Question about adding eggs

[Jessicx]

I have two Bantam Easter Eggers that have just started laying. I am VERY new to this, so I have questions regarding how to incubate new eggs as I add them. My girls are laying roughly every other day, on opposite days. This means I'm adding at least one egg to the incubator every day. Currently, I have 12 at various stages of development. I'm wondering specifically about lockdown.... I just bought a second incubator that will be used for this purpose. My plan is to transfer eggs as they hit lockdown stage into this incubator. Is this okay? I've read that any movement or change in temp and humidity can kill a chick in lockdown.... But will they be ok if I open the lid just long enough to add a new egg? The only other thing I can think to do is keep the eggs in a cool place until I collect enough to start incubating all at once.... But this worries me too as only 1 of the 6 I did this with before has survived. Any advice?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I have two Bantam Easter Eggers that have just started laying. I am VERY new to this, so I have questions regarding how to incubate new eggs as I add them. My girls are laying roughly every other day, on opposite days. This means I'm adding at least one egg to the incubator every day. Currently, I have 12 at various stages of development. I'm wondering specifically about lockdown.... I just bought a second incubator that will be used for this purpose. My plan is to transfer eggs as they hit lockdown stage into this incubator. Is this okay? I've read that any movement or change in temp and humidity can kill a chick in lockdown.... But will they be ok if I open the lid just long enough to add a new egg? The only other thing I can think to do is keep the eggs in a cool place until I collect enough to start incubating all at once.... But this worries me too as only 1 of the 6 I did this with before has survived. Any advice?

You got a good plan but the wrong way of doing it. You should be collecting the eggs from the girls---save them and set them once a week, then once a week you move the batch that is ready to the other incubator that you will be using as a hatcher. You can NOT do that--"correctly" adding them daily.

I set 100, 200 and some times over 300 eggs per week in the incubators, then on day 18 for the first batch I would put them in the "hatcher" let them hatch---put them in the brooders----clean the hatcher and have it ready when the next batch hits day 18. I hatched over 10,000 eggs doing this---the main incubator run for over a year and a half steady, but some times I would be using 3 or 4 incubators---big cabinets most of the time.

 

[Jessicx]

You got a good plan but the wrong way of doing it. You should be collecting the eggs from the girls---save them and set them once a week, then once a week you move the batch that is ready to the other incubator that you will be using as a hatcher. You can NOT do that--"correctly" adding them daily.

Thank you! I had a feeling it would be better to collect and add weekly, I'm just really worried about the viability of these embryos after one week. It gets hot here in Texas! Do you know what temperature I should keep them at until I move them to the incubator?

 

[mtngirl35]

I work 12 hour shifts so when I have a hen go broody sometimes I don't really realize it for a few days and by then I don't know if the eggs she is sitting on are different ages. I will collect eggs from the other nesting boxes and store them in an egg crate at room temp until I have a dozen. I don't try to keep them cool. I usually just sit them on a shelf in the laundry room or pantry. Sometimes it takes me a few days to collect enough. Then I will mark them with a Sharpie and put them under my broody hen and take the old eggs away. I will check periodically....at night so I don't disturb her....to make sure no new eggs turn up in the nest. If one does I remove it. Then I know all the eggs will hatch out within 24 hrs of each other. It won't hurt the eggs to sit for a few days while you collect them and out of 4 or 5 dozen eggs I have only had 1 not hatch. This mimics the way a broody hen will do it if left alone. She will visit the nest each day to lay an egg until she has a clutch and then she will sit on them so they will hatch at roughly the same time.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Thank you! I had a feeling it would be better to collect and add weekly, I'm just really worried about the viability of these embryos after one week. It gets hot here in Texas! Do you know what temperature I should keep them at until I move them to the incubator?

I keep my eggs in cartons in the coolest room of my ACed home. I "tilt" the eggs twice a day. 7 days has Never been a problem. I have even set them at 10 days with a very good hatches----14 days---they have started dropping on the amount that goes into lock down.

 

[mtngirl35]

The eggs I save are kept at room temp which is 68-72 at my house.

 

[Jessicx]

Awesome everyone! This is amazing information, thank you all so much! From now on, I'll collect and store them instead of adding them one at a time.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Awesome everyone! This is amazing information, thank you all so much! From now on, I'll collect and store them instead of adding them one at a time.

You will sure be less stressed that way---Good Luck!!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Awesome everyone! This is amazing information, thank you all so much! From now on, I'll collect and store them instead of adding them one at a time.

Pre incubation egg storage:​

Since I live in Florida and the temperature and humidity fluctuates, I keep my fertile eggs in a Styrofoam cooler with an ice pack off to the side. My eggs are in a egg flat and placed on a tilt. I change the direction of the tilt a few times a day. Also change out the ice pack daily. The temp of my eggs stay around 59°F.
I collect eggs for 7 days. I inspect the eggs prior to going into storage as well. I look for size, cleanliness and deformations/cracks etc. Not all eggs are incubation Worthy.
I never STAGGER BATCH..meaning different hatch dates or multi setting days.

As far as lockdown is concerned, We are hands on Hatchers. Meaning we open and close the incubator frequently during the hatch.. As long as you can avoid drafts and control your temp and humidity, no harm will occur to hatch.
We have been known to add or subtract warm water during the hatch to micromanage the humidity.

We also remove the freshly hatched chicks to prevent roll over fatalities with the remaining eggs. We let them dry in the warm brooder.
Practice makes perfect, find your own system and tweak your process by learning from previous batches.
Hands on experience is the best learning tool!
Good luck to you and best regards, FC

 

[Jessicx]

Pre incubation egg storage:​

Since I live in Florida and the temperature and humidity fluctuates, I keep my fertile eggs in a Styrofoam cooler with an ice pack off to the side. My eggs are in a egg flat and placed on a tilt. I change the direction of the tilt a few times a day. Also change out the ice pack daily. The temp of my eggs stay around 59°F.
I collect eggs for 7 days. I inspect the eggs prior to going into storage as well. I look for size, cleanliness and deformations/cracks etc. Not all eggs are incubation Worthy.
I never STAGGER BATCH..meaning different hatch dates or multi setting days.
View attachment 1109401
As far as lockdown is concerned, We are hands on Hatchers. Meaning we open and close the incubator frequently during the hatch.. As long as you can avoid drafts and control your temp and humidity, no harm will occur to hatch.
We have been known to add or subtract warm water during the hatch to micromanage the humidity.
View attachment 1109404
We also remove the freshly hatched chicks to prevent roll over fatalities with the remaining eggs. We let them dry in the warm brooder.
Practice makes perfect, find your own system and tweak your process by learning from previous batches.
Hands on experience is the best learning tool!
Good luck to you and best regards, FC
View attachment 1109405
View attachment 1109407

Thank you so much! I have been very hands on with this first batch in an attempt to learn everything I can. Since its too late to undo the "stagger batching" I've already done, I will have an opportunity to learn first hand how each process works. I really like the idea of the Styrofoam cooler. I might try that so as to discourage bad behavior from my cats . Did you put holes in your cooler to encourage adequate ventilation?