Hatching on the wire floor or in an egg carton?

[rebelcowboysnb]

Seems like a paper towel would mess with humidity control

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I use the carton method. Styrofoam cartons, bottoms cut out. Not sure if cutting the bottoms out was really necessary or not. I get good hatches every time.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Quote:
In my experience, it has the absolute opposite effect. Under a hen, eggs are on their sides. They are steady in place from the hen's weight. There's no rolling all over the place. In an incubator that's not stuffed full, the eggs are like marbles rolled by already hatched chicks.

Here are photos of my hatcher today. I'm using the egg tray the eggs were incubated in inside the Sportsman and a few partial egg cartons (washed with the bottomes cut out). This system works great for me. The eggs trays are easy to clean and the eggs are handled less. Speaking from experience, make sure you have no small gaps between trays or cartons. Shove them tight against each other. Only leave gaps big enough for a chicks to easily get in an out of and open spaces for already hatched chicks to rest. Otherwise, you'll either have chicks to rescue when they get stuck or risk losing them.

 

[dwegg]

These are some pics from a recent post. I guess this is what I am asking about...whether to put them in a shallow egg carton at lockdown or just leave them on the wire? I see that a lot of people agree that putting them in some sort of shallow container helps the hatch rate?

of course I can't find the pic someone on here had of how the used the cut down bottom of syrofoam cups each egg with its own little holder...

 

[dwegg]

Quote:
In my experience, it has the absolute opposite effect. Under a hen, eggs are on their sides. They are steady in place from the hen's weight. There's no rolling all over the place. In an incubator that's not stuffed full, the eggs are like marbles rolled by already hatched chicks.

Here are photos of my hatcher today. I'm using the egg tray the eggs were incubated in inside the Sportsman and a few partial egg cartons (washed with the bottomes cut out). This system works great for me. The eggs trays are easy to clean and the eggs are handled less. Speaking from experience, make sure you have no small gaps between trays or cartons. Shove them tight against each other. Only leave gaps big enough for a chicks to easily get in an out of and open spaces for already hatched chicks to rest. Otherwise, you'll either have chicks to rescue when they get stuck or risk losing them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/41991_dscf4192.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/41991_dscf4190.jpg

Thank you for this...I have the same bator and this looks great...I think i am going to take your advice and do the same for my hatch..thanks for the pics...it makes sense and I guess the syrofoam ones won't absorb all the moisture like paper ones would...

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Paper towels mess up humidity!! Plain old wire floor!!!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I had much better hatches without the cartons.

 

[dwegg]

ok...confused?????? I just want to try and do my very first hatching correctly and give the little guys the best chance possible...

 

[A.T. Hagan]

There is no BEST way other than perhaps temperature.

In a discussion forum such as this you are going to get opinions based on what individuals have tried. There are many ways to hatch and egg and they can all work - or fail - depending on the circumstances of the individual.

If it were my very first time hatching I'd use the directions the manufacturer of the incubator I'm using gives. After that then I might look around a bit.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I had humidity issues using the cartons. I don't know whether I lost more chicks rolling around, or bad humidity with the cartons. Either way it is what it is. There is not a perfect way, other than under a hen, there are only preferences. I think that's what everyone else is getting at too. It has to do with preference.