Getting the incubator back out....

[77horses]

After I finished putting together our homemade styrofoam ice chest incubator, I did a few test runs. The top part of it, where the egg turner is, the temp was perfect; it stayed around 99-101*F. But in the bottom, where I had planned to put the eggs on day 18(since they can't hatch in the turner), the temp goes from 102-105*F, which is just way too hot. I added more air holes in the bottom, but nothing changed. So, since our Buff Orp hen went broody a few weeks ago, the incubator has been stored away and forgotten in the garage...

But today, I thought of a good idea of how to solve our temp problems. If the eggs could hatch in the top part of the bator only, then it would be perfect. So, instead of putting them in the bottom on day 18, I'm going to make a mesh wire platform right under the egg turner. That way, the eggs can hatch in the top without having to hatch in the turner and we won't have to worry about the chicks falling when the hatch. I don't know why I didn't think of this before!

So, this weekend I will be getting the bator back out and adding on that extra mesh wire covering that will go under the egg turner.
But I won't be able to put some eggs in it right away; I have to wait a whole week because I'm going camping. So I will probably start it up next week.

We are planning on putting some of our Buff Orp/Splash Cochin eggs in it.

 

[austinhart123]

if the turner is rocking and the hatching tray is right under it, wouldnt it crust the eggs when it turns?!

 

[77horses]

Quote:
No, because I'm going to make sure that the hatching tray is far enough away from the egg turner, since some eggs will be older than the others, which means that some will still have to be in the turner while some will be past day 18 and will need to be on the hatching tray.
(P.S. the egg turner is a homemade one; similar to GopherBoy's homemade egg turner. It's made out of a wooden box and it has handles on the side for me to turn it 3+ times a day)

 

[77horses]

Or, if there isn't enough space to make sure the egg turner and egg tray are far enough away from each other and if I have a staggered hatch, I can just take all the eggs out when the oldest ones are on day 18 and put them on the hatching tray. Then I can take the egg turner out and turn the younger eggs(that are not at day 18 yet) by hand. Either way will work I think...

But would it affect the younger eggs if the chicks are pipping and zipping and rolling around in the tray?