Questions about eggs before locking down.

[Sylviaanne]

MESH! That's the word I was looking for. I keep saying hardware cloth because that's what it is at the hardware store but mesh is a better word for it. Thank you. Sylvia

 

[Farmer Viola]

Thank you, Farmer Viola. You have been very helpful. I know I ask similar questions over and over but until I gain experience I am stuck in a rut of uncertainty. It is nice to know others have "cooked" their eggs and still had a decent hatch. Even with shelf liner, doesn't the poo go through the grid and get on the bottom of the incubator? For these eggs going on lockdown I have put paper towels in the bottom of it under the wire screen. I read where someone did that and wet them to raise the humidity. I thought that was a good idea, it would keep poo from sticking to the styrofoam. The last hatch I did left some really sticky poo on the styrofoam and either I didn't get it all off or it stained the material. I couldn't get it out or off. I read you don't want to scrub it hard because that leaves scratches in the foam that bacteria can grow in. I sprayed it with disinfectant spray and waited for it to dry before reloading it. Sylvia

The shelf liner is strictly to help protect the chick's toes, and give them good grip for walking... it doesn't help with cleaning. As I said before, I had one chick break her toe on the wire!

on cleaning... what I do after a hatch, I dump the bottom of the incubator out outside (eggshells and feathers and bits). then I put it in the bathtub and turn the hot shower on it. I let it soak to get all the dried on poop out. most of it washes away after that. I use a scrub brush and get the stuck-on poop. I spray it out with lysol antibacterial kitchen spray, then let it dry in the sun (the sun also kills bacteria).

for the top with the electrical parts, I just wipe it out with a paper towel and lysol.

 

[kev0]

Hi Sylvia
The shavings I use are pine never had any problems at all they seem to hold on to the moisture well I dont know why chicks seem to have a great affinity to water I have had a few drown in the past this is why I opt to use damp shavings or even a damp cloth placed on the floor of the incubator, I have just locked down a couple of my incubators due to hatch tomorrow this is the only time I add water I will let you know how I do once the hatches are complete, One of my best incubators is over 90 years old an old glevum have a look on google it never lets me down!! its so old it runs on paraffin and holds temp like a dream
anyway best of luck with your hatch please let me know what brand of incubator you are using

 

[Pooman]

You can smell the bad ones too if it is hard to see inside. If they dont smell off give em the chance.

Clear ones obviously throw away

 

[Sylviaanne]

Hi Sylvia
The shavings I use are pine never had any problems at all they seem to hold on to the moisture well I dont know why chicks seem to have a great affinity to water I have had a few drown in the past this is why I opt to use damp shavings or even a damp cloth placed on the floor of the incubator, I have just locked down a couple of my incubators due to hatch tomorrow this is the only time I add water I will let you know how I do once the hatches are complete, One of my best incubators is over 90 years old an old glevum have a look on google it never lets me down!! its so old it runs on paraffin and holds temp like a dream
anyway best of luck with your hatch please let me know what brand of incubator you are using

90 years old? Wow! I will look that up for sure. In this day and age, a person could run across something like that and if it doesn't have a name on it, you probably wouldn't recognize it as an incubator. Is paraffin the only thing it runs on? Like would some of the modern oils work? I'd love to know how your babies do! Like everyone else here, I like looking at pictures, too.

I have 2 incubators now. Both are Little Giant, one is still air (the old one) and the other one has a fan. This year I bought 2 egg turners. My husband offered to buy the new incubator and the egg turners and I didn't turn him down. LOL I did feel, still do I guess, I still feel guilty but I wanted them. I put paper towels in the bottom of the incubator on lockdown and more on the wire mesh to lay the eggs on. I pour water on the paper towels covering the bottom. They are due to hatch on the 12th but I don't hear or see anything yet. I am really hoping I didn't kill them at 3 days in the incubator when I turned it up and not down. Sylvia

 

[Sylviaanne]

You can smell the bad ones too if it is hard to see inside. If they dont smell off give em the chance.

Clear ones obviously throw away

Sometimes when I open the incubator I notice a stink but I can put the eggs right against my nose and I don't smell anything. I did toss the clear ones. Thank you so much for your help. Sylvia

 

[ZoeS95423]

I've never had a rotten egg in my bator, but have noticed it smell funky. Then once your chicks hatch and dry, when you move the to the Brody your hands and chicks will smell funky, I think it is just a normal smell that goes with hatching. But I'm not sure.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I've never had a rotten egg in my bator, but have noticed it smell funky. Then once your chicks hatch and dry, when you move the to the Brody your hands and chicks will smell funky, I think it is just a normal smell that goes with hatching. But I'm not sure.

If the eggs are rotten the smell is different from the funky smell. Much worse. I thought with my first egg that went bad that the incubator should smell like a bad egg but not even the shell of the egg smelled bad. I held it up against my nose and couldn't smell it. This time, both had damage and a really bad odor.

 

[kev0]

Hi Sylvia
If I run the old glevum outside ie in a shed or out building I use premium grade paraffin I think you call it kerosene however if I use it in the house I place a ceramic heat bulb in the heat exchanger either way it runs very well the thermostat is a wafer type and controlls the temp spot on I tend to run it at 104.f at the top of the eggs , I have just had a couple of really good hatches 90% plus.
Now then the incubators you are using are very similar to the hovabator only the little giant has electronic temp control Out of all the incubators I have used the hovabator was by far the worst I never had any luck with it at all!! here in the UK they are very expensive to buy around £90:00 I think thats around $150.00 for the basic model without fan or turner
A really good small incubator is the covatutto 16 they are quite popular here in the uk I have a couple of them and always get good results getting back to the smell of a rotten egg you can usually identify them with your nose they usually stands out like a sore thumb I think by now you might have some chicks I hope so, as for you worrying about the temp being too high at the start of incubation if there was a problem all the eggs would have been clear Good Luck Kev

 

[Sylviaanne]

Hi Sylvia
If I run the old glevum outside ie in a shed or out building I use premium grade paraffin I think you call it kerosene however if I use it in the house I place a ceramic heat bulb in the heat exchanger either way it runs very well the thermostat is a wafer type and controlls the temp spot on I tend to run it at 104.f at the top of the eggs , I have just had a couple of really good hatches 90% plus.
Now then the incubators you are using are very similar to the hovabator only the little giant has electronic temp control Out of all the incubators I have used the hovabator was by far the worst I never had any luck with it at all!! here in the UK they are very expensive to buy around £90:00 I think thats around $150.00 for the basic model without fan or turner
A really good small incubator is the covatutto 16 they are quite popular here in the uk I have a couple of them and always get good results getting back to the smell of a rotten egg you can usually identify them with your nose they usually stands out like a sore thumb I think by now you might have some chicks I hope so, as for you worrying about the temp being too high at the start of incubation if there was a problem all the eggs would have been clear Good Luck Kev

You are right. I have 5 chicks and 8 pipped eggs. I do seem to have a problem though. One of the eggs that is pipped, the beak is sticking out but it's not moving. I can't get the chick to make a sound and when I touch it's beak, it doesn't feel like it is responding in any way. I don't know how but I think it died in the shell with the shell opened enough it can breathe. Sylvia