Incubators Anonymous

[Runawaylobster]

Hmm.. I didn't think about the humidity possibly causing drips onto the sensor. That would cool it off quite a bit. When I look at what the sock does to the humidity thermometer - it reads 85 when the regular thermometer reads 99 because of evaporation cooling at 30% humidity - imagine it would be much worse at 60%. I would guess it is causing the probe to mis-read the temperature and turn the heat back on - causing the spike. So - moving the probe or putting it in something that does NOT allow humidity to drip on it would be a very good idea.

I love the depth you have available to put those nice little individual hatching boxes in... !!! very nice!

 

[Arielle]

loved the poem

well done, so happy the chicks survived!

question... I'm thinking of rearranging a few birds and would like to know what the chicks and grown offspring look like and any other info you are willing to share.... Golden Buff Orpington over Barred Rock, Lemon Cuckoo over Americana and Easter Eggers and/or Barred Rock. Thanks in advance for your info, help and time.

BO roo x BR hen - pretty sexlinks. They will all be black.

lemon cuckoo x EE = depends on color of EE, if black or blue than you will get 1/2 black based and all will have cuckoo barring. Using the BR will add to the barring. Using the lemon cuckoo rooster will result in all chicks having barring. Black dominates the reds.


I once got a gorgeous yellow barred boy, but he was the only one as dad carried the barring, and red and black. His mom I think was a BO. I think he got the red and barring from dad, and the gold from mom. He was soooo pretty.

I'm not an expert on color, just know a little.

 

[gladahmae]

I must not get too excited about my candling results. I must not get too excited about my candling results.

We candled again last night, and I've still got about 10 Bl/B copper Marans eggs in, 9 of my EE mutt eggs in, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about my BLRW eggs!! I only had to remove ONE out of 15. The rest of them look AMAZING with great development/veins/embryo clearly visible. Those things got stuck in the mail for almost 5 days when we had some winter weather hit and spent an extra night at a sorting facility. I really shouldn't get too excited because the BLRWs are only on day 10, but gosh golly that's the best keep rate I've had on shipped eggs at this point!

OK. Hatching question. I know that some hatch in egg cartons and some hatch with the eggs just on their sides. If you hatch in egg cartons do you use the pressed cardboard-y stuff, or the polystyrene egg cartons? Do you cut out the bottom of the carton? Pointy end down, just like incubation, correct? In the past when we hatched with the eggs on their sides we definitely had the 'bowling ball' effect going on, but we also had miserable rates for even getting eggs to the end. I'm going to shoot for about 50% humidity since I had wet/too large/drowned chicks in the past. Hatch day should be Friday (if I remember which day I set correctly) so I should take them out of the turner on Wednesday, and maybe bump up the humidity on Thursday or when I get my first pip?

 

[wabbit1964]

I must not get too excited about my candling results. I must not get too excited about my candling results.

We candled again last night, and I've still got about 10 Bl/B copper Marans eggs in, 9 of my EE mutt eggs in, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about my BLRW eggs!! I only had to remove ONE out of 15. The rest of them look AMAZING with great development/veins/embryo clearly visible. Those things got stuck in the mail for almost 5 days when we had some winter weather hit and spent an extra night at a sorting facility. I really shouldn't get too excited because the BLRWs are only on day 10, but gosh golly that's the best keep rate I've had on shipped eggs at this point!

OK. Hatching question. I know that some hatch in egg cartons and some hatch with the eggs just on their sides. If you hatch in egg cartons do you use the pressed cardboard-y stuff, or the polystyrene egg cartons? Do you cut out the bottom of the carton? Pointy end down, just like incubation, correct? In the past when we hatched with the eggs on their sides we definitely had the 'bowling ball' effect going on, but we also had miserable rates for even getting eggs to the end. I'm going to shoot for about 50% humidity since I had wet/too large/drowned chicks in the past. Hatch day should be Friday (if I remember which day I set correctly) so I should take them out of the turner on Wednesday, and maybe bump up the humidity on Thursday or when I get my first pip?

