How to do a staggered hatch with two incubators?

[Bicoastal]

I need to do a staggered hatch. Most eggs appear to be within a week of each other developmentally.

I have two incubators. Do I turn everyone and hold everyone at incubation-level temp and humidity? Then move eggs to lockdown bator as I see external pips?

I’m less confident identifying internal pips, but if anyone can point me to a resource with lots of photos, I can try moving at internal pip.

Lessons learned here, for sure.

 

[Tonyroo]

You need to date the eggs with a pencil to refer when they go into lockdown in the other incubator. Make sure to use a calendar to make notes of when each egg goes in and the progress of there development.

 

[Tonyroo]

Day 1 is the next day of when you put them in.

Large fowl eggs go into lockdown on day 18. So transfer them on day 18.

Bantam eggs is day 16 or 17.

 

[Bicoastal]

I’m reading and reading the forum and getting confused. So I guess I’m doing the one incubator, one Hatcher thing.

When do I move the eggs to the Hatcher? Do I wait for external pip or internal pip?

 

[Tonyroo]

Staggered hatches can be done with 2 incubators. Figure out how your going to proceed. You will have to take notes of which set of eggs go into the incubator on which day. Then start the day count till the 18th day and transfer them to your other incubator to do a lockdown procedure.

 

[Kiki]

internal pip:

Looks for the air cell to DRAW DOWN towards the smaller/pointy side of the egg.
"Draw down" makes the air cell much larger.

Internal pip you will see shadowing/movement in the air cell.

 

[Kiki]

Move the eggs at a few days they are due to hatch...when you stop turning them.

You don't know what day they are on?

 

[Bicoastal]

Move the eggs at a few days they are due to hatch...when you stop turning them.

You don't know what day they are on?

Awesome video. Thank you! I have now moved 7 to the “Hatcher” bator. Larger air cell even from yesterday, I clearly see a triangle shape, and now I hear clicking or cheeping.

Those 7 are known dates, eggs were stored correctly, incubated correctly. Due to hatch Thursday.

While those were in an incubator, I let hens hatch out a nest. They successfully hatched 12. I didn’t know hens were continuing to add eggs to the nest after setting began.

Hens are done setting now and there’s a bunch of viable eggs. I don’t have the heart to discard them. But I guess I should have, as I’ve kinda let them jeopardize my going-according-to-plan incubated eggs.

Lessons learned: remove hen from nest at all cost so I can mark and check eggs daily, even after hen is well and truly dedicated to setting.

 

[Bicoastal]

We have our first pip.

 

[Bicoastal]

This guy appears to be dead. Greenish-tinged yolk seeping slightly around cracks. Another egg is zipping. Guess I’ll see what tomorrow morning brings and remove it.

Not sure why it would die at the start of its zip. Humidity is good. I did not interfere in any way (no emergency hole, no zip assistance).