HATCHING EGGS IN INCUBATOR

[Kenzie22]

If a hatch eggs in an incubator, how do I put them in (horizontal or vertical) also how often do I turn them?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

If a hatch eggs in an incubator, how do I put them in (horizontal or vertical) also how often do I turn them?

Welcome to BYC!
Depends on the incubator. Some have the eggs upright, some on their sides.
Some have an auto-turner, some do not.
If you are hand turning, the more you can turn them the better, but minumim is 3-4 times daily.

 

[Kenzie22]

Welcome to BYC!
Depends on the incubator. Some have the eggs upright, some on their sides.
Some have an auto-turner, some do not.
If you are hand turning, the more you can turn them the better, but minumim is 3-4 times daily.

Okay. So, when is the best time to hatch eggs? Also are you able to mix breeds?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Okay. So, when is the best time to hatch, some eggs? Also are you able to mix breeds?

All chicken eggs take 21 days, regardless of the breed. Some of the bantam eggs hatch a little earlier, but you can incubate different breeds together. What kind of incubator do you have?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

You can hatch anytime, but most people prefer not to hatch in the Winter. If you decide to set some eggs, you should join a Hatch A-Long. Many helpful people on here to help with any questions that come up along the way. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/hatch-a-longs.16184/

 

[Kenzie22]

You can hatch anytime, but most people prefer not to hatch in the Winter. If you decide to set some eggs, you should join a Hatch A-Long. Many helpful people on here to help with any questions that come up along the way. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/hatch-a-longs.16184/

 

[Kenzie22]

Okay so below is a picture of an incubator similar to mine but it is a different brand. We recently tried hatching a pet duck egg and it worked at first when I was canceling it but then it rotted.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

In my experience these cheap incubators do not perform very well and will only lead to disappointment. They are hard to regulate the temperature and even harder to regulate the humidity. Two very important factors when incubating eggs.
You can read up on incubation here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-beginners-guide-to-incubation.73350/

 

[Kenzie22]

What incubator do you use? I don’t want to spend too much money on one.

 

[Kenzie22]

When we tried to hatch the duck egg I thought it looked as if it stayed at a constant temp but it didn’t track the humidity, you just put water in the bottom of it. We didn’t want to get one too expensive for just that one egg that we didn’t even know if it was for sure alive even!