Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Chicken Eggs for incubation and hatching

[foxvalleyfarm]

I need help from people experienced with hatching shipped eggs. I have my own thread going, but will post a brief thing here.( My thread is called Natural Nest My attempt)

So I got(On Wednesday 3-5-14 noon) 14 eggs shipped to me, 1 goose, 4 ducks, 4 bantam, and 5 large fowl chickens and of those most had fully detached air cells. I let me sit very still blunt end up for 26 hours before placing them and the egg cartons they were in into the incubator(Thursday 3-6-14 2 pm). I left them sitting alone for the first 12 hours and then just adjusted them in the cartons slightly. I repeated that every 6 hours or so and then this morning around noon I tilted a whole side of the carton up. I used the removed carton top and cut it in half so it was half as long and put it between the two cartons and then set the cartons on the top long ways. So all the egg spots on one side are completely off the floor of the bator. I have an LG still air with the temps as measured on top of the eggs staying about 100.5 or so. I'm not sure on my humidity as my hydrometer isn't in yet, but my question is am I doing this right and what are the odds any hatch?

 

[ozexpat]

Experienced Hatchers....I have a dilemma and need advice. I recently bought a Brinsea Eco 20 manual turn incubator. My other incubator is an old (1999) LG still air, manual turn incubator. I just bought an automatic turner for the LG. I have local barnyard mixed eggs coming and hopefully a few shipped specialty breeds. Last years shipped eggs not good. My DH has just informed me that he is gone on business for the first 8 days of incubation. I work 12 hour shifts and he is my egg turner when I work. Question..Do I start them in the LG with automatic turner and no fan, and move them at day 8( when husband returns) to the Brinsea manual w/ fan? Will I totally screw up the hatch moving them. What is more important the first 7 days ? I appreciate any input. Lynn Marie

turning is most important early in the hatch. you will get away with turning 3 times while at home. - the reason why they recomend odd turning is so the eggs are left on one side longer on alternate days.

 

[ozexpat]

I need help from people experienced with hatching shipped eggs. I have my own thread going, but will post a brief thing here.( My thread is called Natural Nest My attempt)

So I got(On Wednesday 3-5-14 noon) 14 eggs shipped to me, 1 goose, 4 ducks, 4 bantam, and 5 large fowl chickens and of those most had fully detached air cells. I let me sit very still blunt end up for 26 hours before placing them and the egg cartons they were in into the incubator(Thursday 3-6-14 2 pm). I left them sitting alone for the first 12 hours and then just adjusted them in the cartons slightly. I repeated that every 6 hours or so and then this morning around noon I tilted a whole side of the carton up. I used the removed carton top and cut it in half so it was half as long and put it between the two cartons and then set the cartons on the top long ways. So all the egg spots on one side are completely off the floor of the bator. I have an LG still air with the temps as measured on top of the eggs staying about 100.5 or so. I'm not sure on my humidity as my hydrometer isn't in yet, but my question is am I doing this right and what are the odds any hatch?

holy staggered hatch batman

your still air bator should be 102F at top of the eggs

are you dry hatching?

turning eggs is crucial. i believe even at the expense of aircells

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

holy staggered hatch batman

your still air bator should be 102F at top of the eggs

are you dry hatching?

turning eggs is crucial. i believe even at the expense of aircells

Yeah I know, but I don't plan on doing a "lockdown"

Ok so the spike yesterday won't hurt and the lower temp for a day may just make them take a bit of extra time right? Any idea on what the temp inside a wiggle should be? And what do mean by a dry hatch? I have about half the wells half way filled with water. I have no idea what the humidity is tho, but my house is around 40%.

I was changing the slight bit of tilt they had in just the carton and have now started fully tilting the whole carton. So they are being 'turned'. Also for the duck egg that seems to have mostly healed it's air cell should i lay it flat or leave it upright in the carton?

 

[ozexpat]

Yeah I know, but I don't plan on doing a "lockdown"

Ok so the spike yesterday won't hurt and the lower temp for a day may just make them take a bit of extra time right? Any idea on what the temp inside a wiggle should be? And what do mean by a dry hatch? I have about half the wells half way filled with water. I have no idea what the humidity is tho, but my house is around 40%.

