do's and don't of incubating and hatching?

[chickenlover237]

please post your tips on what to do and what not to do when incubating and hatching chicken eggs. all help is apreciated

 

[stephanie1992]

dont add to much water
make sure temp is correct.
do not open the incubator to much. just to candle WHEN NEEDED and to turn eggs.
do not open when egg is pipped and hatching unless assistance is needed.
dont over pack bator with eggs

I recomend Buying a digital humidity reader so u know that the humidity is correct

 

[chickenlover237]

I am planing to incubate 12 rhode island red eggs so how big should I make my incubator? and how much water should i have? along with wht is the right temp range to stay in and how often should I candle? thnks stephanie1992

 

[stephanie1992]

id say one of thos styrofoam coolers they sale is big enough for 12 eggs. or anything that size. i dont add water till day 18. andd i raise the humidity till the meter reads 70-80%. temp should be no more than 100 degrees and no lower than 95 degrees. i candle every 3 days. and i tun the eggs twice a day. when i get up and before i go to bed. Many other people have differnt ways and differnt opinions about incubating but this is what i do

and it works great. make sure if u buld a bator and plan on the eggs hatching in it that the chicks cant touch the light or heating element when they hatch and they have something on the bottom such as wire to grip so they can stand. also make sure they cant fall into the water and drown when they hatch. Good luck!! hope others can give more opinions!!

 

[chickenlover237]

AWESOME!!! I will write this down for when I start hatching! thanks again stephanie1992! keep the info comin! trust me I need all I can get!

 

[stephanie1992]

Quote:
have u ever hatched eggs before? lol or built and incubator? just wondering so i know what info to provide

 

[chickenlover237]

no I have not these would be my first chickens so I need to know how to do everything!

 

[goochgirl]

I made my first incubator last year out of a Styrofoam cooler. I'm rebuilding it this year to hold more eggs. FYI, the coolers that are angled at the bottom, so they are narrower at the bottom than the lid, only held 6 eggs comfortably once you take out space for the lightbulb. I'd recommend getting a straight sided cooler. Look at the pics of the bators on this forum. One of them gives detailed wiring instructions with photos (wish I remembered which one). Good luck!

 

[Ukiah]

Don't help a chick hatch out of the shell unless it's stuck because of something you did.
If you DO have to assist the chick in hatching, wait atleast 48 hours before intervening.

Don't wash eggs before incubation. Washing the eggs will scrub off the protective coating, and
allow disease and bacteria to enter. The scrubbing tends to push the bacteria through the pores,
anyways. Though some people DO wash their eggs, I prefer not to.

Do write down on a peice of DUCKTAPE what day & time you set the eggs, and what day & time
lockdown shall be. I've lost my paper with all this information on it once and didn't know when to lock-
down. Not fun. Stick the peice of tape with all the info on it on something, somewhere you know you
won't loose it.

Don't Store eggs more than 10 days before incubating. Each day the egg is being stored, the chance
of the egg hatching decreases.

Don't Hatch eggs that were laying in the dirt, are muddy or are dirty.

When are you gonna hatch? o:

 

[chickenlover237]

I am planning to set the eggs when one of my aunts and uncles gets all 12 frorm their 8 rhode island reds.