Help! Move them to hatchery or leave in incubator??

[mommahento5]

I need advice please!!

This is my first ever hatch. I have 41 eggs in the incubator and today is day 19 (at noon). Of those I "think" there are only about 10 that are going to hatch...it was a really rough trip, but that is another story. Anyway, my dilema is this: I made a hatcher following MP's plans out of an old cooler yesterday, but it is taking FOREVER to get it regulated. I can't seem to get the humidity past 50% and the temps are finally around 97-102. I just am not sure that I am confident that the temps & humidity will stay controlled for the next 3 days.

I have to open my incubator tonight no matter what to remove the turning racks (I was hoping to put them straight into the hatcher last night after getting everything regulated) so do I just go ahead and put them back into the bator or try the hatcher? The other piece of info I forgot to mention is that I just today received another batch of eggs from a fellow BYC poster (thanks taztaz!) that need to get into the bator very soon. I intended to be able to move the current incubaor ones to the hatcher and start the new ones, but now I am not so sure.

I don't want to lose the ones ready to hatch by putting them into something unreliable, but I can't wait too long, or the new eggs will be lost also.

Help! What should I do?

 

[chubbydog811]

Personally, I would leave the eggs that are about to hatch, in your main incubator, and put your new eggs into your hatcher.
From my experience, I would say that the eggs about to hatch are going to need more regularity than the eggs that you're just setting...

 

[nhnanna]

Quote:
I agree

 

[Southernbelle]

I'm on Day 19, too! I have 28 eggs set to hatch. I'm also in the same boat - a proper incubator and a homemade hatcher. One option is to go ahead and set your new eggs in with the ones hatching in the proper incubator - they should be fine without the turner - once the babies hatch they'll turn them for you by running all over them

If you don't have enough space, could you toss some of the bad eggs?

My homemade bator also follows MissPrissy's design using a 25watt light bulb and a water heater thermostat. Mine also has a lot of air temp flucuation from 94-106 depending on when the light is on or off. I got a digital thermometer with a probe in the water wiggler and as long as that stays constant - I don't worry as much about the air temp. It usually reads between 98.9 and 99.7. I also put a "heat sink" in my homemade bator to try to keep flucutions down. I hatched all 5 Silkie eggs from my birds that I used as tester eggs. I don't know what to tell you to do with yours, but maybe sharing my experience will help.

 

[jjchick]

Where can I find the link for MissPrissy's design? I am about to make a hacther but need some input. Have seen her name mentionned quite a few times but have not managed to get the link to her design. THanks

 

[mommahento5]

Quote:
Hmm... I DID wondered about putting them all in together. What I was concerned about though is the humidity? I think I need to have it at around 65% for days 18-hatch, and only around 45% from day 1-18? Maybe that is not right? I am so new to this, LOL! Will that high of humidity be bad for the new eggs if I put them all in there together? Thanks so much for everyone's input. It must be hard helping all of us newbies out all the time! LOL!

 

[chicky gal1]

I second that question!!

 

[Southernbelle]

I would just do it, but I'm much more laid back than most.

The egg needs to lose a certain percentage of its weight (11%, I think) before hatching. Having a lower humidity during 1-18 allows it to lose that weight correctly, not too fast, not too slow. Upping it in the end keeps the membranes slick to help them out. I would reason that it's safe - they'll have plenty of time to make adjustments.

I often hatch with broody hens and after all the funny things they do I've learned there's a lot of leeway with hatching and rearing chicks!

 

[mommahento5]

Well, I did move them over. The hatcher was holding a fairly consistant temperature and we put in a second hydrometer and that one said we were at 62%, so we moved them all. Re-candled on the move, and found we only have FIVE out of 42 eggs that are alive and well.

I am so sad about that. I paid quite a bit of money for these eggs from a highly recommended source who I would NEVER recommend to anyone else. It is just so frustrating...

Anyway, my husband agrees that I am stressing over every little detail way too much. He keeps reminding me that hens are not able to sit on their eggs EVERY second of those 21 days and that slight periods of cooling off are not going to do that much damage. If this were after all, rocket science, we would probably never even have chickens cause lets face it-they're not the brightest of God's creatures!