incubator too full for carton hatch?

[dschoey]

I have one of those Farm Innovator, white styrofoam incubators. It has forced air and an automatic turner. It has 40 eggs in it and they are due to hatch this coming Saturday. My first hatch (last month) was terrible. Only 8 chicks from 42 eggs. Mainly that's because in spite of all I read/learned, I put the bator in the laundry room--the one room guaranteed to have heat and humidity spikes. Also, the first few chicks out were very rambunctious and turned several of their neighbors so I broke the rules, opened the bator and took the trouble makers out-- probably shrink wrapping all those who had survived my laundry-room mistake. So sad that they had to suffer for my stupidity.
This time I put the incubator in a spare room-- it's been perfectly stable-- and I've promised myself that I'm not opening it for ANYTHING.

So, now what do I do if there are trouble makers?

My questions:
1. If I put the eggs in cartons when we go on lock down this Wed, will they be protected from overzealous siblings?
2. Is the incubator too full to use cartons--ie, where will they step the floor of the bator will barely exist?
2. If I don't put the eggs in cartons, will being rolled an inch or two cause a chick to drown or die in any other way?
3. Last time a chick got a cut on his tow from the metal mesh floor, what can I put down to protect (but not stick to) them?

Thanks all!

 

[blucoondawg]

I have the same incubator and just finished my hatch a couple days ago it went quite well. I to worry about the chicks bothering the still hatching eggs as I had 3 died during hatch from being rolled around and havin shell sections from the hatched eggs get stuck on their eggs making it impossible for them to get out. I had a good hatch started with 40 eggs had 3 infertile and 2 early quitters ended up with 26 chicks would have been 29 had I known those other 3 who does were having trouble but the humidity got so high during the hatch that I couldn't see through the windows at everything that was going on in there