Egg Carton Hatching Method Feedback *UPDATE*Tried It*Relults*

[Katy]

All I asked was what your expereince was....I was curious to know.

I've had the best hatch percentages since I started doing it this way. It takes time for a method to be proven and so I'm sure there's quite a few of us on here that will continue to test this method because of good results this far. Maybe someday you'll see that it's not just "busy work" which means to me doing something just to kill time. It isn't busy work to me. Every batch of eggs I put in I want to have the most chicks hatch that I possibly can....and if trying new methods because I found the regular way lacking then so be it, I guess I'll continue with my " busy work". My increased hatch rates are evidence enough for me.

 

[McGoo]

Twigg, et al,
This may be a stupid question, but has anyone ever tried to mimic the mother hen a little more closely - let's say maybe make the incubator a little more cozy for the eggs so that they don't roll around so much? Maybe more 'nest like' - rather than the egg carton method?

Maybe not straw cause of the fire hazard, but maybe towels to make the eggs roll less? I know that Speckled hen and others use rubbery shelf paper for that purpose or to make it easier for the hatchlings to walk.

just wondering if there's a middle ground - less rolling, good hatch rate

I think you all have valuable input and would like to know. Thanks.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Yes, they have actually, and it's interesting

Go take a look at Brinsea's website, and the new *contact* incubators.

The thinking is unique and impressive.

 

[twigg]

http://www.brinsea.co.uk/products/contaq-z6-contact-incubator/315/

 

[twigg]

All I asked was what your expereince was....I was curious to know.

A couple of thoughts for you Katy ....

I would never in a million years have told someone that my experience was greater than theirs, in an attempt to make me appear more knowledgeable.

By the same token, asking me for my experience, without answering the points I addressed, appeared to be as I called it.

There is a Private Message system where questions like that could be asked, without the danger of appearing impertinent.

I suspect we are all pretty nice, actually, and look forward to debating in the future.​

 

[Katy]

I don't feel like I was impertinant....I asked because I was interested in knowing since you hadn't shared that with us. I'm glad to know you have hands on experience.

I don't know what points you want me to address.

I never said my method is better, only that it has been working well for me and yes, I'd encourage other people to give it a try, which was the question of the OP.

 

[DuckLady]

Just wondering why there is an argument here.
This seems a good way to share and ask questions of each other in order to learn.

Let's get back on topic. Please and thanks.

A gentle reminder of the rules (I am referring to the bolded parts)

4. No Trolling (posting to provoke others, luring them to flame or rant). Trolling is sometimes done involuntary, so please be considerate when posting.
7. No Fighting. Taking a personal conflict to the forum is unacceptable. "I'm right, you're wrong" threads and posts will be edited or deleted.

 

[claud]

Here's my experience with egg carton hatching:

I hatched 21 chicks out of 29 eggs. One of the 29 was clear. This is comparable to other hatches I've done over the years - maybe not quite as good - but I had a lot of different variables this hatch(new stock, etc.).
I did find that clean-up was easier.
None had trouble getting out of the cartons.
I did, however(like Speckled Hen said early in the thread), have one chick that pipped and zipped really low on the egg and couldn't get out. I had been watching all the eggs closely and I never noticed this one zipping until it was already dead.

Would I try the cartons again? maybe. I usually had a good hatch rate the old way so maybe not. I dunno.

 

[McGoo]

Have any of you tried the new Brinsea method? Anything like it?

 

[speckledhen]

Claud, that is what I'd most be afraid of with the carton method, although some are really taken with it and I still may try it on part of my hatch, just not sure yet. It would seem to me, logically, that mimicing the mother hen by having the eggs on their sides AND also, making it so they cannot be bowled around, similar to what those expensive new bators do, would be the absolute best way. Some people use pipe cleaners in a circle around the base of the eggs to help stop movement, but what about those cardboard dividers that come in some boxes of knick-knacks to separate them? Not sure how to describe what I mean, and maybe those aren't the best thing to do what we are talking about, but if we could come up with something to keep the eggs from being rolled all over the place while keeping them on their sides like under mama hen, I think that makes the most sense.