Can you add eggs to the incubator????

[shangri-lafarms]

Here is a hypothetical scenario::: I am new to hatching/Incubating, so I got to thinking and I am wondering this, can you pen up a roo with hens and take their eggs daily assuming they are fertile and add them to already incubating eggs....I am assuming I would do this if possible daily for a few days in order to obtain a dozen or so eggs....Thanks for all your knowledge and help...as I have never been dissapointed by any responses.....This board is great I love everyone

 

[IloveTravis]

This would work, until the eggs started hatching. The eggs that were put in first would end up hatching while the ones who were put in a day or so afterward would still be in their eggs. So while the baby chickies were galavanting around inside the incubator the other eggs might get knocked around left and right.

 

[penelope77]

yep, you'll have staggered hatches. you can build a hatcher to move them to for the last three days or you can play with fire and let them hatch with the ones that aren't ready. i did this time. but there are stories out there about the other eggs not making it because of bacteria or something form the hatch mess. but i think if they were just a few days apart it would be okay.

 

[shangri-lafarms]

Yeah, I was wondering about that, can you take them out of the incubator and into the brooder one by one????? Or is that just a PIA????

 

[klf73]

If you are going to collect over a few days you should put them in a cool room and turn them until you collect the amount you want to incubate, you can do this for 7 days, after this time viability declines. If you put them in the bator you end up with a staggered hatch and would need to get a hatcher. This is because the higher humidity required the last 3 days will harm the eggs that are further behind. Also I don't know how long the roo needs to be with the hens before you get fertilized eggs.
Krista
check this out, very informative http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/hatch.htm
there are a few others too

 

[DawnSuiter]

I am also new to hatching, and have only done it once so far (in process on clutch #2) but I would GUESS you would want to hold your eggs for a few days.. say collect eggs for 5 days or so and then set them all at once.

I don't think that there would be anything too wrong with what your doing other than the following:

each day you add cool eggs, of course if they are fresh they are still kinda warm, which cools off the bator & could slow the development of eggs already in there

but my biggest thing would be that if you did that for 7 days say.. adding the days eggs.. then you would also hatch for 7 days.. which would be EXHAUSTING to me

I'm sure there are plenty of qualified opinions coming soon...

 

[shangri-lafarms]

Quote:
Wow 7 days

I knew there must be some way i just wasn't sure, Thanks everyone for your help

 

[lost]

I have two homemade ones one is for the first days and the other only when they hatch because of the humity change. Some people might not agree but it works. I got aloy hatching on differant days like that. Hope i wrote this right

 

[shangri-lafarms]

wow that's cool I never thought of that

 

[kathnkyle]

I have staggered hatches to as i am too addicted and keep buying more and more fertile eggs lol so i have bought 2 bators one for the first few weeks and one to hatch them! my very first lot are on day 19 and I really cant wait lol!!