I Will Never Use An Egg Carton To Hatch In Again

[sparkles2307]

I am going to try egg cartons for the first time this week. I have too many eggs going in to bother turning ALLLLL of them by hand. The duck eggs will go on their sides, and do the guinea eggs need to be air cell up or air cell down?

 

[hinkjc]

I am going to try egg cartons for the first time this week. I have too many eggs going in to bother turning ALLLLL of them by hand.

There is no need to turn eggs while they're hatching.​

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
I hatch on the wire always have without problems. Eggs being rolled around by the chicks does not ruin hatches, temps and humidity, poor fertility and shipping ruin hatches. Guinea eggs need the air cell up just like any other egg.

 

[sparkles2307]

Quote:
There is no need to turn eggs while they're hatching.

I'm using them for the incubation process. So I can tilt the incubator instead of turning 30+ eggs by hand.

 

[sparkles2307]

Quote:
Yeah, the guy I just bought guinea's from was showing me his cabinet incubators last weekend and I noticed that he had all his guinea eggs in with the pointed end up... and he was telling me that he doesnt know why his hatch rates are so low...

 

[rancher hicks]

My last hatch was the first with the egg carton and I have to say they zipped pretty good. The thing is you have to trim the top as well as the bottom so the carton just supports the egg in the upright position. I will make sure to trim the carton so it barely supports the egg and when the chick starts rocking after zipping it will be able to fall over and get out. Had at least 4 that took to long to get out.
FYI, I tried the store the pointy end up method and pointy end down. Of the three breeds in the incu 3 did not hatch one of each breed. All were stored pointy end up. Not stored a long time but a couple of days, I'd guess. Will try this next year again and with the egg carton again. Keeping record so I can get more data.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Sometimes it works great for me and sometimes not. I ended up just always laying them in their sides that way IF they happen to pip on the wrong side at least they have a chance. Mine, once hatched, always made it out of the carton just fine.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

I used a carboard egg flat. I trimed it down and cut the bottoms off. I just found that the chicks didnt have the strength to move that egg out of the carton. I am also hatching jersey giants and I wonder if its the size of the egg that makes the difference my eggs are almost as large as duck eggs. Whatever I will go back to hatching on the wire as I feel its safer for the chicks.

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

I have mine in plastic trays like deli food comes in...just the bottom part...and the eggs are sitting on a dry cloth. That was only so they would not roll. They are on their sides and I'll be rolling them twice a day to make the X or the O be on the top. Those trays are sitting on the wire screen. I figured that come lockdown I'd take them out of the plastic trays and lay them on the wire on top of that non skid stuff so they'd have room to hatch. Am I doing anything drastically wrong?

 

[snake173]

This is to thank all the people who post here this is my first post but read and read and read some more
Started with 10 - 8 hatched one is still a possible one didn't keep going after about day 10

took him to a place that a chicken would like and put it there.
The incubator was built from a DC/ Ice chest and a wafer switch I use the egg creates from store and have motor that turns them while heat is on and it will turn the egg create if the heat stays on for about 4 min which is about average the create is turned 1/2 a turn so they get turned about 8 to 10 times a day. The temperature was held between 96.5 to 99.9 the humidity was a bit rocky till I got the hang of it but, read that a sponge would work I drilled a hole in the ice chest and inserted a glass tube thru the side into the sponge using a 1 0z bester. That way I don't open but once a day to check the eggs and see that all smells good your noise will tell you a bad egg and I recommend if you smell a bad odor or think you smell a bad order get it out before it brakes or you will be sorry (Learned from dumb neighbor who no's more than me). I will be taking pictures soon and will post the hole Incubator but bought from yard sales and robbed parts from computer the wafer switch I ordered and the waterer (I now understand why they are so necessary fresh born chicks are dumb as a post and will fall asleep and drowned more I learned from neighbor he used mayonnaise lid and one of the little guys drowned). Total investment was about 40 bucks I could have done it cheaper but didn't have the time to hunt the sales.

I didn't keep in the egg create past day 18 I moved from Incubator to a hatching box with coffee filters and paper towels on day 18 I candled and all but two were looking very good (while I was watching had no Idea of what was good but kept good notes and now I no). The pictures were a very big help and someone who draws the pictures of the ring. I had one he is under my favorite Live oak. When I move to the hatching box I have the temperature as close to 99.9 as I can (all wafer switches are not equal). I keep the humidity as close to the chart here on this site but try to crowed the68% to 70% for last 3 days. I just leave them alone and watch oh ya and I talk to them even when in the shell not sure it helps them but it helps me.

DO NOT TRY TO HELP THEM OUT OF SHELL (IDOIT NEIGHBOR) HE HELPS HIS AND IT CAN DEFORM OR BRAKE A LIMB

Then as soon as they are about 2/3's dry and starting to fluff up I put them in a brood box built for the purpose they stay in the coffee filter as the placenta still will leave spots of red when that stops off the coffee filter and on the chips. I have small 5 sided wire boxes built and until they can stand and move around (not gracefully) then I take the cage off while all are in one of the all crash in a lump of fuzz. Worked very well they didn't mob and peck at him very much. I have learned that a 2 day old chick can be very hard on a fresh bust out but the cage get them used to each other and the newbie how will be big enough to peck back.

I still don't no when to give up on last one but it doesn’t smell if is unchanged will give another day and if no hole yet will put with its brother or sister. Just hate to give up but I must say I walked around my sister in laws hen house and collected fresh warm eggs 5 one day and 5 second day of each pick got 4 fuzz balls for each day.

I must add was fun and I will keep doing it Trust you nose the hatching will have a smell after the bust out but is not a bad smell.

snake173