First time incubating...HELP!!

[KYFarmGirl94]

Hey everyone! We had 11 eggs that we were leaving in the nest hoping our silkie hen would set, but she just doesn't seem to want to go broody. So we bought an incubator, set it up, temp is running consistently at 99, and we put the eggs in today. Was this the right thing to do, or did we wait too long to see if the hen would do it for us? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!!

 

[stitch81]

How long were the eggs in the nest before you put them in the incubator?

 

[cmom]

I have kept eggs for no more than 10 days then they go into the incubator.
Good luck...

 

[triplepurpose]

How long were the eggs sitting before you incubated? In a natural setting or in the wild a hen seeking to hatching her own eggs will lay them in the nest over the course of a week or more, so they are normally good for a couple of weeks at room temp, sometimes longer, but the fresher the better the viability...

 

[KYFarmGirl94]

The eggs were all layed within the last week. They are by 2 different hens. The thing that worries me is that the temp outside is in the 90s. I know that in a natural setting, this is how things would develop normally. I am just hoping that they are still good!

We have put "eggs" (gold balls) in the nests to encourage her to go broody as more eggs are layed. She made her own nest, even though we had a nesting box (guess she's a DIY kinda girl!

) We thought for sure she would be the first to start setting, but Noooooo! Guess that just proves, chickens have a mind of their own!!

My hubby is so excited about hatching these eggs inside ourselves...I really am hoping they hatch!!

 

[triplepurpose]

Quote:
They should be fine then. Good luck!

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Now that the eggs are in give the incubator about 36-48 hours before adjusting the temps. If it is a still air incubator (no fan) I would run my temp at 100.0 to 100.5 but no higher. Eggs will hatch at lower temps but can take up to several days longer to hatch.