Newbie hatching questions

[MA Mama]

MY FIRST HATCH!! Do you think that these newbie mistakes are going to cost me the whole hatch??? I got in 6 Silkie Showgirl (supposedly) and 16 Araucana (real deal) eggs, let them sit from shipping for about 6 hours (but they sat in the Post Office nicely protected for 5 hours before that). I hear that not letting them sit more is going to harm my hatch. 3 Araucanas and 1 Silkie had (from my virgin eye) detached bubbles. The Silkies all had condensation at first, which I dried them of and then it never returned. I have been dilegently turning them with clean hands (3x per day when I am working, 4-5x per day when I am not. I started turning on the first day. Now I read that maybe I shouldn't have turned them AT ALL for 3 days. And, I am using an old Hova Bator still air, which holds temp REALLY well, but it doesn't have a grid on the bottom so the eggs are sitting directly on styrofoam. Do you think that all of these things are going to add up to a particuarly bad hatch? I know you don't have a crystal ball, but if I don't see anything when it hits 5 days, should I call it a day?

My other question is that obviously the temp is decreased when the eggs get turned. Which is more important, turning them or maintaining the temp? I know the minimum to turn is 3x, but is it worth it to turn more than that when it does indeed drop the temp? My incubator does bring the heat back pretty quick.

Thanks in advance for your help. Be kind! I know I have a lot to learn!

 

[tec27]

I turn mine twice a day. Once when i wake up and again when i go to bed. Mine hatch fine using that method so your turning habits are fine.

Eggs sitting directly on styrofoam isn't going to hurt them at all.

You definitely should have turned them the first three days. So you did good on that.

Detached air bubbles can reattach.

You should let them sit for 24 hours before putting them in the incubator (point side facing down). I forgot to do this my last hatch and my hatch rate was 80%. So its not necessary just recommended.

It sounds like to me you just need to chill out lol. The less you worry and think about it the better the hatch will go. You don't need to be turning them that much. Its not going to hurt but its a pain to keep opening the bator. It is more important to keep the temperature in the 99-102 range than turning 4-5 times a day. You have to remember too that just because the temp of the bator drops when you turn the eggs, doesn't mean that the temp of the eggs drop. The standard rule of thumb is that you should keep the bator open for more than 30 minutes. Remember than hens when they are incubating eggs, they get off the eggs every once in a while and then return to them. Its the same principle as you opening the bator and turning them. So this won't hurt them. Just keep it to a minimal.

Other than that just chill out and relax. Your main concern is keeping the temp and humidity correct. Temperature and humidity problems is the number 1 reason why hatches aren't successful.

 

[MA Mama]

Thank you very much for your reply - I really mean that. I will take what you said about chilling out to heart. There's nothing I can do now anyway!

 

[Syharrison]

i dont turn for the first 3 days but im gunna do my next one from the start and compare the difference of fertile hatches.
turn mine morning, evening and night
i turn them swiftly, and gently. i lost about 5degrees when i do this but it's nothing to worry about at all.
maintaining the temp and turning them are both vital if you dont turn them you'll find you have a lower hatch rate and possibly deformed chicks.
the guide states to turn incubating eggs every 4 hours. you're doing fine
by the way if you have a bad hatch then it doesnt matter, we have to learn somehow and you're doing a kajillion times better than me with my first incubation, trust me!!!

 

[tec27]

Yea your definitely doing better than i did my first hatch. I forgot to turn the eggs a couple days. My temperature was inconsistent. My humidity was a mess. I actually just started pouring water all over my bator because i couldn't get the humidity up. The whole process was a mess. I had a very good hatch rate though. It's not as hard as you think it is. Oh and btw, my bator was a cardboard box lol. Classy right?

 

[Syharrison]

mine was a laundry basket with light so you're doing better than the both of us combined hahahaha