AWESOME on the candling results and I'm a first time hatcher so sorry I don't have an answer on the egg cartons... I was told (I'm using a still air) that 50% is what I should aim for for lockdown humidity....so you should be fine... I'm due for my staggered hatches (I know not smart for a first timer) to come over the course of this week. Good Luck!!

 

[gladahmae]

Yep. I have a staggered hatch going as well, but I have a second 'bator to use when we get to that point.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote: I was really lucky. My sportsman has a plexiglass door so I CAN see the humidity trays and everything that is going on inside.

It also came with the trays, and the float, and the hose - so all I have to do is plumb in the outside to the auto filler! I have 4 babies out now- all Silkies and way too cute! I know they say not to open them.. but so far nobody is shrinkwrapped. The ones from this morning looked like one was stuck in the egg - so I pulled those two out.. brought them inside and it wasn't stuck - it just hadn't pushed itself out of the egg yet - the other half came right off. Amazing.

I must not get too excited about my candling results. I must not get too excited about my candling results.

We candled again last night, and I've still got about 10 Bl/B copper Marans eggs in, 9 of my EE mutt eggs in, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about my BLRW eggs!! I only had to remove ONE out of 15. The rest of them look AMAZING with great development/veins/embryo clearly visible. Those things got stuck in the mail for almost 5 days when we had some winter weather hit and spent an extra night at a sorting facility. I really shouldn't get too excited because the BLRWs are only on day 10, but gosh golly that's the best keep rate I've had on shipped eggs at this point!

OK. Hatching question. I know that some hatch in egg cartons and some hatch with the eggs just on their sides. If you hatch in egg cartons do you use the pressed cardboard-y stuff, or the polystyrene egg cartons? Do you cut out the bottom of the carton? Pointy end down, just like incubation, correct? In the past when we hatched with the eggs on their sides we definitely had the 'bowling ball' effect going on, but we also had miserable rates for even getting eggs to the end. I'm going to shoot for about 50% humidity since I had wet/too large/drowned chicks in the past. Hatch day should be Friday (if I remember which day I set correctly) so I should take them out of the turner on Wednesday, and maybe bump up the humidity on Thursday or when I get my first pip?

Wow - sounds like you are doing great on shipped eggs! If they treat them too rough at the post office usually they won't even start - so

they all make it for you.

I am hatching in the cardboard-y egg cartons. However - I am hatching very small eggs - which roll around in the egg cartons so I did not cut out the bottoms. I have some regular sized eggs coming to set in the next week - and I am debating what I will set them in - because they would not allow the air around the egg that the bantam eggs have been getting. I may have to cut the bottoms out for those. Pointy end down, correct. I also candled the eggs when I locked them down and tilted the eggs slightly so the air cell was completely at the top of the egg. I bought new egg cartons from the feedstore so I know they are not contaminated by any other store eggs. Otherwise I would not use them. I have actually used the egg cartons to keep up the humidity right around the chicks by putting a bit of warm water in the top side of the egg carton (I didn't cut it apart). I have a big incubator and I didn't want them to dry out at the bottom and all the moisture to be at the top (where the water trays are). So far no shrink wrapping at all. Humidity reads 60% at the top - but I think it is probably higher at the bottom. The trays are preventing the bowling ball effect very well. All the chicks finally end up out of the egg carton and somewhere on the sides - leaving the other eggs correctly positioned.

Bump up the humidity when you get the first pip - but then you hopefully won't have to add any more - the hatching chicks will provide plenty of humidity. If you can stop yourself from opening the incubator it is better.. If you have a problem and need to rescue somebody have a warm wet paper towel ready to put in to replace any humidity lost when opening the lid.

Good Luck!

 

[Overoberyl]

I must not get too excited about my candling results. I must not get too excited about my candling results.

We candled again last night, and I've still got about 10 Bl/B copper Marans eggs in, 9 of my EE mutt eggs in, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about my BLRW eggs!! I only had to remove ONE out of 15. The rest of them look AMAZING with great development/veins/embryo clearly visible. Those things got stuck in the mail for almost 5 days when we had some winter weather hit and spent an extra night at a sorting facility. I really shouldn't get too excited because the BLRWs are only on day 10, but gosh golly that's the best keep rate I've had on shipped eggs at this point!

