First Time Hatching....Round 2

[Kathryn4629]

Quote:
Thanks, but I might keel over and die from lack of dark brown eggs in my incubator for so long.

Yet with my luck I might just have to take you up on the offer.

 

[Hannah hen]

You better buy a pair! You could pay for them with three eggs.

 

[Kathryn4629]

I just bought 12+ Dorkings!!!

Now the question is, how the heck did i end up buying dorkings??

I am now officially in the "addicted to hatching club" I think I might need help. Serious help.

 

[latebloomer]

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i had to look them up, those are so pretty.

are they the silver-grey or the red-black ones?

 

[latebloomer]

my eggs are all here

ten came from florida, twelve more from georgia

i'm calibrating my hygrometers now, using unrefined, uniodized sea salt, hope that works

i have more stone in my incubator which is clean and now running.

tonight at eleven i can put them in, or if i can wait, they can go in tomorrow morning

here we go.

 

[texaschickmom]

Quote:
I'm sorry... but why is there stone in your incubator? I'm not familiar with that.

 

[latebloomer]

it's acting as a heat sink

so when i open the incubator to turn the eggs the temperature won't dip too much

here's a thread about it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=308356

 

[Missicaye]

Ok, Ive been following and researching the forum and need some questions answered.
I have owned/raised chickens, ducks & geese for over 16 years now.
I purchase a few chicks every other year to add to my flock from a local farm supply store.
I currently have 2 araucana hens that are over 7 years old!! We call them our ""old ladies... lol
My hens have never been too successful hatching or raising their own, so to save heartache, Ive always removed eggs from a broody hen.
This year I want to hatch my own chicks from my own eggs.
I have purchased the Little Giant still air incubator and turner and it is set up in my kitchen ready to go.
The temp is regulated to 99.5 with water in the tray.
This morning I took eggs right out from under my hens as they were layed and put them directly into the incubator.

The curent questions I have are:
1. How do I find out what the humidity level is inside my incubator?
2. Do I need the fan too?
3. Should I have done anything to the eggs (wash) before I put them into the incubator?

I hope this is successful.
Buying chicks is cheaper, but the family emotional investment is priceless!!
Thanks for any advice.

 

[latebloomer]

Quote:
for still air, you want to go a little higher in temperature. i think 101 is the number (correct me if i'm wrong, folks)

i added a fan at a week in on my first (only) hatch

you may have trouble keeping the temperature steady in the kitchen, i had to move mine to a room with less traffic and drafts

you really need a hygrometer to measure the humidity if you want to be pretty accurate, your local hardware store should have one. best to be on the side of lower humidity on days one through eighteen and from then on higher

if the eggs have stuff stuck on them, pick it off rather than wash the eggs if you can

have fun.

 

[Kathryn4629]

Quote:
First of all, I think it is great that you have 7 year old hens!!

To answer your questions:
1) To figure out the humidity you need a hydrometer, you can find one at stores like petsmart, home depot, or most other pet or hardware store. I got one for $10 that has both temp and humidity.
2) the fan is your choice. I have the same incubator with the auto turner. I had a great hatch!! There is a thread that has good advice for no fan incubation, I will look for the link.
3) No dont wash them, they have a natural barrier called the "bloom" to keep bacteria out.

Use this link!! I ignored the humidity until lockdown and had a great hatch. https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=14596-incubation-cheat-sheet