Complex set split: bator/broody, staggared hatch dates, advice??

[ICallMyselfCherie']

Hi there, everyone.

I have a pretty complicated set on my hands here. I did it last night as best I could, but I'm worried.

I have one very broody silky bantam, and one LG Forced Air bator. I have one egg I never expected to hatch because we found it abandoned in a park with a bunch of other freezing cold/broken eggs. In the mean time we ordered ten assorted chicken eggs from McMurray Hatchery. So now the broody has been sitting on the abandoned egg for two weeks and there's a peep in there moving like crazy. We just set the ten McMurray eggs last night -- five under the broody, five in the bator. So it's eleven total, with the broody on six.

My concern about the ones under the broody is, when/if the abandoned egg hatches in about a week, will she take care of it and hatch the other five eggs? And until then, how will the staggared hatch dates effect the turning/lockdown processes?

My concern about the bator is, are LG Forced Air bators really crappy? There's no hydrometer, and the directions regarding humidity seem too simple: "Fill the moisture rings at the bottom of the incubator with water". How the heck do I know if the humidity is right or wrong? Is it really that simple -- just keep the rings filled?? Also, sometimes it seems like the temp inside changes for no reason. I went to bed last night with it at 99.5, and this morning my boyfriend had to change it because he said it was down to 94!!!! Then he adjusted it a little bit, and it was at 102 the next time he checked it!!!!!

Can the eggs survive that???

What do you think?

 

[jossanne]

Let me start by saying I don't have an incubator, and have only hatched eggs under a broody hen. But... I've been reading on here in hopes of having my own bator soon, and I've read some stuff that might answer your questions before someone who actually has experience comes along to help out.

Is the temperature in the room where the bator is stable, or does it fluctuate throughout the day/night? If it has a tendency to fluctuate, you could try wrapping a blanket or some towels around the bator to insulate it a bit better. Be careful not to block any ventilation holes, as the eggs need those to hatch. As for humidity, you can get a cheap thermometer/hygrometer at WalMart that will keep track of that for you. I think I paid $10 for a pretty good digital one.

I don't know if your broody will continue to take care of the other eggs for a week after the baby hatches. What is the abandoned egg? Is it from a chicken? Do you know? Watch closely, and if she gets off the nest with the first chick, just move those eggs to the bator. Lots of people move eggs in the middle of their 21 days, and it should be okay if that has to happen. Also, from everything I've read on here the temperature needs to be most stable in the first few days and in the last few days. The better you can keep the temp stable right now, the better your hatch will be. If you need to move the bator to a closet or somewhere that the temperature doesn't fluctuate as much, that should help.

Good luck, and keep us posted!