Preparing to Incubate for the 1st Time!!! HELP!

[Keri78]

Ok...PLEASE help me!

My friend has offered her incubator(supposedly ""a good one"?) for me to use to incubate my precious silkie eggs that I'm expecting any day now! Here's my questions:

1. How long do I have to let them sit before I place them in the bator?(some people say 8 hrs. some people say 24hrs?)

2. Explain in simple simple terms the egg carton method..and would this apply to silkie eggs?

3. How about the dry hatch method? Is that a better way to go?

I've been reading and reading but the more I read the more complicated it seems! Just give me a step by step .."Here's what you do kinda thing".

Thanks Eerybody! I would like to make a thread on this!

Blessings,Keri

 

[quenston]

On the eggs I would let set at least 24 hrs to come to room temp.
During this 24 hrs I would run the incubator so that you could make sure that the temp and humidity is going to stay stabilized, me personally I run the temp without a fan from 101-102, with a fan 99.5 to 100.5, these temps are both on top of the eggs. The humidity is a matter of opinion in my opinion and depends on factors of the incubators surroundings, but I try to hold the humidity to 30-40% and never let it drop below 25%. After the 24 hour wait on the bator and the eggs you will place them in the incubator, with a turner you will put the small end of the egg down into the turner and the turner does all the work, no turner you will need to mark the eggs with a #2 pencil on one side and turn the eggs at least 3 times per day. During this time you will monitor the humidity and temerature. Some people prefer to candle eggs and some dont. I personally do sometimes and sometimes I dont just depends on where the eggs came from, I candle at day3, 7, and 14. On day 18 you will quit turning the eggs manually or take them out of the turner and put them in the bottom of the incubator, I also usually will put hot wet socks in bottom edges of the incubator for humidity, you humidity will need to be increased to 60-65% during days 18-21. When your eggs start hatching dont be in a hurry to take them out of the bator remember that a chick can live up to 3 days of the yolk of the egg. When the majority or most of the eggs have hatched and they look sufficiently dried I will then take and place them in the Brooder and that is my .02 cents worth on incubating. I am sure that I have left something out on this but I tried lol

 

[Madcap621]

As I understand it - & did it - "The Egg Carton Method" applies to Hatching the eggs [rather than incubating them]. At lockdown, when you take the turner out [or stop turning], instead of laying the eggs on their side on the bottom of the bator, place them small end down in the bottom of an egg carton that you have trimmed the tops off of the peaks of the dividers [allows air and humidity to circulate better].This prevents the eggs rolling around and smacking together. I think it also gives the chicks the full advantage of their "push energy". Additionally, the carton holds most of the mess from hatching, making clean-up easier.

Also, at lock down you need to remove your vent plugs to allow more oxygen to enter your bator. The plug holes give a good place to add water with a syrenge or baster with attached tubing without opening bator if you need to add water to increase humidity. Put a smallish piece of sponge in a plastic cup under the vent and be sure added water is hot. GOOD LUCK!

 

[dovecanyon]

Personally, I believe that if you incubate them laying on their side you should hatch them laying on their side. If you incubate them in a turner or egg carton, then hatch them in a carton.

 

[Keri78]

Ok...things are getting clearer! My eggs should be here on Friday and we're firing up the bator tomorrow morning to get it all stablized(ooow..I'm learning the terms and all!)

So day 18 is when things REALLY start to change! So rather than laying them on their sides people are having better success placing them in an egg carton at this point. Is this a plastic carton styrafoam or cardboard..(or am I just overcomplicating this!

Can you give me more details on how to cut the carton?

Ok..I'm REALLY trying NOT to be an annoying DORK! Good thing I'm hatching out silkies...hopefully they can do this for me next time round! Thanks,Keri

 

[IggiMom]

I cannot answer all your questions, and many have done a lot, but here is my 2 cents.

I do not like the dry method. After goofing up a number of hatches for different reasons, I broke down and got a good hygrometer (measures humidity) and I do check my humidity carefully.

I keep it between 50 and 60 and this is easy to do with my incubator with the water in the troughs, but during the last three days I try to keep it between 60 and 70 by misting inside it. I lift the lid very quickly and mist, but not right on the eggs. I keep my little mister in the incubator itself, helps keep the temperature stable, and keeps the water in the mister at just the right temperature.

A little dish of water in there can also help, BUT, I did lose two chicks who decided to swim, and, well...

I check my humidity at least twice a day, more during those last crucial days.

I suspect the dry method is great if you happen to live in a climate where it works well. Not here, it doesn't (West Virginia).

Good luck, have fun, I hope you have a good hatch.

Catherine

 

[Keri78]

Thanks! I've read through the two articles on the BYC homepage about incubating and the "Dry Hatch" doesn't really mean DRY...I guess just "drier" then the norm. No less then 40% humidity for banties with 50% humidity being IDEAL (which I'm attempting silkies) Sooo...I think I'm going to follow those instructions and what everyone here has said as well as the carton method at the end and see how it goes. I'm only hatching 6 so I REALLY want a good hatch rate! If anyone else has any experience or pics of how they prepare their egg cartons PLEASE send em over! Blessings,Keri

 

[Madcap621]

Lock-down for me is Friday. I have spent today getting my hatcher ready. It is my second Hova-bator 'picture window'.

You can see the cord of the computer fan I installed. You can also see where I cut out a little hole over one of the water channels to add water thru' the vent & if you look closely, you can see the edge of the piece of 'super towel' under the rubber shelf lining that I can saturate if needed for more humidity [through the back vent hole]. I have 17 eggs so will use the 18 egg carton for hatching. The round thing is a thermometer I am testing. I will use the plastic thermom/hygrom. Looking closely, you will see the edge of the 'super towel' that is under the bator to catch spills. The top of the hatcher is the top of my 'bator.

The second picture shows how I trimmed off the tops of the separators. I use the cardboard cartons as they absorb fluids but I have seen pictures of Styrofoam ones being used. I think it is a matter of personal preference and availability. Good luck! & Happy Hatching!

 

[Keri78]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I do MUCH better seeing things so this was PERFECT! Got it!

OK...I'm Feelin Prepared Now all I need are my eggies!

Blessings,Keri