Egg Carton Incubation?

tharrell

Songster
11 Years
Jul 28, 2008
293
2
154
Colorado Springs
Can someone give me a quick run down of how this differs from just laying the eggs on their side in the incubator? Do you put them in from day one, or from 18 on? If they do go in from day one, how do you go about turning them? I'm sure these questions are kind of dumb, but I would like to try the cartons on the eggs I'm about to try to hatch. Thanks so much!
 
After a few unsuccessful hatches with eggs on their sides, I only hatch now in egg cartons. I use a turner for days 1-18, but if you don't have one, you can use the carton. Just put a small block of wood under one side and alternate it two-three times a day. On day 18, stop tilting and they will hatch nice and clean.

I trim the carton - cut off the lid and trim the sides. I prefer the cardboard ones but I've used the foam too and haven't noticed a difference. Poke a hole in each cell to help with the airflow and place the egg little end down.

I started doing this after I watched my eggs pip and then get rolled over by the other chicks and drown. Others raved about it and they were definitely right.
 
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I did it both ways, cartons worked well for me too.

But the question remains, a broody hatches chicks in horizontal
position only, and they not drown?

A good experienced broody providing the eggs are fertile will hatch 90-100 % of eggs.

How does it work?
 
I honestly don't know. I've never had a broody hatch eggs, but the only thing I can think of is under a broody, maybe the eggs are held in position more firmly and don't get rolled over. When they are laying horizontally on the wire in the incubator, there's nothing to stop them from getting rolled around by the others.
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Depends on which incubator you're using. The Hovabator is higher so you can prop them higher than in the LG. I think the block of wood we use is probably about an inch or so, maybe inch and a half and that's in the LG.

Edited to add: we prop the side, not the end. I think you get a better tilt that way.
 
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I'm curious about tilting the whole incubator. My last try I had the eggs in a carton and was tilting the whole incubator and kept having temperature spikes up to 110 degrees off and on. I had to throw the batch of eggs away because of this. Since then I've had the incubator running (empty) sitting flat and the temp has stayed stable. So, I'm wondering if tilting throws off the thermostat? Was I tilting them at too much of an angle? (I had probably a 5 inch book underneath one end or the other) Should I go back to hand turning as I can't afford an auto-turner? Also, if the eggs are in a carton and you are propping one side up an inch or inch and a half, doesn't the higher end get warmer as it's closer to the heating element? And where would you read the temp from - the highest egg or ??

I have a new batch of eggs coming soon and I want to learn the best way and figure out if there is something wrong with my hova-bator before the eggs arrive so any help is much appreciated:D
 

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