First Timer Tips

[Rhi13]

Sooo, I finally broke and got the Brinsea Eco 20 to get into hatching. I have a general idea of what I should do...I think....but can we maybe compile a nice list of good pointers and specific Do's and Dont's? I just know ll forget some stuff, and would hate to have to look through umpteen different posts to find what i wanted( not that all these posts dont help, cuz they sure do!!!)
Thanks for all your inputs!!!

 

[Paganbird]

Check out the sticky at the top of the page... very helpful stuff in there.

 

[beckymom3]

Read the sticky note on hatching and incubating eggs: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=48726.

Then do a search for topics like: humidity, temp, lockdown, etc.

I found BYC to be great help. Listen to the folks with experience!

I'm a newbie, just now going through my second hatch and having great luck so far! My first hatch was ruined because I opened the incubator on the last day and lost a lot of humidity--I actually drove the incubator unplugged for 30 miles to transport it to my house from my kids' school. Bad mistake....

Make sure you run your incubator for a good day or so before putting the eggs in. This means you need to plan for the arrival of the eggs. It took my Brinsea 20 about a day for me to get the temp and humidity just right. The factory settings were no where near 99.5 deg. Then I put in the eggs and watched, watched, watched to make sure temp and humidity stayed good (had to adjust a little bit more).

Same with the styrofoam incubators, had to take 2 days to stabilize one of them, 3 for the other! but it is an LG and is trouble all around. I had several eggs quit on me in that incubator, but very few in my other one, my HovaBator.

I'm using the Brinsea for hatching this time, will incubate in it later after this hatch is over and I've gotten over the glow!

Read the instructions you got with the incubator, then get more info here and on other sites such as feathersite.com and My Pet Chicken.

Generally, if you have a fan, the temp should be 99.5-100 deg F, humidity can be as low as 30% if you dry incubate (my best hatch was dry this time) or 45% for the "normal" way. Humidity needs to go up (i.e. add water to the channels) on the 18th day, some say to 65-70% or more (until the window of the incubator is fogged up according to some), others say 55% is fine. I am keeping mine at 65-70% and things look good.

Again, read and read whatever you can well before you start. Don't make the mistakes I made by being ignorant. Dead chicks are a huge drag.

Have fun!

 

[GreenGoddess]

10. Be sure to turn the eggs at least 3x per day if not more but ALWAYS an odd number of days..

9. Watch temp/humidity and keep it as consistent as possible

8. No matter how many times you look into the incubator, it will not make the hatch go any faster!

7. Don't be afraid to candle.. Even a momma hen will get off the nest once a day

6. No matter how many times you look into the incubator, it will not make the hatch go any faster!

5. Give it until at least day 5 if not day 7 to candle

4. No matter how many times you look into the incubator, it will not make the hatch go any faster!

3. If when you candle you see a definite clear or a definite blood ring, toss it out. If you have even the slightest bit of question, put it back and candle in another day or two. I had an egg that I thought had the start of a blood ring but put it back. I checked it 2 days later only to find veins and a chick doing back flips!!

2. Once you get to lockdown (day 18) DO NOT open the bator!! Hatched chicks can last up to 72 hours (3 days) without food or water! If it is absolutely necessary because eggs have not pipped or hatched and the chicks need to be removed, either bring the bator into a steamy hot bathroom so the humidity does not drop or spray warm water into the bator with a fine mist spray bottle to keep humidity up..

And the #1 thing you need to know as a first timer........


1. No matter how many times you look into the incubator, it will not make the hatch go any faster!

Goddess