first time incubating please help.

[gremlino]

I just got the hova bator 1588 and loaded it up with eggs from our flock. We have a bunch of brown egg layers. Around 20 on last count and one rooster.

We did that 10 days ago. Im worried though because im not seeing anything in the eggs. Im using a really bright flashlight in a dark room. Could I just be missing the dot?

Also I admit I didn't know the pointy end of the eggs is supposed to go down. Does that matter?

 

[1876 Farm]

Yes the pointy end should be placed downward. Brown eggs can be difficult to candle, since you already have 10 days into it, I would make sure they are all in the correct orientation and candle no more.. I think the more you handle them the more apt something can go wrong with the egg/chick.

Here's the URL for BYCs "ow to incubate & hatch eggs" info
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-just-21-days-from-egg-to-chicken


What type of eggs are you incubating?

Good luck!

 

[gremlino]

They are chicken eggs. From a rainbow assortment. Everything from buff Brahma to new Hampshire reds. If I flip them over could they still hatch or do I new eggs?

 

[1876 Farm]

If you have room in the incubator for more, what you could do, is flip over the ones you currently have and mark them well and add more eggs. That way if any of the current eggs are viable they will continue to grow to hatch. If they don't hatch out after 3-4 days after hatch date, remove them and leave the newly place eggs in to continue to maturity.

Tricky part is if you have a auto turner or not.

 

[gremlino]

I do have an auto turner but its full. Im thinking ill wait till and just see what happens. Is there a day I should be able to tell for sure? I guess day 22-23?

 

[1876 Farm]

Any where between day 19 - 25. You normally wait 3-4 days after hatch date to see if anything else will hatch, but I have found the ones that hatch late are normally the weak ones that don't always survive.

I would take the auto turner out day 18, I one time had a couple of chicks hatch on day 17, before the turner was out. So maybe listen on day 17 to see if you can hear any peeping going on inside the shells.

 

[1876 Farm]

I just looked up the incubator that you have, I think it's the same one I have.. I've had good success with it.

 

[gremlino]

Yeah that's it! Thats good to know.

 

[1876 Farm]

80 days until I set my eggs into my incubator... can't wait!! Hopefully by then the weather will have improved significantly from where we are today and I can easily collect my eggs without wondering if they froze or not.

I'm going to set EExBCM eggs and also my (BCMxBR) x BCM eggs.. I'm looking to hatch some hens that produce Olive green eggs and to see if I can get a darker egg from my BCM cross.

Here's a couple pics of my EEs and my BCM cross hen and the Rooster that will provide his genes to the party:

Here's the eggs that they are currently laying.....




How are you planning on keeping your chicks warm until spring? Do you have a heated coop or just plan on keeping them in the basement or something (I don't think my family would allow me to do that)?

 

[IAEchickens]

1876 Farm, gremlino, I also have the 1588. In my first attemted (non fertile eggs) hatch this year my temp was holding steady, but my humidity was harder to regulate. I generally had to put a very small amount of water in every day. What do you do? How do you regulate humidity?