Double incubating?

[RussianChickens]

Hello!

I was wondering, is it ok to hatch some eggs whilst others are still in the bator to hatch at later date? I hear people doing this all the time.

One, would having high humidity at 65% for the 3 days be ok for the other eggs?

Second, I have a turner. Would it be ok to let the chicks hatch on the turner? And would shutting the turner off for the 2-3 days harm the new eggs any while the others hatch?



How is best to go about this to assure best hatch for both groups of eggs?

Current batch is set to hatch on easter sunday!

next batch would be hatching about 2 weeks or so after that.

 

[Cynthia12]

Hello!

I was wondering, is it ok to hatch some eggs whilst others are still in the bator to hatch at later date? I hear people doing this all the time.

One, would having high humidity at 65% for the 3 days be ok for the other eggs?

Second, I have a turner. Would it be ok to let the chicks hatch on the turner? And would shutting the turner off for the 2-3 days harm the new eggs any while the others hatch?



How is best to go about this to assure best hatch for both groups of eggs?

Current batch is set to hatch on easter sunday!

next batch would be hatching about 2 weeks or so after that.

Not quite sure if you are asking..can you have some eggs in with others that are in lock down? the answer to that would be no..they don't need that high a humidity in the beginning of incubation.
Second, no again. Chicks can get caught in the turner. Not a good thing!
And yes, not turning the other eggs would be a bad thing..they need to be turned until lock down.

Can you get another bator??

 

[RussianChickens]

Not quite sure if you are asking..can you have some eggs in with others that are in lock down? the answer to that would be no..they don't need that high a humidity in the beginning of incubation.
Second, no again. Chicks can get caught in the turner. Not a good thing!
And yes, not turning the other eggs would be a bad thing..they need to be turned until lock down.

Can you get another bator??

No I don't have another bator. I hear people doing this all the time though.

I did already have these eggs at 65% for the first 4 days and then I learnt about the dry hatch so they are now a steady 40% and developing fine despite the humidity. All are still viable from what i can tell. Only one was infertile.


And I meant with the turner stopped. I know they would get stuck if it was on. So would it be best to put a tray over one corner of the bator for those eggs to hatch in? Thus not getting stuck or moving much.

Or I have heard of taking the turner out and using an egg carton and turning them that way while the others hatch, then putting them back in the turner when done.

I also have heard that humidity over 60% can cause the 'glue' to form, which has proven for a few people to be just as bad a shrinkwrap. So I would be staying within 55-60%.

 

[Fred's Hens]

What is required, or at least optimal, is to have a hatcher. A hatcher is nothing more than an incubator without a turner. That's all it is.

In order to hatch, the eggs need a damp, warm place. That's it. Any homemade or purchased incubator that can hold a solid temp between 98.5 and 99.5 and not spike to the hot side, can provide adequate ventilation for chicks that are now breathing inside the shell and will be breathing outside the shell, and can hold a reasonably steady 50-60% humidity is a hatcher.

The hatcher should be easy to clean since it will be getting dirty.

The incubator can stay clean and can stay running. At day 19, eggs ready to leave the incubator are placed into the hatcher. Incubator can be re-loaded into the available slots and the process rolls on and on and on.

 

[rayray983]

The main issue I find with doing a staggered hatch in same incubator isn't with the not turning the eggs its the level of co2 that the hatching chicks put out is absolutely fatal to unhatched chicks I've had success and failures with this method and I strongly recommend either buying a second incubator and using as a hatcher or building one

 

[Cynthia12]

The main issue I find with doing a staggered hatch in same incubator isn't with the not turning the eggs its the level of co2 that the hatching chicks put out is absolutely fatal to unhatched chicks I've had success and failures with this method and I strongly recommend either buying a second incubator and using as a hatcher or building one

X's 2

 

[RussianChickens]

Where can I find how to build one? All I really need is a way to regulate the temp. I have all the other componants

 

[Fred's Hens]

I've done every type of controlling thermostat. The little $17 one at Incubator Warehouse swings a degree or two, but I've hatched chicks. Just too sensitive to room temperature differentials for me.

The better wafer thermostats seem to work OK. $26

But the creme' d la creme' is the IncuKit at Incubator Warehouse. This is an all in one unit. Fan, ceramic heaters and digital, progressive control thermostat. Also adustable. $50, but it is all in one. Add foam box and done. Literally, that is it.

