These BBS Bantam Orp eggs will be arriving next week, so I wanted to make sure I have everything down. Admittedly, they probably weren't the best choice for my first hatch in over 10 years, especially in a still air LG. But I'm going for it. The incubator will be in a room with a stable temperature, so I hope we can keep the temp and humidity stable inside the bator as well. I've done lots of reading on these forums, but just for good measure, if anyone could look over this info and answer any additional questions I have, that would be awesome!
Day 1 to 17, 35-40% humidity
Day 18 to 21, 55-60% humidity
The eggs are going to be incubated about 2 hours from the seacoast at about 500 feet above sea level, so I THINK these humidity levels would be adequate for my location. The eggs were LAID about 6 hours from the coast at about 1000 feet above sea level, about 10 hours southwest of me, if that counts for anything. I read nearly all 28 pages of that Humidity thread in case you couldn't tell, haha.
The temperature should be 101F for a still air bator, right? And the sensor should be at the height of the top of the eggs? I have one of those 12-dollar Accurite thermometer/hygrometers. We are planning to calibrate tonight using the modeling clay/medical thermometer method for the temp and the saltwater mug method for the humidity.
On day 18, I read about standing the eggs big end up in an egg carton to prepare the chicks for hatching. Is this a widely recommended method?
And one more thing - what should I clean my incubator with? I don't feel safe using bleach since it's a styrofoam bator. I've read about Brinsea's Incubation Disinfectant, which sounds pretty good. It sounds as though you can spray it directly on the eggs without hurting them? Not that I would do that, but I would feel much safer sanitizing my bator with something like that rather than with bleach.
Any additional advice on hatching BBS bantam orp eggs (I hear they are more difficult to handle than other eggs) would be greatly appreciated! I'm so excited for next week!!
Day 1 to 17, 35-40% humidity
Day 18 to 21, 55-60% humidity
The eggs are going to be incubated about 2 hours from the seacoast at about 500 feet above sea level, so I THINK these humidity levels would be adequate for my location. The eggs were LAID about 6 hours from the coast at about 1000 feet above sea level, about 10 hours southwest of me, if that counts for anything. I read nearly all 28 pages of that Humidity thread in case you couldn't tell, haha.
The temperature should be 101F for a still air bator, right? And the sensor should be at the height of the top of the eggs? I have one of those 12-dollar Accurite thermometer/hygrometers. We are planning to calibrate tonight using the modeling clay/medical thermometer method for the temp and the saltwater mug method for the humidity.
On day 18, I read about standing the eggs big end up in an egg carton to prepare the chicks for hatching. Is this a widely recommended method?
And one more thing - what should I clean my incubator with? I don't feel safe using bleach since it's a styrofoam bator. I've read about Brinsea's Incubation Disinfectant, which sounds pretty good. It sounds as though you can spray it directly on the eggs without hurting them? Not that I would do that, but I would feel much safer sanitizing my bator with something like that rather than with bleach.
Any additional advice on hatching BBS bantam orp eggs (I hear they are more difficult to handle than other eggs) would be greatly appreciated! I'm so excited for next week!!
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