How do you incubate your eggs?

[jcatblum]

Quote:
I have the eggs trays. (my trays are not as nice as one of my friends. Hers can be flipped over upside down to do quail eggs - so wish I had those trays - even though I dont have quail -yet)
I have used egg cartons in my brinesea, but I can fit more eggs in my brinesea without the cartons. The girl I bought my incubator from would stuff large foam around her bigger eggs (like emu).

Are you attempting staggered hatches? If you are not pressed for space I say use egg cartons.

 

[9farmgirl9]

Quote:
I have the eggs trays. (my trays are not as nice as one of my friends. Hers can be flipped over upside down to do quail eggs - so wish I had those trays - even though I dont have quail -yet)
I have used egg cartons in my brinesea, but I can fit more eggs in my brinesea without the cartons. The girl I bought my incubator from would stuff large foam around her bigger eggs (like emu).

Are you attempting staggered hatches? If you are not pressed for space I say use egg cartons.

What do you mean staggered? Like small amounts of eggs at a time? If so not really but i have 3 trays, with egg cartons- them setting in eggs cartons each tray holds 78 eggs.

This is what i did last time i cut eat cartons to fit the trays and filled one tray up and left them alone till lockdown. i took them out and put them in a styrfoam bator for hatching. 15 hatched- but all had bowed legs 5 got better and lived the rest died 2 days later

 

[jcatblum]

Quote:
I have the eggs trays. (my trays are not as nice as one of my friends. Hers can be flipped over upside down to do quail eggs - so wish I had those trays - even though I dont have quail -yet)
I have used egg cartons in my brinesea, but I can fit more eggs in my brinesea without the cartons. The girl I bought my incubator from would stuff large foam around her bigger eggs (like emu).

Are you attempting staggered hatches? If you are not pressed for space I say use egg cartons.

What do you mean staggered? Like small amounts of eggs at a time? If so not really but i have 3 trays, with egg cartons- them setting in eggs cartons each tray holds 78 eggs.

This is what i did last time i cut eat cartons to fit the trays and filled one tray up and left them alone till lockdown. i took them out and put them in a styrfoam bator for hatching. 15 hatched- but all had bowed legs 5 got better and lived the rest died 2 days later

By staggered I mean adding eggs every few days or once a week. Are you cutting the bottoms of the egg cartons to allow more air flow? Dont know if it actually helps but I cut the very bottoms out of the carton.
I would blame it on the foam incubator. Have you used it as a hatcher successfully with chicks? Before I purchased the cabinet incubator we borrowed a foam one. I had eggs in my Eco & all but 2 hatched. The foam incubator was fully loaded & we only had 4 chicks hatch!! Several others pipped but didn't make it. All eggs were formed & looked like they should have hatched. DD said mo more foa
Bators. It was the worst hatch ever!!!
I have read on people hatching in our cabinet incubator. The lady I bought it from hatched in it too. What I am going to try is remove the bottom rack. Cut a rubbermaid tote so it is only a few inches tall, 18 gal size, then I want to put 2 layers of window screen on top of the tote. The screen will prevent jumpers & hoping 2 layers will help control feathers!!! From everything I read raising the humidity for hatching doesn't effect the other eggs. I am going to try it & will see what happens!!

I will try to take some pics of it when I do it. Also my bator does have the plexi glass door so I will be able to see them hatch

 

[9farmgirl9]

Quote:
What do you mean staggered? Like small amounts of eggs at a time? If so not really but i have 3 trays, with egg cartons- them setting in eggs cartons each tray holds 78 eggs.

This is what i did last time i cut eat cartons to fit the trays and filled one tray up and left them alone till lockdown. i took them out and put them in a styrfoam bator for hatching. 15 hatched- but all had bowed legs 5 got better and lived the rest died 2 days later

By staggered I mean adding eggs every few days or once a week. Are you cutting the bottoms of the egg cartons to allow more air flow? Dont know if it actually helps but I cut the very bottoms out of the carton.
I would blame it on the foam incubator. Have you used it as a hatcher successfully with chicks? Before I purchased the cabinet incubator we borrowed a foam one. I had eggs in my Eco & all but 2 hatched. The foam incubator was fully loaded & we only had 4 chicks hatch!! Several others pipped but didn't make it. All eggs were formed & looked like they should have hatched. DD said mo more foa
Bators. It was the worst hatch ever!!!
I have read on people hatching in our cabinet incubator. The lady I bought it from hatched in it too. What I am going to try is remove the bottom rack. Cut a rubbermaid tote so it is only a few inches tall, 18 gal size, then I want to put 2 layers of window screen on top of the tote. The screen will prevent jumpers & hoping 2 layers will help control feathers!!! From everything I read raising the humidity for hatching doesn't effect the other eggs. I am going to try it & will see what happens!!

I will try to take some pics of it when I do it. Also my bator does have the plexi glass door so I will be able to see them hatch

On the styrafoam hatcher i used it for egg #'s 1-6 and 7 of them hatched well they didn't hatch for a day or so so i helped and their legs were bowed and feet. After that i just left the rest in there to hatch and 8 more hatched in the incubator but 5 didnt have bowed legs.