? Hatching Buddies ? 03/30 1st timer hoping for a support group

[JayUmmelVT]

I am new to all things chicken and am gonna start fertilized eggs from my Roo Arthur and his mixed breed hens next week. Thought that there might be someone on the forum with whom I could share and receive info.

1st question is about PRE-incubation care of eggs.
I need to save eggs for 3-4 days before beginning incubation. Should I turn these before they get in the bator? Could I just put them in the elect. turner not in the bator? and What is ideal room conditions for the waiting eggs?
Thanks,
Jay

 

[brendapa]

Jay,

It's best to store eggs in an egg carton, small side down, in the coolest room in your house. Mine would be the basement. At night it can go down to 55 degrees.
turn the eggs just by leaning the whole egg carton forward & backward. you can put a book under the egde to tilt it.

You should be fiddeling with the incubator now. Monitor temps & humidity. Learn how to raise or lower the temp on the thermostat. Figure out how to raise humidity without opening the incubator using tubes or straws.
Decide how to get the humidity up to mimic lock down now, while no eggs are at stake.
Get a copy book & write everything down. Keep notes throughout your incubation. It'll help you to understand what's going on when you need to make a change. I keep track of the rain & relative humidity outside. It affects the amount of water i need to add to raise the humidity inside the bator.

Good luck!

What kind of incubator are you using?

 

[JayUmmelVT]

Thanks for getting back to my post. I am using a borrowed "Little Giant 9200" still air bator. I have done nothing but research and read the last several days about the incubation process. Still it just brings more questions to mind. ( I am told I ask too many in general )
I ended up putting my eggs in a spare bedroom on the egg turner where the temp is pretty constant 50-60 degrees. I have the bator in another bedroom and have been monitoring the heat and humidity in it empty. But I just know that when I put in 47 chicken eggs in tommorrow, the temp and humidity will change dramatically. So why bother trying to tweek it now empty?

And if you are still reading, another question I can't find the answer to anywhere. How soon after my hen mounted will her eggs be fertile? My roo is working on 17 hens by himself and I really don't think he has gotten to them all yet. I have been saving eggs for 4 days to incubate, but am wondering if todays mating I saw will render tommorrows eggs fertile. Crazy questions right?

Jay

 

[Kiwibird]

I think eggs are generally deemed to be fertile two weeks after you put the rooster with the hens. With a 1:17 ratio you are likely to have a few clear eggs unless you have a very busy boy. People's recommendations of ratios vary with the breed, but 1:9 seems popular around here.

I like your approach. Lots of research and lots of questions prevent lots of mistakes. You will make mistakes, because we all do, but you will make fewer.

Happy hatching.