Okay, so i'm getting 2 dozen dorking eggs, and i'm going to have to make a homemade incubator/hatcher. Has anyone made one and how many eggs will it hold? Also, do I need to set the eggs aside when I get them for 8-24hrs and leave the incubator on for 24hrs before hatching? just making sure, this is going to be my first hatch! Thanks >^.^<
Ok, first we would need to know the dimensions of your incubator. I have a bought LG that is about 2'x2' that will hold up to 80 chicken eggs without the turner. The eggs need to have some space around them for proper circulation. If these are shipped eggs, it is best to let them sit for at least 8 hours so they can settle. The P.O. is brutal with them. And by 'leave the incubator on for 24hrs before hatching', do you mean before setting? If so, then yes you would want to make sure the temps are stabilized for 24 hours before setting the eggs. Depending on how quickly the temps stabilize, it would need to be on for at least 24 hours. Hope this helps!! Good luck!
If you are making you incubator out of a styrofoam ice chest, you can most likely fit 24 eggs inside without a problem. You really need to find the container you are going to use and see how many eggs it will hold. Depending on where you place you light and the other electronics you may have to allow for those thing to take up space. Have you looked at the threads on homemade incubators? There are lots of different versions. Do a "search" for homemade incubators and you can get a good idea, most people have posted photos of them loaded with eggs.
