I am beside my self. I took the forum and friends advice and hatched the mille fleur eggs I had shipped to me. Now my track record for hatches stinks, but instead of taking them off the turner and placing them on their side on the bottom of the bator, I used the carton method. And wouldn't you know, of the 8 eggs that shipped, 6 were fertile. And of the 6, four have hatched overnight with a fifth on the way! So in a nutshell, I'm egg carton hatching all the time going forward! Thanks so much everyone for the suggestion and advice! Julie
Congratulations on a terrific hatch! Soon, though you will start suffering from incubation withdrawal and will have to set more eggs
And, "incubation withdrawal" is an incurable ailment - I have it! My incubator has been going since November. It's gonna have to be "cold turkey" for me. Great hatch! Keep up the good work. When I bought my cabinet incubator - used - from an old chicken man - he showed me the cartons and how he used them - and had been doing them for year's. He said you can get more eggs into the incubator using the cartons and better hatches.
Well, I'm absolutely sold on the method now! Just wish I had done this for the Polish and Silver Sebright eggs I tried to hatch with absolutely no success. May I should try those again?! I think my husband will not be too happy if I do though. Between My Pet Chickens sending me double my order by accident and my excellent hatch, I've a few extra chicks - they'll be going to the NH Swap Meet on the 29th!
I use the carton method this time to and out of 40 eggs ive got 17 hatched so far and more looks to be hatcing
I have a question of the carton method. Am I understanding this right? When I remove the eggs from the turner for the last 3 days. I put them in egg carton and set the back in the bator? Let them pip and hatch in the carton? Do I open the bator and remove the hatched chicks? Or leave chicks and let them be until all have hatched that are going to hatch?
From what I have read here, you leave them to hatch in the carton. Leave the chics in there until all have hatched. You don't want to open the incubator during the hatching stage or your humidity will drop and cause problems for the rest of the eggs still hatching out.