Newbie/Homespun Questions :)

[Chamelle]

Quote:
I think I understand what you mean about the bits of carton between each egg... I'm going to go take some pics of my set up, and I'll show you how I do it so that the chick has plenty of room to pip and zip out.

Lots of people that use an auto turner take the eggs out a few days before they hatch and either lay them on their side, or put them in an egg carton.

The reason I use an egg carton is for the ease of clean-up, and so that I don't have eggs rolling around in the incubator. Believe me, once those babies are trying to get out, that egg can really travel. Also, chicks that have hatched, and are still in the bator will knock in to the other eggs that are pipping. I haven't had it happen, but my concern is that an egg will get rolled over on to where the chick is pipping and it won't be able to progress any further.

I'll be back with some pictures in a bit.

 

[Chamelle]

Ok, here are a coupla pics:

Here's an egg pipping in the carton. you can see how low I've torn the sides so that there was no danger of the chick trying to pip below the side.

This one is what my last hatch looked like when it was done. The only thing in the bator afterwards was some pieces of shell. No gunk.

This is how my hand turning set up works. These are duck eggs.

Hope this helps, I always need to 'see'.

 

[TheTeenyTinyFarm]

That's a good idea..than you don't have to hand turn each one individually leaving the bator open too long.

I use the thermometer that came with the bator and then I put a hygrometer that I bought from Wal-mart. The temp changed about 4 -5 degrees and stayed that way for about 4 hours and I changed it immediately when I got home...they seem to be okay cause I candled them last night and they were moving.

Thank you.