do you have to put all the eggs in at the same time? Is 1 week apart to much I have read of people putting them in at differnt times thanks Newbie
Staggered hatches can be complicated when it comes time to stop turning and lock down. It would be best to set them all at the same time.
Keep your first hatch as simple as possible, and later, when you have more experience you can try to figure out the staggered hatch.
I think it also depends on what type of incubator you have. If you have a foam incubator it is easier to do them all at one time. That way you are not opening the incubator so much. But if you have a large incubator that has shelves on it. I think it is easier to do the once a week hatch.. Just my opinion though.. Best of luck to you!
I have done it in my styrofoam but do not recommend it unless you have a second styrofoam to use to hatch in. I have a cabinet and stryofoam incubators. I set new egg in the incubator weekly and hatch in the styrofoam incubators.
I simply move my eggs to a homemade hatcher. No turners to injure the hatching chicks--that and humidity raising are the differences with staggering hatches, to my knowledge.
I have a cabinet incubator and I run it dry except when I lower chicks to the hatching tray, then I run it with water setting the humidity at 75%... Our house humidity is at 50% all the time. So it runs the best when I run the incubator this way. I lower eggs, add water for the hatch, also adding new eggs to the top row. The following week, I lower the eggs on each shelf, again the ones on the bottom shelf go to the hatching tray and I add water. It works well. We have had the best hatch rates this way.
Wow! You have alot of equipment! I would love to have that many incubators. I have one cabinet and one styrofoam incubator. I love your brooder too! NICE! If you ever decide to part with it, I would gladly take it off your hands..
