BYC's 2026 Valentine's Day Hatch-Along

[AinaWGSD]

I don't have a separate hatching incubator, but I know the answers to some of those questions

Now I have several questions . .

How is the hatching incubator different?

It isn't. It's just a separate incubator, it's just set up for lockdown.

Do you move eggs into the hatching incubator as they reach lockdown?

Yep. You would just transfer the eggs to the hatching incubator instead of adjusting the settings on the incubation incubator.

Doesn't the incubator stop auto turning at lockdown? Do you hand turn eggs?

Depends on the incubator model. But with a two incubator setup you would leave the egg turner out of the hatching incubator entirely. Since you don't want to turn the eggs during lockdown anyway you don't have to worry about hand turning. And since you're moving eggs from the first incubator to the hatching incubator, you don't have to worry about turning the auto turner off at any point in the incubation incubator.

How do you prevent piped eggs from shrink wrapping when you move hatched chicks to the brooder?

Grab them really fast? I'll leave this one to the experts that regularly do staggered hatches and have actual experience. But I'm guessing if they're setting eggs every 5 days it's a non-issue.

 

[gullinkambe]

Yesterday I set another 18 duck eggs! With the 8 + 5 already in there, it's getting crowded

I also have a separate hatcher that I use regardless of staggering hatches or not. I find it hard to clean out the newborn's dust and downs from my Brinsea cabinet incubator, plus it's hard to visually keep watch over the eggs. My old one, a big box-type easy-to-see manual thing, is just so much easier and better to hatch in. It's too uneven for an entire incubation, but it's golden for a few days hatch.

It gives me greater control over the eggs too. I can candle and move them over in bulks if I want to, keeping a close eye on latecomers and "weird" ones. Comes in handy with duck eggs that can stretch on for days.

 

[redinator]

I'm really hoping they put hand warmers or something in with my eggs

 

[Momma who]

View attachment 4288516

I'm really hoping they put hand warmers or something in with my eggs

I live just a few miles from Louisville, we are really getting hammered with snow today. The roads are awful. I wish I could help in some way!

 

[kattabelly]

How do you prevent piped eggs from shrink wrapping when you move hatched chicks to the brooder?

It might be more of a risk for people living in really dry regions - or really dry houses - but generally this isn't as much of a danger as people sometimes make out.

I pull each individual chick as soon as they've hatched. Only ever had a few cases of very mild shrink wrapping and only with chicks that were having other issues too, e.g. malpositioned.

Oh, that's really smart! 12V incubator going on my wish list right now!

No need to get another incubator, just get an inverter.

 

[redinator]

I live just a few miles from Louisville, we are really getting hammered with snow today. The roads are awful. I wish I could help in some way!

Thanks . . I keep checking the UPS tracking to see if they've moved and they're still in Louisville, Kentucky . . . I'm hoping it's just because it's Sunday and they start moving tomorrow. The seller said if I get a less than 50% hatch rate they'll send more eggs for just the cost of shipping, so we'll see how things go.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I don't mind staggering, but I do heat mine up in separate incubator, and mark them.

 

[Slothinc]

Thanks @AinaWGSD and @kattabelly for answering all the questions!! I would have given the same answers! @redinator did you have any other questions? I have my “hatching incubator” just because it is easier to only have to clean one incubator. My largest incubator I haven’t ever hatched in, therefore it doesn’t have any little chick dust floating around in it. Sometimes I feel like I am playing musical chairs with the eggs but it seems to work out just as well as keeping them in one incubator from start to finish.

 

[redinator]

Thanks @AinaWGSD and @kattabelly for answering all the questions!! I would have given the same answers! @redinator did you have any other questions? I have my “hatching incubator” just because it is easier to only have to clean one incubator. My largest incubator I haven’t ever hatched in, therefore it doesn’t have any little chick dust floating around in it. Sometimes I feel like I am playing musical chairs with the eggs but it seems to work out just as well as keeping them in one incubator from start to finish.

I think I'm good. I was asking because I plan to move the eggs that are currently in 2 seperate incubators into one after candling on day 17. I need to free up the larger of the two so when the CL eggs arrive I have an incubator to put them in. I just wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not.

 

[Debbie292d]

How do you prevent piped eggs from shrink wrapping when you move hatched chicks to the brooder?

@AinaWGSD answered all the other questions spot on!

Our hatching incubator is just an incubator with no racks in it, no turning on, and a rubber shelf liner on the bottom. The eggs are moved five days before hatch. (I do 5-day lockdowns anyway, as sometimes silkies hatch early).

The ones that were in the hatching incubator prior to moving the new ones in are long gone, to the brooder. There's a day or two we'll have to clean that incubator before moving the next ones over. I have clean mats, so after cleaning and sterilizing the incubator, just put a new one in. (They go in the washing machine.)