My eggs are here! Now I need help 1st. time doing this.

[Soaring Chicks]

I just got my 15 BLR Wyandotte LF. eggs .

They are fine , some have small amount of poo on them . Should I spot clean them? I put numbers on them. I know they have to sit a day. But how many hours? Should I put them in the bator around the time I got them? Does anyone have a a step by step link? I'm worried I will mess this up then I will be crying

!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
Your not going to mess up!! Ask questions and we will all try to help you out.

If you want to take a paper towel and get off as much of the dry poo as you can, I don't use water on shipped eggs at all or any egg I'm going to incubate.

I let shipped eggs rest 6 to 12 hours if I have received them in the morning. I always set eggs at night right before bedtime and count the next day as my day one. You let the eggs rest for a reason, it's to help the air sac come back to the top and to get the eggs at your house temp. Just make sure your incubator as been running at the correct temp for a day or so before adding the eggs and remember when you add the eggs the temp will drop so don't panic it should come back to normal within a few hours.

If you have a turner no worries on turning the eggs, if your hand turning put an X on one side an O on the other and hand turn 3 times a day to keep the egg exercised and the embryo won't set on one side too long.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-hatch.html

 

[quailbrain]

Don't worry there are lots of helpful people here.

Let them sit small end down for 8 hours at room temp. from when you got them.

Check your temp and humidity while you are waiting to make sure it's spot on.

If you are using a turner place them pointed end down after the 8 hours are up.

If you are hand turning place your mark close to the small end. The large end has the air pores and it's best not to block or clog them with the ink or markings. Lay them on their sides and turn at least twice a day.

Good Luck!

 

[SoCalChick]

Good luck! and dont worry have fun! i was new too hatching and still kinda am - and everyone here on BYC was always here to help me! (AND STILL ARE!) If your nervous now - your gonna be crazy when they start piping! lol .

HAPPY HATCHING! Let me know how your hatch goes!

 

[Soaring Chicks]

Thanks for the link. Also thanks for the info. I hope things work out. I got them around 4pm. So that will make it easy to get the time right. So if the paper towel does not get all the poo off is that ok. It is just a few. I will get things set up. Are brn. eggs hard to candle?
Thanks again!

 

[blessedchickenmama7]

To me, only the dark browns like maran eggs are hard to candle. The others are not so much if your light is bright enough.

Good luck! I'm on my first hatch, too, two days in. And I was a nervous wreck the night I put them in. People here were kind enough to help me.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Get yourself a good small mag flashlight to candle with. Since you are new to candling I would wait til day 10 to candle your eggs. Turn off all the lights in the room and surrounding rooms, that helps alot to be able to see into brown eggs. I've even seen into Marans so I know it works! You will see the embryo and veining. Don't toss any eggs your unsure of til day 14 when you candling again. By then you will know if development is happening.

 

[Soaring Chicks]

Hello, as I set up the bator for the eggs, I found out they did not ship the auto turner! Now it is just up to me. What should the humidity
level be at the start? The books I have all say something diff. My head started spinning so I can here to find out from all of you. Who have done this before. I have a Octagon 20 ECO bator. If this will help out . Eggs went in today I just want to make sure I got everything right so far. Turning is every 6 hours? Do you get the weight on the eggs before you put them in?

Thanks for all the replys before.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
I keep my humidity range for the first 18 days between 40 to 50%. Usually low 40s for here at my house. Day 18 thru 21 I bump the humidity to the 60 to 77% range. I have one of the older larger Brinsea 40s and I don't use my turner with it most of the time I just turn the eggs 3 times a day, around 8 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon and around 11 at night before bedtime. I do not weigh the eggs.

 

[Soaring Chicks]

Thanks,
The info. with the bator said to do a start weight on them and keep a graph for egg weight loss. I feel dumb for asking this .... but how do you turn them around , flip them over? I would think you would want to keep air sac up.