We pulled both plugs! My fiancee was reading another post that said if you can get everything stable with both out then do that... I guess it allows more "fresh" air in...
Doesn't really matter which plug you pull as long as 1 is in & 1 is out. I never use the troughs in the bottom. Too hard to get water back out of if the need arises. I use deep bowls that the chicks can't fall into if I need to raise humidity. Wet paper towels or sponges also work placed around the outside edge of the bator. If humidity drops drastically during hatch or I have to open the bator for any reason I use a spray bottle of hot water to mist the inside of the lid to raise it quickly. I dry hatch, which means humidity 30-40% until lockdown & then 40-50% for hatch. I was getting way too many soggy drowning chicks with higher humidity.
I had 16 of 23 pure Maran eggs for my first ever use of incubator for NYDH, 1 thing I found out after that I wish I'd known at the start--Marans are notorious for taking more than 21 days, up to even 25 days. After upteen billion disasters the only one I had hatch was late in the day of day 23 - but she is fantastic, she never peeped in the egg and went from pip-zip-hatch in total 2 hrs and was up dry & walking faster than any chick I've known, and this am, her day what 4 I believe she actually had a real feather on each wing in the am, and tonight there are 4 on each wing, talk about growing up fast!
Hope this info helps you.
peggy-sue- good call with ur practice rolls! I wonder if hand rolling isn't better. Seems more like what a broodie would do- as opposed to a long slow constant roll.
I had 16 of 23 pure Maran eggs for my first ever use of incubator for NYDH, 1 thing I found out after that I wish I'd known at the start--Marans are notorious for taking more than 21 days, up to even 25 days. After upteen billion disasters the only one I had hatch was late in the day of day 23 - but she is fantastic, she never peeped in the egg and went from pip-zip-hatch in total 2 hrs and was up dry & walking faster than any chick I've known, and this am, her day what 4 I believe she actually had a real feather on each wing in the am, and tonight there are 4 on each wing, talk about growing up fast!
I will also caution you - the above egg I candled, or tried to day 7,10,17 , on day 17 my notes says "Very Lg Air cell, likely wide blood ring, no movement, dead" - I *so almost didn't lock that egg down* but now my personal rule going forward is unless it is oozing or smells it goes into lockdown, no matter what, esp. if a dark egg.
Again, I'm an incubator newbie, & I'm clearly learning by trying all the mistakes I can Murphy's Law into, but I really would have had MUCH less stress if I'd known about Maran being classically late to hatch (well used time from what I see in the chick now
whoo-hoo! So happy for u!I candled my eggs, there was no freezing! All my air sacks seemed to be intact as well! maybe i will get luckier than i thought. My barnyard mixes are from my EE roo and either RIR, BO, Barred rock, or Isa Brown. Should be a very interesting hatch for sure! I hope everyone has a wonderful hatch!
Great news! Cement floor in winter did not sound like a happy place for those shipped eggs, glad they did not freeze.I candled my eggs, there was no freezing! All my air sacks seemed to be intact as well! maybe i will get luckier than i thought. My barnyard mixes are from my EE roo and either RIR, BO, Barred rock, or Isa Brown. Should be a very interesting hatch for sure! I hope everyone has a wonderful hatch!
!?! up to 25 DAYs!!! I really hope our marans hatch!I had 16 of 23 pure Maran eggs for my first ever use of incubator for NYDH, 1 thing I found out after that I wish I'd known at the start--Marans are notorious for taking more than 21 days, up to even 25 days. After upteen billion disasters the only one I had hatch was late in the day of day 23 - but she is fantastic, she never peeped in the egg and went from pip-zip-hatch in total 2 hrs and was up dry & walking faster than any chick I've known, and this am, her day what 4 I believe she actually had a real feather on each wing in the am, and tonight there are 4 on each wing, talk about growing up fast!
I will also caution you - the above egg I candled, or tried to day 7,10,17 , on day 17 my notes says "Very Lg Air cell, likely wide blood ring, no movement, dead" - I *so almost didn't lock that egg down* but now my personal rule going forward is unless it is oozing or smells it goes into lockdown, no matter what, esp. if a dark egg.
Again, I'm an incubator newbie, & I'm clearly learning by trying all the mistakes I can Murphy's Law into, but I really would have had MUCH less stress if I'd known about Maran being classically late to hatch (well used time from what I see in the chick now
