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

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: question, rotation of turner... how many turns do they actual make? I turn by hand in carton gently x3 and I will let you know how this batch faired when I candle, I still didn't candle and I set and turned right away again.

 

[loveourbirds]

most turners make one cycle in 4 hours or from far right to far left in 2 hours.

one thing to keep in mind with manual turning versus automatic turning: many automatic turners never stop turning, they operate slower than you can see by the naked eye. in an extremely dry environment the embryo could still stick, and turning more often is needed. when you turn by hand you are making the movements faster, the embryo excersizes more and moves farther. its typically better to have the faster turning motion. many modern turners only turn a total of 60 degrees, or 30 degrees right and 30 degrees left of center.
Petersime, a commercial incubator company experimented with a 180 degree turning radius (90 degrees each way from center) and had higher hatch rates - as advertised by them. i can see how the 180 degree turning would be benifical for waterfowl, as most of them do better when hatched on their sides - but im far from the expert in waterfowl.

and to familypendragon: i know you've gotten tons of advice, and most of it is good advice in normal situations. everyone has different hatching methods they have learned from experimentation with their incubators. my 2 cents on hatching shipped eggs for my sportsman incubators: when i put shipped eggs in for the first 24 hours i let them set with the large end up. after 24 hours i do one full cycle turn and return them to the "upright position" i do this one time a day for the first 3 days. after the 3 days i let the automatic turner take over. ive had 100% hatches and ive had 0% hatches, since i started doing it this way i typically have 50% or greater hatches. i cant tell you if this is good or bad advice, its just what works for me.

 

[familypendragon]

most turners make one cycle in 4 hours or from far right to far left in 2 hours.

one thing to keep in mind with manual turning versus automatic turning: many automatic turners never stop turning, they operate slower than you can see by the naked eye.  in an extremely dry environment the embryo could still stick, and turning more often is needed. when you turn by hand you are making the movements faster, the embryo excersizes more and moves farther. its typically better to have the faster turning motion. many modern turners only turn a total of 60 degrees, or 30 degrees right and 30 degrees left of center.  
Petersime, a commercial incubator company experimented with a 180 degree turning radius (90 degrees each way from center) and had higher hatch rates - as advertised by them. i can see how the 180 degree turning would be benifical for waterfowl, as most of them do better when hatched on their sides - but im far from the expert in waterfowl.

and to familypendragon: i know you've gotten tons of advice, and most of it is good advice in normal situations.  everyone has different hatching methods they have learned from experimentation with their incubators.  my 2 cents on hatching shipped eggs for my sportsman incubators:  when i put shipped eggs in for the first 24 hours i let them set with the large end up. after 24 hours i do one full cycle turn and return them to the "upright position" i do this one time a day for the first 3 days. after the 3 days i let the automatic turner take over.  ive had 100% hatches and ive had 0% hatches, since i started doing it this way i typically have 50% or greater hatches.  i cant tell you if this is good or bad advice, its just what works for me.

More to think about

 

[ozexpat]

I let them rest for 18 hours and then set them in the carton with cut out bottoms without turning for 48 hours or so. Now I am turning them by leaning them in the carton side to side over about a 45 degree angle. After the last ones I am trying to be more careful - but its hard to know what the "right" thing to do is.

I would dearly love to one day fully research this topic.

There are so many variablities with shipped eggs and removing them is so hard.

I emphatically encourage people to hatch local eggs until they have 3 consecutive hatches of >80%

Second guessing yourself is tough enough as a beginner without adding shipped eggs.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I finally did my candle, its around day 11.
These are WFS shipped eggs that I accidently asked for AIR CELL DOWN double boxed with ice.. DOH.....oopsies.
I had 10 that made it into the bator, one had a crack and the other clear,

so the 10 that went into the bator...
all but two had bad or rolling air cells. the two good ones I placed on sides in the bator and the others I left in a carton, its a cardboard carton and it still has the bottoms in it, I didn't cut them out this time again. I set them immediately after opening and candling, I turn 3x day, the carton sits a little bit higher than 45 degrees and then I gentle settle the other way at turning. I have two odd dipped cells but good lively embryos and the rest look normal and are growing good. so far 10 for 10 on them. This is my third time doing shipped eggs that have loose or rolling cells, I am happy that this time is looking good as well....

My only issue is that I also have my own brahma eggs in with them, the rate that the WFS are loosing weight is greater than the brahma eggs. Could be the breed/shell I guess..... I am wondering if I should start up another bator and separate all mine from theirs so I don't have to deal with big wet chicks like the ones I had to hatch from the broody the other week.

 

[lizanne]

cute! and What a awesome new avy too!

Thanks Sally!!

OMG the quail are SOOO TINY!!! All the same age?Are they big as a dime? Looks

They are tiny!! They all hatched at the same time. They yellow hatched with one, and the next morning I had the black one and button quail #2. I have no idea what to do with only 2 quail though. I'm gonna have to separate them soon. Some one told me the Marans will possibly cuddle them to death if I leave them together. Right now the quail seem to think the chicks are their mama's. They run around under their legs, and cuddle under their wings at night.

 

[ozexpat]

I finally did my candle, its around day 11.
These are WFS shipped eggs that I accidently asked for AIR CELL DOWN double boxed with ice.. DOH.....oopsies.
I had 10 that made it into the bator, one had a crack and the other clear,

so the 10 that went into the bator...
all but two had bad or rolling air cells. the two good ones I placed on sides in the bator and the others I left in a carton, its a cardboard carton and it still has the bottoms in it, I didn't cut them out this time again. I set them immediately after opening and candling, I turn 3x day, the carton sits a little bit higher than 45 degrees and then I gentle settle the other way at turning. I have two odd dipped cells but good lively embryos and the rest look normal and are growing good. so far 10 for 10 on them. This is my third time doing shipped eggs that have loose or rolling cells, I am happy that this time is looking good as well....

My only issue is that I also have my own brahma eggs in with them, the rate that the WFS are loosing weight is greater than the brahma eggs. Could be the breed/shell I guess..... I am wondering if I should start up another bator and separate all mine from theirs so I don't have to deal with big wet chicks like the ones I had to hatch from the broody the other week.

i would fire up incubator 2.

 

[familypendragon]

I finally did my candle, its around day 11. 
These are WFS shipped eggs that I accidently asked for AIR CELL DOWN double boxed with ice.. DOH.....oopsies.
I had 10 that made it into the bator, one had a crack and the other clear,

so the 10 that went into the bator...
all but two had bad or rolling air cells. the two good ones I placed on sides in the bator and the others I left in a carton, its a cardboard carton and it still has the bottoms in it, I didn't cut them out this time again. I set them immediately after opening and candling, I turn 3x day, the carton sits a little bit higher than 45 degrees and then I gentle settle the other way at turning.  I have two odd dipped cells but good lively embryos and the rest look normal and are growing good. so far 10 for 10 on them. This is my third time doing shipped eggs that have loose or rolling cells, I am happy that this time is looking good as well....

My only issue is that I also have my own brahma eggs in with them, the rate that the WFS are loosing weight is greater than the brahma eggs. Could be the breed/shell I guess.....  I am wondering if I should start up another bator and separate all mine from theirs so I don't have to deal with big wet chicks like the ones I had to hatch from the broody the other week.

OMG, I would start up another bator, but what the heck do I know, LOL Good luck!!!

 

[familypendragon]

A friend of mine has caught my incubating bug and is driving 4 hours round trip to pick up some eggs for the two of us, LOL!

 

[ozexpat]

A friend of mine has caught my incubating bug and is driving 4 hours round trip to pick up some eggs for the two of us, LOL!