OK. Hatching question. I know that some hatch in egg cartons and some hatch with the eggs just on their sides. If you hatch in egg cartons do you use the pressed cardboard-y stuff, or the polystyrene egg cartons? Do you cut out the bottom of the carton? Pointy end down, just like incubation, correct? In the past when we hatched with the eggs on their sides we definitely had the 'bowling ball' effect going on, but we also had miserable rates for even getting eggs to the end. I'm going to shoot for about 50% humidity since I had wet/too large/drowned chicks in the past. Hatch day should be Friday (if I remember which day I set correctly) so I should take them out of the turner on Wednesday, and maybe bump up the humidity on Thursday or when I get my first pip?

I hatch mine upright in egg cartons also, I do cut the sides down so that they are not too high so as to impede the emerging chick. I do not cut the bottoms out because I have found that with most eggs it is only a small part of the egg that is actually in contact with the surface of the carton so I personally don't think it makes a difference. I use the styrofoam type because they are easily cleaned and I can reuse them.

 

[Blair75214]

My first batch of silkies hatch on Sunday. I have a dozen in the incubator, along with a dozen bantam & standard cochin. Anyone have advice on hatching? (To help with the hatch? How to detect a chick in need? etc) I'm so nervous/excited/anxious!! Thanks!

 

[Arielle]

I must not get too excited about my candling results. I must not get too excited about my candling results.

We candled again last night, and I've still got about 10 Bl/B copper Marans eggs in, 9 of my EE mutt eggs in, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about my BLRW eggs!! I only had to remove ONE out of 15. The rest of them look AMAZING with great development/veins/embryo clearly visible. Those things got stuck in the mail for almost 5 days when we had some winter weather hit and spent an extra night at a sorting facility. I really shouldn't get too excited because the BLRWs are only on day 10, but gosh golly that's the best keep rate I've had on shipped eggs at this point!

OK. Hatching question. I know that some hatch in egg cartons and some hatch with the eggs just on their sides. If you hatch in egg cartons do you use the pressed cardboard-y stuff, or the polystyrene egg cartons? Do you cut out the bottom of the carton? Pointy end down, just like incubation, correct? In the past when we hatched with the eggs on their sides we definitely had the 'bowling ball' effect going on, but we also had miserable rates for even getting eggs to the end. I'm going to shoot for about 50% humidity since I had wet/too large/drowned chicks in the past. Hatch day should be Friday (if I remember which day I set correctly) so I should take them out of the turner on Wednesday, and maybe bump up the humidity on Thursday or when I get my first pip?

I"ve heard of people using both types. Yes open bottom of carton to have good air flow around the egg, and cut the sides down low is the usual design. I have used cardboard, others cite poly styrene as it can be sanitised. Others think is restricts airflow too much. I only use on shipped eggs. OTherwise I let the soccer game begin. IT is really up to you. I pull my chicks out after they are fluffed up and that minimizes the number of soccer players in the hatcher.

Yes pointy end down, and yes cut the bottom open. I use a bread knife or puncture a hole and widen hole. SOmetime using bread knife make too big a hole as I don't like the tip of egg to come thru very far. LEt us know which you choose and how it goes.

 

[ChickNmamma]

My first batch of silkies hatch on Sunday. I have a dozen in the incubator, along with a dozen bantam & standard cochin. Anyone have advice on hatching? (To help with the hatch? How to detect a chick in need? etc) I'm so nervous/excited/anxious!! Thanks!

This thread was helpful for me to read. It is all about incubating chicks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...hing-eggs-important-topic-index-please-review

It has links to other interesting threads too..

Basics are - raise the humidity and SIT ON YOUR HANDS! - help as LITTLE as possible - any you have to help should be because YOU messed up by opening the incubator too often (too low humidity and shrink wrapped) - not because the chick isn't strong enough to get out on its own. Helped chicks usually don't do as well as ones that hatch on their own.