My 1st batch of Silkies set 9/5 :-)

[justmeandtheflock]

I have 19 white silkie eggs on the way that should arrive tomorrow

. I am using a LG with egg turner and fan. I have read through the stickies and I think I am ready

. Should I put the eggs straight in when they arrive or should I let them sit for a while? If so, how long? Any tips for a newbie? Wish me luck

UPDATE: I set the at 5pm on 9/5. How am I going to make it through the next 3 weeks? LOL

 

[Paganbird]

How far are the eggs travelling?
I usually let them sit for a couple hours... longer if they have come a long distance.
I also candle my shipped eggs before they go in the 'bator to check for cracks and air cell issues. Some cracks can't bee seen unless you candle. I also look for egg imperfections & porous shells.
I keep track of anything "funny" that goes in my 'bator. I chart how many porous, cracked, air-cell-damaged eggs are in the hatch and keep the chart nearby for later candling.
Then I patch any cracked eggs (some people just throw them out) and set all the eggs in the 'bator.

 

[popcornpuppy]

The only tips I have are to let the eggs rest for at least a few hours before putting them in the incubator. Also, have the bator running for several hours before you put the eggs in. Make sure the heat and humidity are where they need to be before adding the eggs.
I went to Walmart and got a cheap, $6.00 outdoor thermometer that also measures the humidity. It has been the best $6 bucks I ever spent. Those little plastic thermometers that come with the bator are junk, and you need to know how much humidity you have to avoid hatching/developement issues.
Best of luck you. If you read all you could on this site about incubating and hatching than you truely should be all set!

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Thanks for the responses

The eggs are only coming from 1 state away so hopefully their trip won't be too bad. I ran the incubator for a few hours yesterday to test it out and it seems to be holding the temp. I need to take down my fishless fish tank (they are outside in the water garden now) to make a place for it to stay and then I will set it up again and run for a few more hours before I set the eggs. I have one of those digital thermometers from Walmart that I had but it doesn't do humidity so I will pick one of those up later. Hopefully they will arrive today

 

[justmeandtheflock]

My eggs arrived just a little while ago. They are all perfect!!! I candled and not one has a crack. Now I will let them rest a few hours while I watch the bator and then I will put them in. These are white silkie eggs from cjexotic. Sooooo excited

 

[Paganbird]

Good Luck!!

 

[JestersEye]

Quote:
How would you patch cracks in the eggs?

My DH is in the process of building my first incubator. He finished most of it last night (during a night shift at work), and tonight he will be attaching the power cord. Then, we just have to buy a lightbulb and a thermometer/hygrometer, put in a piece of glass for the top window, and make an egg turner out of pvc. Then it will be ready to test. I can't wait to hatch some chicks!

Quick question: What should I cover the hardware cloth with when I take the egg turner out of the incubator? The eggs and hatching chicks will have to be laid on something more "solid" and a bit safer, rather than resting directly on the wire, right?

 

[justmeandtheflock]

I set them at 5pm on 9/5. How am I going to make it through the next 3 weeks? LOL

JestersEye, I have read that you can use wax to seal the cracks but didn't have to do it so no experience. Also, depending on hte size of your hardware cloth, you should be able to hatch them right on the wire. The bator I got is about 1/4 inch holes.

 

[Paganbird]

Quote:
How would you patch cracks in the eggs?

I usually patch them with wax, but on my current hatch, I used fingernail polish.
I have 2 cracked eggs with confirmed embryos going into lockdown on the 8th. One is badly cracked the whole way around, one is only dented.
If you're curious enough to bother with it, I've posted pics from when I candled the patched eggs. They're on p.18 of my hatching thread. The link is in my sig line.

 

[JestersEye]

Quote:
Oh, okay... I think my hardware cloth is about that same size. If not, I'll start looking for the "green shelf liner with holes in it" that I've seen mentioned in other posts. Any idea where I could find it, or what it's called?

Quote:
Thanks for the info, Paganbird! I checked out your pics on the other thread, and I can see where you patched the eggs. It looks like you did a great job! I don't know if I'd be so motivated or confident in my own abilities, at this point, to attempt such a "fix". I'll keep it in mind for the future, though. Luckily, so far my girls have never cracked an egg while laying; so hopefully I won't need to do any patching, anyway.