Hatching Eggs in Egg Cartons

[NCIndiaBlue]

I have a Little Giant Still Air incubator, without the turner and I've had good results hatching for the most part, except Peafowl eggs.

I currently have a mix of chicken & pheasant eggs in. I decided to try the egg carton method that I have read about on BYC. It sounds like a great idea. The incubator is basically full of eggs, I emptied the water trays and added some small plastic containers of water with sponges in them so that I won't have to open the incubator often. I'm placing a 2" block on one side of the outside of the incubator and switching sides several times daily. I just started this process yesterday and I'm noticing that the side of the incubator that is tilted up is several degrees higher than the side not tilted. I'm assuming this is because heat rises and the tilted side is higher? I really don't know. I know a lot of people have had great success with the egg carton method, just curious if anybody has had the same temp issue? I also assume that by tilting several times daily, the temp difference would equal out?

 

[ginbart]

I never put the blocks on the outside of the bator. I used small blocks on the inside. It only took me a minute to move them from one side to the other and I didn't need to worry about the temp.

 

[Garden Gal]

I may have misunderstood, but if your eggs are ready to be in the egg cartons and out of the auto turner, there is no need to move the block around the outside of the bator. That is done (by some folks) during the incubation period as a way to turn the eggs without opening the top, however, after day 18 - the eggs are either just laid on their sides or set upright in the cartons.

 

[Mom2Cool]

hi I did the same as ginbart & I just propped up one side of the carton & then I'd switch it later. It only took a few seconds to do it & I kept the thermometer in the carton along side of the eggs on the higher side. On day 18 I cut down the carton to just below the 1/2 way mark of the egg (in case the egg pips there they are free to) & I then set the eggs in the carton, set up the humidity to go higher & then once all is stable with temps & the eggs being set in place I go on lock down. I have had some successful hatches using this method...

 

[Akane]

I know at least one person does hatch by tilting the bator but I always tilt the cartons. With a forced air there won't be much temp difference if you only tilt the cartons. With a still air there can be a good range. I've still managed to have high hatch rates on time with tilted cartons in a still air. It just takes lots of temperature management. I set thermometers all over the place. One at the warmest point which is dead center at the top of the tilt. One at the coldest point which is on the edge at the mesh. Then several in various other places. The hottest one should not go over 103F. The coldest one should not go under 96F and you want to aim more for 98F. Eggs will incubate in that range but may die at 103 or 96F if left at that temp consistently for a day or more. Since every time you tilt them they end up going to the opposite temperature they even out and will survive and hatch on time. You have to really watch the temperatures though and play with your bator a lot to get the temp to sit perfectly within range at all points in the bator. Like I said with a forced air it isn't so difficult because the fan will keep the temp even but with a still air it can be interesting. I mostly do it with quail eggs since I don't have a turner and they are pain to turn by hand.