I'm trying something new (incubating)

[NateinFL]

Your asking for opinions here,,and the Merlot is smooth tonight. Everyone says using chickens to start incubating pea eggs helps.Have you actually watched a hen while shes setting? I have several times before,,I've also taken eggs away and candled them,then set them in front of her and watched as she rolled and tucked them under her.I think part of the key diffrence between a hen and a bator is the hen rolls the eggs around,and changes her position on the eggs several times a day. She gets off the eggs once a day to eat-drink,ect and the eggs gets a chance to cool down some. My grandmother who used to have 200 leghorns told me this increases the chicks strength once pipping if the eggs has been allowed to cool daily during incubating.Eggs are also rolled over which does not happen in a turning tray inside a bator.
Your eggs are valuable,,so why jeopardise them with hay? This may prevent even temps all around the egg.Granted a hen is only heating the egg with her breast area and that would only be touching the top side of the egg but her feathers all around the eggs must also act as insulation.
And next time while your driving down the road in your car,,,put your right hand on the seat and extend your fingers outward and notice how much they vibrate from the road.I don't care what kind of tires and suspension your vehicle has the road roughness transfers vibrations all through the car and this youngster needs commended for wrapping the eggs in bubble wrap for you.
I would cut your humidity down to 45% for the first 25 days,,at 60% the peachicks may be drowning in fluid caused by not enough loss and too small of an air sack.Up the level top 50-55% the last 3 days.I know a hen cannot control humidity levels on eggs,,this is a mystery especially when the outside rh levels reaches in the 60-70% range,,we can only try to mimic what the ideal proven hatching techniques are.

I LIKE YOUR THINKING! That's the same lines I was on. What EXACTLY is different between the hen and the incubator? I'm doing just that, letting the eggs drop for a half hour, during the afternoon. I will take the incubator outside and let it sit for 20 minutes. That's what the hens do. I will probably get rid of the hay lol I don't know where that idea came from. Also, about the turning, I watched my peahen every afternoon and even up to the last day she was constantly getting up and moving them around she wouldn't leave them alone. 4/5 of her eggs hatched. My other peahen I never saw mess with them. Wonder why it says to quit turning last 3 days when the mother peahen does it.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

My turners seems to turn the eggs in a very steep angle,,I think this reasoning is for the air sacks to stay still and the chick to get into final position for pipping and be left alone.I have about 9 pea eggs due to hatch on the 31st,,and tonight I will take them out of the trays and put them in the bottom of the bator and seperate them in cool whip containers,,this group of eggs has my first Bronze and Midnight B/S eggs in that was fertile and developed along with Opals and Purples,,and since all B/S chicks are yellow,,the Bronze will be the only ones diffrent looking color wise (with the exception of the purples,he is a b/s as well but also silver pied depending on the hen)

 

[SallysCrazyFarm]

I have successfully hatched eggs in my incubator since day 1 that are notorious for being very hard to hatch. I think the key is, is to imitate nature the best as possible. I lay my eggs down and the type of turner I have, rolls them. I also start daily cooling after a week of incubation, I do 15-20 mins a day. Naturally, the mother gets off the nest everyday. I'm never concerned about humidity. If it gets below 20%, then I add water. But I don't allow it to go over 40%, this is with all birds. I don't go into lockdown until I see an external pip, then I raise the humidity to about 70%. I stop turning about a day or two before they are due to hatch. I've watched mother birds roll their eggs even when they have externally pipped. I've bought hard to hatch eggs and people have told me they won't hatch but I've managed. I've been doing this for years and this has worked for me.

 

[NateinFL]

I have successfully hatched eggs in my incubator since day 1 that are notorious for being very hard to hatch. I think the key is, is to imitate nature the best as possible. I lay my eggs down and the type of turner I have, rolls them. I also start daily cooling after a week of incubation, I do 15-20 mins a day. Naturally, the mother gets off the nest everyday. I'm never concerned about humidity. If it gets below 20%, then I add water. But I don't allow it to go over 40%, this is with all birds. I don't go into lockdown until I see an external pip, then I raise the humidity to about 70%. I stop turning about a day or two before they are due to hatch. I've watched mother birds roll their eggs even when they have externally pipped. I've bought hard to hatch eggs and people have told me they won't hatch but I've managed. I've been doing this for years and this has worked for me.

Good advice, thank you. I'm not fretting about the 60% humidity will just keep the water wells filled. I will be very sure the last 3 days to have it humid for the hatching chicks.