First time incubator....................

[Myles]

I have 10 chickens:
2 White leghorns
4 Rhode Island Reds
1 Americana
3 Polish somethinganothers (2 are roosters)

I have an incubator with an egg turner. This will be my first time attempting to hatch eggs.
Does anyone have any quick tips?

My questions would be:
Should I put a rooster and a hen in a separate cage prior to getting eggs?
Should I just grab a couple days eggs and put them in the incubator?

 

[BairleaFarm]

I would grab a couple days worth of eggs and hatch on. No need to put them in different pens first time around. If they are all running together the odds of them being fertile are good.

 

[Tracy the chick]

Hope you have a brilliant hatch and i totaly agree with bairlea farm the rooster will know what to do. You go and collect those eggs and happy hatching..Tracy xx

 

[Myles]

Thanks for the advise. I will do just that.

 

[Myles]

Well I put 11 eggs in the incubator. The temp is good at 99-100. I put them in the egg turner as the directions showed (small end down). This egg turner rocks them back and forth 4 times a day. They go 45 a 45 degree angle one way to a 45 degree angle the other. Is this sufficient? Do I need to turn them over (large side down) at any time?

The eggs in it are:
2 green Americana
5 Rhode Island reds
3 White Leghorns
1 Polish

I'm hoping for 4 to hatch. Anything else will be considered bonus. Any less will be a disappointment.

 

[JEF3268]

Sounds like you got it. Just make sure you increase your humidity when you stop turning the eggs. I would increase by 10%.

 

[Myles]

I appreciate the confidence.
I'm still unsure on the turning.