new to incubating

[Bird_Lover_17]

Hi I got the Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 incubator, and I am wondering any tips for hatching chicken eggs.

I plan on hatching Barred Rock eggs, any tips?

 

[kyeschicks]

Hi I got the Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 incubator, and I am wondering any tips for hatching chicken eggs.

I plan on hatching Barred Rock eggs, any tips?

Are they from your own flock or shipped?
Have you ever incubated eggs?

 

[jher77]

You might be able to just read the incubators manual and have a good hatch but this is a great manual.
Hubbard Incubation Guide

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

Any specifics you need help with?

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

Are they from your own flock or shipped?
Have you ever incubated eggs?

They are from my own flock and I have not incubated eggs before

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

Any specifics you need help with?

Just basics like lockdown, collecting them, etc.

 

[kyeschicks]

They are from my own flock and I have not incubated eggs before

You would want to collect eggs for no more than a week. This is based on how hens lay eggs before they actually set on them.

Store them in room temperature with pointy end down, you want the wider end up where the air cell is so it remains intact. When you set them in the incubator, you have to turn the eggs either by hand or by using an automatic turner. If I'm turning them by hand, I usually turn them 4 to 6 times a day.

Depending on your incubator, test your incubator for 24hrs before you place the eggs. If it's a still air incubator (no fan) you would need temp around 100.5-101.0f. If it's a forced air (has a fan) you would need temp around 99.5f. This temp needs to remain constant throughout the entire incubation period (21 days, maybe more if they're delayed hatches)

Humidity depends. There has been a lot of recommendations and everybody has different values. Some people measure the air-cell which tells them whether they have a good humidity level of it's too low or too high, just by looking at the air-cell. Some weigh the eggs and make sure they're losing the appropriate amount of moisture. Over the years it has become a complicated process lol You do need to raise humidity the last three days which is considered lockdown. This is important as they need high humidity in order to avoid getting shrink wrapped which is when humidity is too low and the membrane surrounding the chick becomes stuck to the chick and the chick can't move properly to hatch and eventually dies. Me personally, in Texas, I incubate my eggs at 45%-55% for the first 18 days and raise the humidity to 65%-69% for the last three days.

During lockdown period (last three days) you need to stop turning the eggs and remove the turner tray if you have one in place. You raise the humidity, and maintain the humidity at the appropriate percentage. Do not open the incubator for any reason until all chicks have hatched. They absorb the yolk and have nutrition for 48 hours. They should all be hatched by then.

I will go search for some links and post them on this post that can explain humidity better using the weighing method or monitoring the air-cell method.

Here is an article explaining the humidity and weighing method: A Guide to Humidity, Weighing and Lockdown.

Here is a thread with an image of how the air-cell should look like if you mark it on the egg with a pencil.

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

You would want to collect eggs for no more than a week. This is based on how hens lay eggs before they actually set on them.

Store them in room temperature with pointy end down, you want the wider end up where the air cell is so it remains intact. When you set them in the incubator, you have to turn the eggs either by hand or by using an automatic turner. If I'm turning them by hand, I usually turn them 4 to 6 times a day.

Depending on your incubator, test your incubator for 24hrs before you place the eggs. If it's a still air incubator (no fan) you would need temp around 100.5-101.0f. If it's a forced air (has a fan) you would need temp around 99.5f. This temp needs to remain constant throughout the entire incubation period (21 days, maybe more if they're delayed hatches)

Humidity depends. There has been a lot of recommendations and everybody has different values. Some people measure the air-cell which tells them whether they have a good humidity level of it's too low or too high, just by looking at the air-cell. Some weigh the eggs and make sure they're losing the appropriate amount of moisture. Over the years it has become a complicated process lol You do need to raise humidity the last three days which is considered lockdown. This is important as they need high humidity in order to avoid getting shrink wrapped which is when humidity is too low and the membrane surrounding the chick becomes stuck to the chick and the chick can't move properly to hatch and eventually dies. Me personally, in Texas, I incubate my eggs at 45%-55% for the first 18 days and raise the humidity to 65%-69% for the last three days.

During lockdown period (last three days) you need to stop turning the eggs and remove the turner tray if you have one in place. You raise the humidity, and maintain the humidity at the appropriate percentage. Do not open the incubator for any reason until all chicks have hatched. They absorb the yolk and have nutrition for 48 hours. They should all be hatched by then.

I will go search for some links and post them on this post that can explain humidity better using the weighing method or monitoring the air-cell method.

Here is an article explaining the humidity and weighing method: A Guide to Humidity, Weighing and Lockdown.

Here is a thread with an image of how the air-cell should look like if you mark it on the egg with a pencil.

Thank you very much!

 

[kandyg_99]

You might be able to just read the incubators manual and have a good hatch but this is a great manual.
Hubbard Incubation Guide

Thank You For Sharing This Is An Awesome Manual...

 

[TinaJ74]

I had 16 going in to lockdown and all 16 hatched, 8 barnyard mixes and 8 silkies. The silkies were all last to hatch and took the longest to come out. Considering they had come from a nearly 2- week old dozen of eggs that were meant to be scrambled, I think that was a great finish. I had pulled 2 blood rings and 2 clears by day 10. This incubator is certainly dummy proof