Incubating Tips... share please.

[ojust4today]

Hi everyone! I just bought my first incubator. I purchased the Farm Innovators, model 2150.
I have never incubated any eggs, this will be our first experience. I decided to make this purchase to expand my flock. I have one question but am really interested in feedback from personal experience or tips you all could provide to a beginner. I know I will learn from my own mistakes and as I go but I honestly have no knowledge at all about doing this and would really like for my first time to be a success. There seems to be a lot of info on temperature/humidity but not slot in the eggs aspect.

Do you start with a one day old egg or I have some eggs over a week old. Should I use the older ones or should I only use a newly laid egg? Do you all check to make sure the egg is fertile or take a chance either way.

Any feedback and tips will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[feedman77]

Store eggs you want to incubate small end down in an egg carton, keep in cool room. Use a book or block of wood and switch it from end to end of carton couple times a day.

Eggs will have a good hatch percentage at up 10 days old. After that they start to lose some viability.

Candle at day 7 and 14.

I don' check for fertility just when I candle.

Good luck.

 

[ojust4today]

Thank you Feedman77 for sharing this info with me. Good to know about the eggs being up to 10 days old. I have some that are 10-14. So I will start a new batch for the incubator.

So do you mean use the book/block on top of carton and turn the carton over when you refer to switching a few times a day?

Store eggs you want to incubate small end down in an egg carton, keep in cool room. Use a book or block of wood and switch it from end to end of carton couple times a day.

Eggs will have a good hatch percentage at up 10 days old. After that they start to lose some viability.

Candle at day 7 and 14.

I don' check for fertility just when I candle.

Good luck.

 

[feedman77]

No place under one end then move under the other end.

Just like a rocking chair.

Never turn the eggs upside down

 

[ojust4today]

Oh ok. I understand. Thanks for the clarification. The rocking chair analogy worked!!

 

[Chickygirl63]

Im new myself... why would you not want to store the eggs upside down does it do something to the air cell... I have a few in a small hand basket laying down.

 

[Kruchti]

My first time hatching was with a still air incubator that leaked water (Styrofoam one that someone had given me). Having no idea what I was doing - I put a towel under it and set it on a plastic lid and kept adding water. Yes the towel got wet every day. I remember I had the temperature right. No clue what the humidity was even about.
Amazing that was one of my best hatches I ever had - over 28 years ago.
Make sure you put an X on one side and date on the other so when you turn them by hand you know which ones you have turned. Also mark on the calendar when 18 day is so you can stop turning them. Chickens is 18 day for the stop turn.
Do not wash them - unless you have special product to do that. I just wiped them off to get the dirt off.
Keep cats away as they find the hatching windows very entertaining and can sit for hours watching.
Take a deep breath and enjoy the experience.
When I moved to Alaska I got rid of my Styrofoam and my PRO HI incubators.