had them as a kid and I'm dying without them!

I was looking at the top hatch prices...is $150 reasonable?

 

[terrif]

Well, I cleaned it out last night, took less than five minutes. And, since I turned the divider tray the right way, they're doing a lot better!! Still a couple going end over end instead of rolling, but not like before.

Thanks all!!

t.