- Dec 1, 2010
- 45
- 3
- 24
This was my first time hatching eggs. My incubator is a Hova-Bator 1588, a circulated air incubator. I also used a Little Giant egg turner that I bought at the feed store.
I ordered a dozen assorted Buff Orpington eggs from Lilrabbit (of this forum). A baker's dozen arrived promptly and perfectly packaged, which I think accounts for the success I had in the hatch. I added three eggs from my own hens for a total of 16. I had started the incubator the same day I ordered the eggs, so it had two days to warm up and stabilize before the eggs arrived.
The Hova-Bator 1588 is preset at 99.5 degrees, and I confirmed the temperature with two thermometers. I also bought a small reptile hygrometer ($6.99 at a local pet store) which I stuck to the side of the incubator. The information I found on this website about recommended humidity levels was contradictory, so I decided to simply follow the incubator manufacturer's recommendations. I added warm water every two or three days; humidity levels averaged about 35 percent throughout the first 18 days.
I tried candling one or two of the eggs at 7 days, but my small LED flashlight was not strong enough to candle brown eggs. I decided not to try again. So the eggs were pretty much undisturbed for the entire hatch.
On day 18, I removed the eggs and transferred them to a clean egg carton. I removed the egg turner and I filled both the bottom reservoirs with warm water as per the instructions given with the incubator. The humidity rose to above 70% for the rest of the hatch. Using the egg carton did help a little with keeping most of the mess contained--until our kitten knocked the incubator over. Luckily the chicks had been transferred into the brooder by then.
The first pip happened on day 19, and the first chick appeared late that evening. 10 more chicks hatched by day 21. 5 eggs did not hatch. I put the total hatch rate at 70%. I think I had a pretty good hatch for a first-timer, just by following the manufacturer's directions. We had one casualty involving the same kitten, who pried the lid open and ate the hapless firstborn chick. The temperature in the incubator went down to 80 degrees at that point, and it may have affected the rest of the hatch.
The shipped eggs performed quite well. If it hadn't been for the curious kitten, we may have hatched a few more chicks.
OK, I know that in a year's time I will look up this message in order to remind myself how the hatch went. So, note to self: keep the incubator in the guest bathroom with the door tightly shut and keep an eye Phoebe, the devil cat!
I ordered a dozen assorted Buff Orpington eggs from Lilrabbit (of this forum). A baker's dozen arrived promptly and perfectly packaged, which I think accounts for the success I had in the hatch. I added three eggs from my own hens for a total of 16. I had started the incubator the same day I ordered the eggs, so it had two days to warm up and stabilize before the eggs arrived.
The Hova-Bator 1588 is preset at 99.5 degrees, and I confirmed the temperature with two thermometers. I also bought a small reptile hygrometer ($6.99 at a local pet store) which I stuck to the side of the incubator. The information I found on this website about recommended humidity levels was contradictory, so I decided to simply follow the incubator manufacturer's recommendations. I added warm water every two or three days; humidity levels averaged about 35 percent throughout the first 18 days.
I tried candling one or two of the eggs at 7 days, but my small LED flashlight was not strong enough to candle brown eggs. I decided not to try again. So the eggs were pretty much undisturbed for the entire hatch.
On day 18, I removed the eggs and transferred them to a clean egg carton. I removed the egg turner and I filled both the bottom reservoirs with warm water as per the instructions given with the incubator. The humidity rose to above 70% for the rest of the hatch. Using the egg carton did help a little with keeping most of the mess contained--until our kitten knocked the incubator over. Luckily the chicks had been transferred into the brooder by then.
The first pip happened on day 19, and the first chick appeared late that evening. 10 more chicks hatched by day 21. 5 eggs did not hatch. I put the total hatch rate at 70%. I think I had a pretty good hatch for a first-timer, just by following the manufacturer's directions. We had one casualty involving the same kitten, who pried the lid open and ate the hapless firstborn chick. The temperature in the incubator went down to 80 degrees at that point, and it may have affected the rest of the hatch.
The shipped eggs performed quite well. If it hadn't been for the curious kitten, we may have hatched a few more chicks.
OK, I know that in a year's time I will look up this message in order to remind myself how the hatch went. So, note to self: keep the incubator in the guest bathroom with the door tightly shut and keep an eye Phoebe, the devil cat!
