Nervous! 1st Time Lock-down Questions!

[O.C.Chick]

IF ANYONE'S STILL OUT THERE LISTENING....

Do you think it would hurt / help if tonight I took out the turner and got everything set up (instead of tomorrow). I could turn by hand tomorrow morning, but I'm thinking it might be safer for me to get everything ready when I candle tonight...That way I could up the humidity gradually tomorrow (with aquarium tubing) without having to open the incubator.

Thoughts? Anyone?

Thanks!!!!!!

 

[jay1995]

1. Eggs generally stay like the same weight. Dont worry about that. Could just be chick absorbing the yolk.

2. I dont put any thing down but some people use like the shelf liner

3. Just lay them on thier sides it is better if they can move around. And yes giv them enough space apart

4. No that will make humidity go up. They will not be in there to long. Mine would pant for like thirty seconds before I took them out. They have to be completly dry when you take them out of the incubator. Goodluck.

 

[jay1995]

O.C.Chick :

IF ANYONE'S STILL OUT THERE LISTENING....

Do you think it would hurt / help if tonight I took out the turner and got everything set up (instead of tomorrow). I could turn by hand tomorrow morning, but I'm thinking it might be safer for me to get everything ready when I candle tonight...That way I could up the humidity gradually tomorrow (with aquarium tubing) without having to open the incubator.

Thoughts? Anyone?

Thanks!!!!!!

Yes, I would do it if I were you. The sooner the better. Some start hatching on day 18,19 and 20. Goodluck, keep us updated.​

 

[O.C.Chick]

Thanks Jay!

 

[jay1995]

O.C.Chick :

Thanks Jay!

Yep, keep us updated, when they hatch post some pics. we love pics. Goodluck.​

 

[O.C.Chick]

Will do!

 

[Wynette]

Good morning! HOw are things looking? Sorry I wasn't on last night...I typically do not get online after 5 p.m.

BTW: eggs DO NOT stay the same weight during incubation - they MUST Lose between 12-14% of their weight.

As far as laying on their sides or putting them in an egg carton to hatch, most folks use the egg carton, but just do what seems right to you. I have found it to be a much better hatch rate hatching in cartons.

Can't wait to hear how y'all do!

 

[O.C.Chick]

Hi Wynette,

Can't thank you enough for the hand-holding!!! Just put them in lock-down, following your advice. I used the egg carton, but cut away the bottom and the little peaks on top because it seemed to be shifting the humidity (possibly because it was still slightly damp from sterilizing it). Anyway, it's the same concept, but I figured it would be better for air-flow if there were big holes in the bottom. I also put a piece of sterilized fiberglass screen (the soft kind) over the wire just as a precaution. The humidity is now 76%, so I'm keeping an eye on things until I feel confident it has stabilized. Set it up so that I can add water through 5/16" aquarium tubing if necessary.

The egg that I mentioned I tested yesterday for weight yesterday had been alive and kicking on Tuesday, but sadly, it had quit when I candled it last night. I weighed two more and they hadn't lost as much weight, so I think my humidity had been fine all along. (I sure hope it WAS actually dead when I took it out, and that I didn't act too fast...I saw NO movement last night, and also, the air sack was REALLY big, around 1/3 of the egg. And as I said, it had lost around 14.5% of the weight since setting. I have no idea what may have gone wrong, aside from me messing with things too much! I cracked it open today and there was a pretty large embryo in there that on first glance looked pretty normal. It made me too sad to analyze it too closely, so I just buried it.

)

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how things are coming along, and hope you'll do the same!

Hope you'll have MUCH better luck than I'm having so far!!!

Alys

 

[Wynette]

Alys, you know, you just need to look at it as a learning experience...every time I hatch, I learn something new! If you can take even a tiny morsel away each time, then it's not a lost cause!!

Good idea on cutting away the bottoms of the carton; some folks actually even incubate in cartons and cut away the bottoms when incubating, so that should work just fine!!

Sorry about your little lost one...

Hey, your humidity is pretty high...you may want to bump it down. As soon as you get a pip, it'll go up quite a bit, so if you have it this high to start with, you're in for potential trouble at hatch time. I leave my humidity at about 60-65, and when I get a pip, it goes up in the 70s.

I'll TRY to get online tonight - it's really difficult for me to get that done at night as I'm so darn busy, but I'll most definitely try! GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Katy]

I wouldn't remove an egg just because I saw no movement at that late date. They sleep and rest and don't have much room to move around at that point in time. I realize it's too late for it now, but next time I'd certainly leave it in.