Genesis 1588 Incubator Question?

[SilkieCRZYness]

Can I use a Little Giant Automatic Egg Turner that you can purchase at tractor supply in my genesis 1588? It looks the same in pictures online. Thank you

 

[k2chickens]

Yes you can cuz I've been doing it for my last few hatches, got 30 silkie eggs turning right now on day 10

 

[SilkieCRZYness]

Awesome, thanks K2, i take it, it fits fine then. Now here is another question. Do you stop the egg turner at day 18 and let them hatch in the egg turner, or remove the egg turner and then lay them on the floor of the bator? Is it ok to lay them on there side for lockdown? Thanks

 

[Katy]

I take them out of the turner and put them in egg cartons for the hatch.

 

[SilkieCRZYness]

Now do you cut holes in the bottom of the egg carton so the air flows all the way around and the egg. I heard that the egg temp gets hotter when inside the carton? Just asking as I don't want to mess anything up. Do you use styrafoam or cardboard egg cartons? Thank you

 

[Katy]

I use the cardboard cartons with the lids cut off. I don't do anything else to them...no holes in the bottom or cutting the sides down. I've hatched both LF and bantams in them and it works great. Have hatched hundreds of chicks that way and I'll never hatch eggs laying on their sides again. My hatch percentages went up once I started doing it that way.

 

[SilkieCRZYness]

Awesome that's what I needed to know. One last question, do you add water during the first 18 days or just at day 18 when you switch them from the egg turner to the cardboard to get the humid up for lockdown?

 

[k2chickens]

Quote:
Well I did the water for all the 18 days period and kept humidty at 50 %. Had ok hatches, then I started the dry hatch method. I add a cup of water on day one, then a cup usually on day 10. Then for locdown....up the humidity to the high 60s into a low 70. My hatch rates started to improve by leaps and bounds, saw a 30% increase in my first attempt. Some people dnt add water at all the first 18 days, but I add just thoes 2 times and getting my humidity up during lockdown and have been doing great so far.

 

[SilkieCRZYness]

Ok thank you, I guess the main thing is to add water on day 18 and raise the humid for lockdown correct? Down here is south Florida where the humidity is 100% anyways it usually is about 40% in my house. Hopefully that will be enough for the first 18 days. Do you adjust the temp on day 18? Or leave it at the preset 99 degrees that the genesis is preset for for the whole 21 days? Thanks again

 

[Katy]

Everyone kind of has to figure out what humidity works best for them at their location. I keep mine at about 30% for the first 18 days and then bump it up to about 60%...that's what I"ve found works best for me over the years, but for another person it might not work so well.

Don't mess with the temp at all....leave it where it's at.