I like having the glass, and I just re-cycle glass from old picture frames. 5x8 size, or 4x6 is common. Cost nothing if you have a closet full of old picture frames or the thrift store, St Vincent, Salvation Army. 50 cents maybe.

40 watt Incukit DC. Done.

Rush Lane Poultry has a half dozen videos on How To Build an incubator. YouTube has a bunch more and Rush Lane's are on YouTube as well. There's a couple days of watching, if you wish.


.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

You can do it, but only if you make 2 sets within a week of each other. It's a matter of timing & scheduling. Basically you just extend lockdown from 3 days to 6 days. Locking down a day early or a day late has no effect on the hatch.
2 factors you have to take into consideration; turning and humidity.
It's my opinion turning is important to keep the yolk from sticking to the shell the first week or so, but as the chick develops it's not that critical after Day 15 or so.
It's a fact that low humidity is important to make the eggs loose water but it's my opinion that after Day 15 or so if they've lost weight you can't put water back into the egg so increasing humidity has no effect on the newer set.

I've done this several ways: by setting quail & chicken eggs on the same day, lockdown quail late on day 15 and on day 17 remove hatched quail and 4 days later remove hatched chickens.
And by setting chicken eggs and then 5 days later setting quail eggs, lock down on chicken day 18 and both hatch 3 days later.
You do it the same way with different sets of chicken eggs if you stay in that 1 week window of oppprtunity.
I think if you try it outside the 1 week window of opportunity your chances of hatching a healthy chick are greatly reduced due to turning & humidity issues.
I've also replaced clears & stinkers at random times with mixed results but not enough times to know for certian if the quiters were due humidity, turning or egg viability issues. Plus when my eggs start hatching I want it to be over and done with instead of dragging out waiting for a few random eggs to hatch, so I can wash, stabalize & restock the incubator.
I never hatch in the turner racks because it's easier for the chick to kick out if the egg is laying on it's side than it is for the chick to kick out in an upward direction to escape the egg.
Hope that all made sense. I wore my fat dumb fingers out trying to type all that.

 

[RussianChickens]

You can do it, but only if you make 2 sets within a week of each other. It's a matter of timing & scheduling. Basically you just extend lockdown from 3 days to 6 days. Locking down a day early or a day late has no effect on the hatch.
2 factors you have to take into consideration; turning and humidity.
It's my opinion turning is important to keep the yolk from sticking to the shell the first week or so, but as the chick develops it's not that critical after Day 15 or so.
It's a fact that low humidity is important to make the eggs loose water but it's my opinion that after Day 15 or so if they've lost weight you can't put water back into the egg so increasing humidity has no effect on the newer set.

I've done this several ways: by setting quail & chicken eggs on the same day, lockdown quail late on day 15 and on day 17 remove hatched quail and 4 days later remove hatched chickens.
And by setting chicken eggs and then 5 days later setting quail eggs, lock down on chicken day 18 and both hatch 3 days later.
You do it the same way with different sets of chicken eggs if you stay in that 1 week window of oppprtunity.
I think if you try it outside the 1 week window of opportunity your chances of hatching a healthy chick are greatly reduced due to turning & humidity issues.
I've also replaced clears & stinkers at random times with mixed results but not enough times to know for certian if the quiters were due humidity, turning or egg viability issues. Plus when my eggs start hatching I want it to be over and done with instead of dragging out waiting for a few random eggs to hatch, so I can wash, stabalize & restock the incubator.
I never hatch in the turner racks because it's easier for the chick to kick out if the egg is laying on it's side than it is for the chick to kick out in an upward direction to escape the egg.
Hope that all made sense. I wore my fat dumb fingers out trying to type all that.

Thanks!
I might go with what someone else said and just have a hatcher and an incubator, that way it never matters long as I label the eggs. As it turned out I was able to wait on my special chicks and my current ones hatched 3-4 days early now lol.

I kind of think this lock down is a bit of bull, I have been opening and closing that bator and turning those eggs and low and behold this morning 2 are popping out of their shells in the racks at what my bator says* is 40% humidity. I raised it to 60-65% and got the goo bomb, lowered it back to 45-50 and normal fuzzy chick drying. 4 more pipped and the last two zipped, can't tell if they are alive or not because my hands shake too much, the chicks in there been really beating them up and I noticed the tapping in the shells is not happening this evening like it was earlier, once again shaky hands = can't tell. However hatch should still be at 80 - 90% saying everything continues to go well overnight.

I wonder if my humidity indicator is off by 5 or so %.

Well... Just watching and waiting all night now