How much room needed inside a hatcher?

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

I have a LG I've been using for incubating and hatching. It has worked quite well with some refinement. However, now I'm getting into some staggered hatches since some friends keep bringing me eggs to hatch out. I have a small homemade incubator that I made first, and it worked very well at incubating and hatching. I want to use that as a hatcher, but it is so small. How much room do the chicks actually need to hatch out? At large hatcheries, it seems like the entire tray is filled with eggs, no floor space, so can I do the same thing? Would it be better to have them in egg cartons, or on their sides?

Anyone have any experience with hatching out chicks in a very tight quarters hatcher?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I put 41 eggs in small drawer in the bottom of my fridge incubator. Some are even stacked on top of others. The hatch fine.

 

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

You stack them? Really??? Do you remove them as soon as they hatch, or let them dry fluffy first?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I've did both. Here lately I have been getting the first half out after they hatch to make room for the other half. I have a foggier in the incubator so humidity drop is not an issue.