My eggs in AT LAST after a crazy weekend...

[Godiva]

My eggs from Mothergoose, Hazelton Farms and Florida Chick arrived really speedily and there were only two cracked ones. I had been running my Genesis 1588 since Wednesday though and it still hadn't got up to temp and I was tearing my hair out for a while. I spent the whole weekend flipping toggle switches and gradually, eventually, at last it started holding a temp of over 99.5! I had to go to setting 7 and this morning I put the eggs in. I really hope that this is just a result of my inexperience and that all is going to go smoothly now. I spoke to a guy at GQF this morning and we ran through a few things and it seems the incubator is working ok.... I am really nervous now but committed with eggs in and hopefully heating up nicely. How long does it typically take for a full load to heat up? I had extras in my egg orders and now I have 50 eggs!!! I am going to hang in there until the first candling and then hopefully I can put the egg turner in. I am hoping that it hasn't harmed the eggs sitting in a warm room for the weekend and that maybe it was good for them to have a really good rest

Please hold thumbs with me that all is going to work properly now. Should I wait for the temp to get stable before I start turning the eggs?

 

[equine chick]

Wow godiva that is alot of eggs! I think as long as they have settled for at least eight hours you should be turning them at least 3x day. I would put the egg turner in but I'm not an expert, it's just what i would do. By the way good luck on your hatch!

 

[Godiva]

Do you think I should put the egg turner in and then try to fit the extras along the edge? I have 8 bantam eggs that could maybe try that? I am up for great ideas! I have never ordered hatching eggs before and did not realise that folks put in some extras

I am delighted with the extras of course!! It is just how on earth to keep them going until some are weeded out presumably at the first candling. I also have some really dirty eggs that were sent and I guess if I have to those would be good to take out... should I clean them at all? I don't know how to do that... how much dirt is too much? At what point is it going to affect the egg?

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
I have the auto turner in and had to put extras along the edge. The extra eggs are small/medium sized so I was able to fit them in (I only had about 5 extra). They'll get hand turned in the morning and in the evening until I can candle and remove any that aren't developing.

As for cleaning, you'll get different information from everyone. It's a matter of choice, what you feel you need to do. If I have any dirty, I'll wipe off what I can with a dry paper towel and then do a spot clean with a damp paper towel. I just hate to spend the money and not set them because of some dirt or poo on the shell. If they develop, good I gambled right and if not, well I tried. heh, heh

 

[Godiva]

Maybe this evening I will put the turner in, hopefully by then the temp will have settled in nicely, and I will know that the eggs are not going to be cooked! HOw often do you check the bator for temp during the day? I seem to be spending the day running down to the workshop to peek at the thermometers.

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
Where are you taking the temp reading of 99.5? This is the temp for inside a water wiggler with a probe not for any other measurement.

There was someone else here just this week with a failed hatch because the temps were just too low and the reading wasn't taken at the proper place. One or two degrees can make a huge difference in a hatch.

Keep us posted when you candle.

And don't forget we love photos of baby chicks when they hatch!

 

[Godiva]

OK, HELP! Here I was thinking that the temp needed to be between 99.5 and 100.5 F Set me straight... I have two thermometers resting on the eggs (the stick one that came with the incubator and a dial type flukers one) and I also have a digital one that is suspended from the 'ceiling' of the incubator and is just above the eggs. They are all reading just below 100 degrees and the digital is about 99.5. SO do I need to flip the next toggle switch. How warm is too warm? I had really hoped that the GQF incubator was going to be kind to me since I am a first timer and I heard that they were kind of 'plug and play'. THis is enough to give me grey hair after this weekend. I have the incubator in the bathroom in the workshop but I noticed the heating vent is blowing some air toward the incubator. The vent is in the ceiling of the bathroom. Should I try to rig some kind of cover that is about a foot above teh incubator? I appreciate your input folks!

 

[Godiva]

Oh, and what is a water wiggler and should I have one and where do you get them etc????

 

[MissPrissy]

If you are hatching in a 1588 with fan the temps at the top of the eggs should be 100 - 100.5.

This is a water wiggler.

We use it to mimic the temps INSIDE of an egg. With the probe reading 99.5 we know we are in the ballpark for hatching success.

It is a child's toy often found at the dollar store or walmart for under $1.

 

[MissPrissy]

This is the eggs that should hatch for me in the next few days.