Hatched in the carton! Pic heavy!

[kelliepulido]

So from what I understand w/carton method the eggs are getting just about 1/4 turned each turn since you are just tipping them from side to side using a prop under the long length of the carton right?Is that enough of a turn?

 

[hart31]

Tipping the cartons seems to work fine for turning.

Pics of my "tv" bator can be found at

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=5810

I'll post some pics of the hatcher later today

 

[hart31]

Quote:
I really don't know if it's necessary or not. I operated under the assumption that the greater area of the egg exposed to the air the greater the oxygen exchange area for the embryo

 

[Crunchie]

Thanks for posting this--I'm on day 19 of a hatch pretty much set up like this. I incubated in the cartons the entire time, alternating propping one end up of the carton. I used pulp cartons, too--I figured that they were more "breathable" than the styrofoam ones--but I did not cut holes in them. I'll see how this hatch works, I might cut holes in the cartons next time. It does makes sense to give them as much air flow as possible.

Once mine get to hatching I'm gonna have to start a thread of my own! Thanks for sharing the pics, too, oh man are those fuzzy buts cute! This is my first hatch this year and I can't wait to fill my brooders....only two more days....

 

[chicktasticvt]

Congrats! They are very cute.

 

[cgmccary]

your tv bator is quite impressive-- i'm not nearly so innovative (always impressed by others ingenuity though-- cause i don't have a whole lot)---

i'm using cartons this next week in the hatcher-- this hatch this weekend was a disaster because the hatch was so spread out with the early birds rolling around the eggs.

are there any negatives to using the cartons?

 

[mergmet]

I love the carton method!

these are wonderful photos.

M

 

[ChickNLittle]

Hart that is so cute! I love those photos and the captions. I'll have to get my eggs into a carton. It looks a lot better for the babies. Great Job!

 

[RedStickLA]

Thanks for posting the pic of your bator...I love your chick cam too!
Mitzi

 

[hart31]

Quote:
So far the only negative is the slightly reduced capacity of the bator. Turning time with the incubator open is greatly reduced compared to hand turning.

Cutting holes in the cartons like I did does reduce the strength and rigidity of the cartons so you do have to be a little careful about how you handle them.

Tipping the cartons from side to side alternately raises 1/2 of the eggs about 1 1/2 inches so there might be a temperature problem with a still air incubator. With the forced air circulating incubator it is not an issue.

The second incubator/hatcher has more variation from one corner to another than I like so I hope to add a couple of baffles to change the airflow before my next hatch in two weeks. These will be a barnyard mix from a neighbor. Only one rooster to 35 hens so they may not all be fertile.

I candled a batch of frizzled polish last night at 14 days and the whole bunch was clear

These were shipped eggs with a lot of loose air cells. They also spent the first 10 days of incubation in an old Sears incubator which had a temp spike the first week of 105. I think it was very short duration but it may have been long enough to kill any embryos which had survived shipping.