I was changing the slight bit of tilt they had in just the carton and have now started fully tilting the whole carton. So they are being 'turned'. Also for the duck egg that seems to have mostly healed it's air cell should i lay it flat or leave it upright in the carton?

read the hatching 101 article by Sally in my sig

I would get rid of the water all together

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

read the hatching 101 article by Sally in my sig

I would get rid of the water all together

Will do. And remove the water even though I have the ducks and goose? They need atleast 50% and my house humidity changes pretty often.

 

[ozexpat]

Will do. And remove the water even though I have the ducks and goose? They need atleast 50% and my house humidity changes pretty often.

do what you think is right. i run a dry bator. room is 45% humidity

in the bator right now

Barred Plymouth Rock Egg
Black Australorp Egg
Black Australorp Egg
Black Jersey Giant
Blue Partridge Brahma
Brown Leghorn Egg
Buff Orpington
Blue Black Orps
Crème Legbars
Golden Sebright Egg
Red Leghorn
Silkie
Speckled Sussex
Speckled Sussex
Salmon Faverolles
Mutts
White Crested Black Polish Egg
White Leghorn Egg
White Plymouth Rock Egg
Visayan/RIR cross project eggs
Pekin Duck Egg
Rouen Duck Egg
Rouen Duck Egg
Pekin Duck Egg
Muscovy
Chinese Geese
Medium breasted bronze/black turkey
Bronze turkey
Royal Palm turkey
Burbon Red turkey

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

do what you think is right. i run a dry bator. room is 45% humidity

in the bator right now

Barred Plymouth Rock Egg
Black Australorp Egg
Black Australorp Egg
Black Jersey Giant
Blue Partridge Brahma
Brown Leghorn Egg
Buff Orpington
Blue Black Orps
Crème Legbars
Golden Sebright Egg
Red Leghorn
Silkie
Speckled Sussex
Speckled Sussex
Salmon Faverolles
Mutts
White Crested Black Polish Egg
White Leghorn Egg
White Plymouth Rock Egg
Visayan/RIR cross project eggs
Pekin Duck Egg
Rouen Duck Egg
Rouen Duck Egg
Pekin Duck Egg
Muscovy
Chinese Geese
Medium breasted bronze/black turkey
Bronze turkey
Royal Palm turkey
Burbon Red turkey

And you'd had good hatch rates doing that? If so I may try my best to get most of the water out. I'm also going to try and talk my husband into moving out hydrometer to the wall my my 'bators. We'll see how that goes. I have a feeling it won't work, but I am going to make a walmart run in a bit and look for a cheap one to hold me til mine comes in.

Also do you think the 'turning' I'm doing is enough? I'll try to get some pics once I get my camera back. I'm basically doing like some people show to do with the eggs before you put them in the bator.

 

[ozexpat]

And you'd had good hatch rates doing that? If so I may try my best to get most of the water out. I'm also going to try and talk my husband into moving out hydrometer to the wall my my 'bators. We'll see how that goes. I have a feeling it won't work, but I am going to make a walmart run in a bit and look for a cheap one to hold me til mine comes in.

Also do you think the 'turning' I'm doing is enough? I'll try to get some pics once I get my camera back. I'm basically doing like some people show to do with the eggs before you put them in the bator.

my hatch rate in local eggs - mostly young pullets has averaged 87% for the last 5 hatches.

this hatch is 300+ shipped eggs. 12 hrs rest, then set and brought to temp. I turn 90 degrees at 6 am, 2 pm and 8pm.

I hatch in a seperate hatcher.

What is your strategy for the staggered hatch?

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

my hatch rate in local eggs - mostly young pullets has averaged 87% for the last 5 hatches.

this hatch is 300+ shipped eggs. 12 hrs rest, then set and brought to temp. I turn 90 degrees at 6 am, 2 pm and 8pm.

I hatch in a seperate hatcher.

What is your strategy for the staggered hatch?

I wasn't planning on doing a lockdown, rather I have my fowl eggs in a separate egg cartoon so while I stop tilting the chickens, the fowl will keep getting tilted. I also am thinking I won't add a whole lot of water until must of the chicks are out, instead relying on their hatching to start upping it for the fowl. I am going to try and get most of the water out of it when I get home, tho I have no idea how I'm going to manage that yet! I am also thinking about getting some dollar store baskets so I can separate the LF from the bantams and the fowl eggs so they don't bump and jostle them or cause the whole carton to fall on top of themselves. Any other ideas?
(If you want we can move this to my thread he link is in my sig.)