Just wanting to make sure ...

[moorechicks]

If one or some of you very kind people can help me it would be great

....I added my eggs in the bator on May 5th so I am guessing this puts me on lock down this coming Sunday 23 and hatching on the 26. I wanna make sure I am doing this right and prepared before I start lock down. I need to make sure there is enough water and temp and humidty is right? Candle and just add the ones fertile in for lock down ? Take out the turner and this brings me to another question...what is best? Add a egg carton for the eggs or just lay them down on the screen? and then sit back and wait

please if there is anything I am forgetting let me know..This is our first hatch.

 

[k2chickens]

Get humid up high 60's, "you should know by now what eggs are good/bad...candling on the 18th is unnecessary", hatch on there sides...there is a reason why mother nature made the hen just lay egg's and not egg's plus a carton out her bum for them to sit in. That's about it..good luck!

 

[Katy]

Quote:
There is a difference tho in them being nestled under a broody hen and being rolled all over the bottom of the incubator by the chicks who have already hatched. I have much better hatches using a carton for them.....I've got friends tho who lay them on their side and have good hatches too, so you'll just have to find what works for you.

 

[moorechicks]

Thank you both !! That was just what I needed to know.

 

[Cynthia12]

Quote:
There is a difference tho in them being nestled under a broody hen and being rolled all over the bottom of the incubator by the chicks who have already hatched. I have much better hatches using a carton for them.....I've got friends tho who lay them on their side and have good hatches too, so you'll just have to find what works for you.

So Katy, do you take the pipped egg out when you see that it has pipped? I've never used the egg carton, but this makes sense. I've actually taken an egg that is close hatching, and placed it in the brooder (another bator that is a still bator) to finish up so it doesn't bump the other eggs..worked fine. Please explain how you do this at the time of hatching, or, do you use the carton the whole time??

 

[Katy]

Quote:
There is a difference tho in them being nestled under a broody hen and being rolled all over the bottom of the incubator by the chicks who have already hatched. I have much better hatches using a carton for them.....I've got friends tho who lay them on their side and have good hatches too, so you'll just have to find what works for you.

So Katy, do you take the pipped egg out when you see that it has pipped? I've never used the egg carton, but this makes sense. I've actually taken an egg that is close hatching, and placed it in the brooder (another bator that is a still bator) to finish up so it doesn't bump the other eggs..worked fine. Please explain how you do this at the time of hatching, or, do you use the carton the whole time??

I use a turner for the first 18 days. I put the eggs into the carton for the last three days when I move the eggs into the hatcher. I'm not sure what you're asking about moving pipped eggs. I don't open the hatcher or mess with the eggs once they go into the hatcher until the hatch is done. They pip and zip while they're in the egg carton.

 

[Cynthia12]

Thanks Katy, sounds like a plan for sure.