PLEASE ANSWER... I MUST set my incubator TONIGHT and need to know this

[newbiechickenowner]

Hello. I have to set my eggs in the incubator tonight or in the morning....my question is this.... DO THEY SMELL? The safest place for them to be is in my closet. However, I just noticed someone saying something about smell and I DON'T WANT my closet in my master bedroom to smell! I hadn't thought of that! I thought it would be OK. But, now am wondering. If it is going to smell, PLEASE let me know as I will try to find somewhere else....no where is safe in this house from the DARN cats! Love them, but can't stand them....they get into everything. They would LOVE to scratch styrofoam. I await your answers.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Mine don't smell, I also have five cats, and they don't really bother with the incubators

 

[Terri O]

Hi--I too have cats in the house. My incubator is on the kitchen table. I really havent noticed any smell--you will get some if you have a rotten egg though! What I do is cover the incubator with a fleece throw. It keeps them from scratching it all up. Before I did this they gave it a pretty good work-out! Now that it is covered there has been no additional scratching but there has been a cat (or 2) sleeping on top! Hey--it's free heat right? HTH--Terri O

 

[Elly_Mae]

My bedroom closet is huge and I have my incubators in there. They don't smell at all and they shouldn't. If you are smelling something funky coming from your incubator you need to track down the bad egg and remove it. Carefully, so it doesn't break. I haven't had a stinker yet but I hear it's

 

[spiritdance]

You would only have a problem if you left a bad egg to explode in the 'bator, but you can tell an egg is bad long before that point by candling or smelling the egg directly. It will give off an odor you can smell up close but not one that you would notice otherwise. I make it a practice to candle at day 9, cull any clear, blood ring, or smelly eggs, then I candle again at day 18 before lockdown and again cull any bad eggs. I've never had a problem with a smelly bator.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

They don't smell unless you get a rotten egg. Our incubators are in our bedroom right now... no smell whatsoever. I did however have to get used to the sound of the egg turner and fan, cause I like it vewy vewy quiet when I'm huntin' wabbits.... err, I mean sleepin'

 

[EmtheFishLady]

Quote:
Mine is right beside my computer. I never notice it. There's isn't a smell at all, and I have 4 dinosaur eggs in mine. I also had to get used to the sound, but even that isn't too bad. We have a humidifier in the bedroom that drives me ABSOLUTELY INSANE. Sounds like it's raining.

 

[gryeyes]

After hatching, there is some smell from the waste material excreted in the egg shells by the developing chicks. It goes away as soon as you clean the incubator.

 

[newbiechickenowner]

Oh and should I set them at night or in the morning? What makes more sense at the end? Thank you all so much for your quick responses. I have a Pekin who decided to sit some eggs....She is very diligent, but, 2 others have also decided to sit with her. The problem is they break the eggs. John Metzer said I could pull them and put them in the bator and just clean it out after, etc. HOwever, when I just got my first candler and went out to get them, I am so confused....I brought out pictures of every day and what they should look like and I am wondering if the candler is not showing me the blood vessel streaks. They are definately all moving along and I find it hard to believe that they would ALL BE DEAD AND lacking vessels and one even feels heavier than the others...like it is really far along. I don't know how to process what I saw. There was an air sac in each and there was definately an "embryo" in each one...one was almost black at one end...if you turned one or two of them, you could see the sac, and the embryo and then, on the other side of the egg, it was translucent. I am trying so hard to figure this out. I would like to just let her do it, but, I fear that they will destroy them by accident and I can't bear to go find an almost cooked duckling that died needlessly....but, don't want anything to explode like you were all telling me...that sounds AWFUL! Thanks again for answering so quickly! Sorry to add in an additional question, but, I was going to put it in the first one and forgot (the set at night or in the morning question).

 

[bluere11e]

They have no smell to me. However, If you aren't vigilant ( Yeah, leave it to the turner and never check your eggs til lock down) You'll end up with a stinker that can quickly become and egg bomb.. Explodes when you pick it up..

Check your incubators regularly. Keep an eye on the humidity and be sure the turners are working. Unless your like me, rolling eggs 3-4 times a day like mama hen..

It's important to pay attention. You'll know as soon as one starts going off.. You'll catch a whiff of that sulfurous vapour.. Don't blame the DH/DW, cat, dog or gerbil just yet.. Check your eggs.. easy as that.
Now, when it comes time for lockdown. I have all my eggs on the rubber shelf liner that has itty bitty holes.. It's easy to clean and helps fuzzybutts get their footing. Clean up ater a hatch. Use a bleach solution. If you have a styrofoam hatchabator, take the bottom outside after a good soak/scrub in bleach water and let the Sun do the rest. I've had mine for over 15 years. never had to replace any parts except the temp wafer and they are still working and dependable. I'm almost scared to get new ones because everything nowadays just isn't built to last

Good luck!
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