Couple questions from a first time hatcher, w/ homemade bator & shipped Araucana eggs!

n8ivetxn

Crowing
12 Years
Nov 15, 2011
1,601
97
281
Elma, Washington
I've read a lot of the posts under incubating....
caf.gif
And, I read the posts regarding shipped eggs - uggh! I'm trying to do everything possible to have, or increase the hatch rate on my precious babies
jumpy.gif
I even carved out holes in the bottom of the carton/holders for more oxygen
wink.png


The scenario:

Climate: NW Washington state, about 200ft elevation and 35 miles from the coast.

I built this bator - I couldn't find a cheap cooler (even goodwill), so I bought a storage box at WalMart. (Photos are attached.) It has an egg turner, fan, w/h thermostat and 2 lights. I have 2 analog thermometers and one analog hygrometer. Tomorrow I will buy an acu-rite digital from WalMart.

I've been testing the bator, empty, for a couple of days. It's maintaining a temp of about 97F and 38C - the thermometers read just slightly different. The hygrometer is holding steady at 30% - 33% humidity (dry). I'll add a damp or wet sponge before lockdown....

Lights cycle on & off regularly (2-3 min), not too long or too short. I've taken readings in different areas and the box seems to have a stable climate.

The eggs shipped on Saturday and arrive tomorrow (Tuesday). I'll pop them in the bator as soon as I can - the temps here have been stable for a few days, so they shouldn't need to adjust or settle before I put them in.





I know there are lots of opinions, so lay it on me - is the temp (too lo?) and humidity good for starting a hatch? Is there anything else I can do to help the hatch rate?

My biggest question: tell me about ventilation. How many holes should I have in 56qt box? Where should they be located? It's a small box, so I have 3/16" holes near the base, one on each side and a couple near the top.

I've never set eggs before, so I'm not sure what my habits will be like, most likely a 'hands off,' set and forget approach..... I don't have a scale for weighing eggs.... not sure how much I'll candle.... I just really want some Araucanas!

Thanks in advance!
pop.gif
 
Last edited:
Hi, I cannot help with 99% of your questions, but i would advise that once you get your eggs, you let them rest of 24 hours before putting them in your incubator.

CT
 
Thank you! I'll definitely consider your advice, my only reason for not letting them rest is due to age. They'll be at least 4 or 5 days old by the time I get them, but other than that, I'm in no hurry to put them in....So maybe I should rest them
thumbsup.gif
 
Thank you! I'll definitely consider your advice, my only reason for not letting them rest is due to age. They'll be at least 4 or 5 days old by the time I get them, but other than that, I'm in no hurry to put them in....So maybe I should rest them
thumbsup.gif

You are most welcome and i hope that other members will chime in and help you out with your incubator questions.

CT
 
No, I didn't calibrate.... I could do that tomorrow before mail runs! - Or, when I go to WallyWorld to get the digital temp/hygro, I could get 2 new units....

Do you think 30 - 35% humidity is alright? I'm dry right now.....

For ventilation, I might need to add one or two more top holes, but in any case, I'll just be leaving them all unplugged....Can you advise on venting?

Thank you for the input
smile.png
, I'll be monitoring this thread for more!
 
Go ahead and get a couple more temp/hygros, just make sure to calibrate those too... even brand new ones can be off... :)

Humidity sounds good for starting, just monitor your air cell growth and adjust it if needed...

400


As for ventilation, yes, I would add some more... just watch that it doesn't drop your temps...
 
Great, I can do that
big_smile.png
Last night I adjusted the temp up just a hair, so this morning it's reading 39C/100F and 31% humidity.... I'll put two more vent holes in, near the top and bottom and monitor accordingly.

I read the calibration page, but I'll need to go back and review it again....

Ravyn, I love your birds!
love.gif
I got 36 eggs from Edd Sheppard's hatchery down in Redding CA. He's looking to retire/sell the hatchery soon, so I got some of his birds before who-knows-what happens.... It looks like I'll be lucky if I get a 50% hatch rate from shipped eggs.... I'll be happy if I get any!
ya.gif
 
Good, ventilation is really important, you want the eggs getting plenty of O2... plus, you can always plug up holes if it's too many... :)

I do ice bath calibration for thermometers, just crush some ice into a cup, add water til it covers the ice and place the bulbs or probes into the mush... swirl occasionally... within 15 mins to half an hour it should read 32°F or 0°C... if it doesn't, mark down how much higher or lower it reads and add or subtract that much to get your accurate reading...

Humidity calibration is fill a shot glass with non-iodized salt, fill with water to the top of the salt only, place in a large ziploc bag with the hygrometers... within a few hours the readings should say 75%, if not record how much higher or lower they read and add or subtract that much to get your accurate reading... :)

Thank you for the complements... I've been working hard on my Araucanas... since you're closer to Cali, hopefully you should get a decent hatch... hope the eggs had a good trip...
 
The humidity gauge I have is zoo-med, a reptile gauge. It has dual temp on it, but I'm not sure it's submersible
hmm.png
I'm off to WalMart after the eggs get here, I'll check and see what they have for digital set-ups, maybe visit Home Depot...

It seems that not many people raise Araucana chickens, I had a difficult time finding a reputable breeder. I looked around about 3 years ago and gave up... I'm fortunate that he was in the same region - do you ever have hatching eggs to offer BYCers? After I made the purchase from Sheppard, I saw an ebay seller in SC with a half dozen at auction, but that's all I've seen.

Going to the freezer now to perform the calibration check.....

Thanks again, me and the eggs appreciate it! LOL ....
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom