help clarify for me......

[emjay]

SO, I'm not new to chickens anymore, have had broody hens and chicks, but, now I've ordered an incubator, will be here next week.
Been doing alot of reading, but, want to clarify a few things that I've read. Pretty excited to try this out.

When they refer to the 'hatcher', they mean what exactly. Does this mean just before lockdown to remove the egg turner, so that the eggs are laying flat for the hatching process within the incubator ??
Do the eggs need to be turned during lockdown (with the help of the turner, not by me , as I know you aren't to open the lid during this time - right? )

I bought the 1602 model. comes with the circulating fan and the turner.

I've read the pdf file that was attached to another thread in this section in regards to hatching etc. Just want some clarification on what I read there.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Yes, if you are hatching in the same unit you are incubating in, you remove the turner, up your humidity and don't open it for anything, during this time it becomes a "hatcher". Some folks have seperate "hatcher" units.

No, you do not turn the eggs during lockdown. The embryo needs to orient itself within the shell to pip in the right place. Turning disrupts this process.

Good luck!!

 

[emjay]

Thankyou

I've read of some chicks drowning, does that occur sometimes in all incubators, or more susceptible in certain makes of incubators, if so, is there a way to prevent this?

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

That would be a humidity issue. If your humidity is TOO high, you'll get condensation in the air cell, and then when the chick pips into the air cell, it's first breath is full of water.