first try at hatching

[chicksnducks]

So this is our first try at hatching. Someone gave us a Tansparent Hen incubator by Lyon Rural Electric company. It's older but the price was right! There is no turner so we will be doing it manually. Do I turn the eggs two or three times a day? and would a turn mean "turn it over" ?
I am excited about this first try. we have about 12 eggs that we have collected from our "momma" chicken. and yes we have roosters....

 

[speckledhen]

Hi, what fun you'll have! As for turning, you try to do it three times a day, more is better, but not necessary. If they are sitting with the aircell end up like in a holder, you would tilt them from side to side, not end to end. If they are laying on their sides, just mark and X on one side and then roll them slightly so you don't see the X then the next time, so you do see it. And turning an odd number of times is supposed to be better.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Hey Chicksnducks...I have a Transparient Hen incubator too...Had a 50% hatch for my first try and that was with shipped eggs....going to try my own chickens eggs next Spring...you will love the hen, it's so much fun to use....mine didn't have instructions with it but a byc'er sent me some if you need them I'll send them to you and also a place to order extra wafers if you should need those...I got some just for back-up haven't had to replace a thing......I put X's and O's on my eggs and turned 3 times a day.....

 

[chicksnducks]

well here's the good news...my momma chicken went broody! I put about a dozen of her eggs back under her and added four blueish from another chicken. she is sitting on all of them but the blueish ones are sticking out a little. Now what ? do I just leave her to do her thing?
as for the incubator, I plugged it in and one light goes on and off. Is this what is supposed to happen? and what is a wafer????
thanks

 

[silkiechicken]

If momma hen isn't covering all the eggs at the same time you should take some away since that will cause them all to slow down as they get rotated.

A wafer will look like two discs close together and it is used to detect the temperature and turn on and off that light you are talking about. The light indicates when the heater is on or off. Good luck!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Those lights are suppose to do that...and the wafers are what Silkie is telling you...the brass disks are in the middle of the top of your bator lid that hang down...they are beside the thermometer.....

Would you like me to send you the instructions or do you have those?....