Can I switch to egg carton hatching 3 days in?

[jettgirl24]

Right now I've got my eggs just sitting in the bator and I'm hand turning them. I've been having a little trouble getting a steady temp though and opening it up three times a day to turn definitely makes this more difficult, especially since I'm not very fast at the turning yet. Would it be okay to switch to the egg carton method now so I can quite opening up the bator?

 

[chickenmeadow]

Yes, you can switch to setting them in egg cartons (wide end up) & using the method of raising one end of the incubator to tilt the egg, then raise the other end to tilt the other way at the next egg turning time at least 3 (or 5) x's a day. I believe that is what you are referring to. The egg carton hatching in "lockdown" has worked great for me. Maybe I'll see you on the 'JULY HATCH-A-LONG come join in' or the (AUGUST one) to hear how that turning/tilting method does for you. I manually turn too, as my incubators have water in the full bottom tray that would pour out if tilted, bummer. Happy hatching!

 

[jettgirl24]

Ohhh I didn't think about the water in the trays... I'm really glad you mentioned that because you're right, it would just dump out all over the place. I might have come up with an alternate solution. I took a few cardboard toilet paper rolls and cut them in half. I'm going to lay the eggs in them so that they don't roll around so much and I can turn them faster. The problem right now is that the wire mesh is a little funky and it takes me too long to turn because they want to just roll back over in spots where the mesh is warped. It's very frustrating to watch the temp and humidity fall after having worked to hard to get them right! I'm on the July hatch along thread so I'll definitely be posting updates!

 

[chickenmeadow]

I was thinking about your temperature fluctuation issue & wondering how long it takes to recover. The eggs can handle it if it recovers in a few hours. My incubators are the plastic dome type & I have to remove the whole dome lid, which exposes the eggs to a big temp & humidity drop, which recovers in a few hours. I used to worry like crazy & try to readjust, which caused temp spikes, which caused eggs losses. Now I just come check on it in a few hours after putting the lid back on.

People who have many power outs due to weather, etc. have posted using small jars with water & lids, or even smooth rocks to hold the temps longer. Others have said they use these to help recover temps when they remove the lids for turning, etc. Maybe these could be easier solutions to recovering the temps. Good luck with that.

 

[jettgirl24]

When I first set the eggs I was getting a lot of fluctuation and it was really worrying me (probably because I'm a first timer!). I seem to have gotten it dialed in this weekend though and it recovers fairly quickly back to a range between 100 and 101. I still don't want to have the bator open for so long though if I can help it. I set the eggs in toilet paper tubes at the last turn and just turned them again a few minutes ago. It seems to be working great at keeping them from rolling around so it cut my turning time at least in half. Should I worry about airflow underneath? I guess that's the only possible drawback with this idea.

 

[chickenmeadow]

Air flow under the egg should not be a concern. At 100 - 101 degrees F temp you must have a still air incubator (no fan). I keep my forced air (with fan at 99.5 degrees F.

Looks like you're on the right track now. See ya on the other thread. Happy hatching!