eggs with different hatch dates in the same incubator

[kingpincray]

Is it ok to have eggs hatching in the incubator while there are other eggs still incubating in the same bator?

 

[neferset]

Not really. Hatching eggs require different humidity settings, plus you need to turn the ones that aren't ready to hatch during a time where keeping the incubator closed for the hatching eggs is critical. You can do staggered hatches easily with 2 incubators, though, provided you don't go wild like we did the first time and overflow the first incubator into the second and need to buy a third.

 

[Tailfeathers]

I have a Sportsman 1502. Holds 224 LF eggs. I have staggered hatching going on all year long. I make no adjustments to the temp or humidity.

Having said that, you don't want to be opening the incubator anymore than absolutely necessary.

God Bless,

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

I currently have 3 different groups of eggs going in my Sportsman 1202. They are due to hatch roughly a week apart. Cabinet incubators are made to be able to do staggered hatches. I would not try it in a tabletop model though.

 

[cbiblis]

I agree with ya'll in regards to the sportsman and dickey (pretty much the same) having the hatching tray on the bottom (try this move a humitity sensor to the bottom of the cabnet where the hatcher is and you'll see a change in humidity. where the top is 60 and the hatcher is more like 70-75 i think it's cause moister is heavier at different levels). However i have had what i like to call the sticky egg sen-drum. If the humidity is to low the chicks might not make it out before they dry up. Really, thou, this only happens with wimpy chicks. If your there to watch the hatch then you can take an eye dropper and drip some water in the hole that the peeps make in order to keep them moist. i've done this before, but it's time consuming.
The ultimate way is to have a separate hatchery. Then when you hit day 18 take the trays from the bator and put in the hatcher. The success rate will be better. Rather then have a few (not all or even a half) get stuck in the shell and die. I look at it like this, a chick saved is a chick earned.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
This is what I was referring to when I said before that you don't want to open the incubator anymore than absolutely necessary. The membrane between the shell and the chick will dry up and it acts like shrink-wrap. It sticks to the chicks down and hold them together to the point where they can't break free from the shell. Certainly it will kill weaker chicks but it can kill the strongest of chicks as well.

The Sportsman comes with a special humidifier pad that you can place in the reservoir during hatching if needed. As long as you aren't opening the door much, you don't need to do it. If for some reason you must be constantly opening the door to pull out chicks or something, then you'd want to add it. I did have to do that once when I overcrowded the hatching tray one time. I have a divider that was made to sit in my hatching tray and keep my various numbered eggs/chicks separated until I can take them out and toe punch them. One time I set more eggs than I should have and had to open the incubator to pull chicks out in order to give the other chicks room to hatch. That required me to add the humidifier pad because the membrane was drying out. And it solved the problem too.

God Bless,

 

[kingpincray]

Thanks for all the replies. I am going to try to build a hatchery in the next two weeks as the person who I know to have incubators said they are broken so I am stuck with one at the moment. Hope I can make one successfully.

Cheers...