Questions on my first incubation

[dekel18042]

I got a Brinsea 20 and just set it with my first 10 eggs, and I'm sure I must be doing something wrong. First, I stood the eggs with the large ends up. Since they didn't fit exactly into the row the dividers provided, I finished out the row with a piece of cloth.
The alternative would have been to have had them laying more on their sides. Will that work? Opinions?
Otherwise how do you set the eggs in the incubator?
Any words of wisdom appreciated.

 

[Kelsie2290]

If they are local eggs (not shipped) or with good air cells I usually lay them down if there is room. You can also cut down an egg carton and stand them in those if you want to have them upright, rather than using the dividers if you can't get that sorted evenly. (If you have the Ex with the humidity pump, make sure you arrange the eggs or they are small enough to not hit the paper on top)

 

[gander007]

I got a Brinsea 20 and just set it with my first 10 eggs, and I'm sure I must be doing something wrong. First, I stood the eggs with the large ends up. Since they didn't fit exactly into the row the dividers provided, I finished out the row with a piece of cloth.
The alternative would have been to have had them laying more on their sides. Will that work? Opinions?
Otherwise how do you set the eggs in the incubator?
Any words of wisdom appreciated.

Let's get a photo of what you are doing there ....

Did you get the temp to stabilize for a couple of days ?????

 

[dekel18042]

The eggs are my own. I'm using them as my test hatch (and praying for pullet peeps). I like the idea of the cut down egg carton, but unles there is something wrong with what I am doing I don't want to disturb them more than I have to. I jiggled them more than I wanted to, setting them in. I'll take and try to post a picture tomorrow.
I ran the 'bator for a day first and the temps have stabilized at 37.5 to 37.6C and the humidity is 42%.
If I'm reading the instructions right, after day 8, the incubator gets turned off for two hours a day until day 19?
(Wondering.... how does the poor mother hen get all this down pat?)

 

[Coopnana]

We are using Brinsea auto mini incubator for first time and are doing the 2 hr per day cool down as recommended. Candled eggs...seem to be doing well. Hatch day in 8 days

 

[dekel18042]

Sounds like you're doing well. Temps are good but having problems with the humidity with our, probably because it is so cold and dry here. (Ourside temp -4)
How will you keep the humidity up at the end? I did get a picture I can post later.

 

[dekel18042]

This is a picture of my incubator with the eggs in it. You can see the first row I have put a clean white cloth in the left corner so the eggs wouldn't jiggle. There is also a second row on the other side with a cloth. The space was too small for another egg so that is how I filled it. Is that all right?
Anticipating another question. Supposedly from day 8 on, they recommend turning the incubator off for two hours a day. I can set it to do this automatically.....BUT with the frigid temps we are having our house is in the mid sixties range. I wouldn't want the eggs getting too cold so would it be better for me to shut if off manually then I can restart when I see the temp dropping? If I do it that way, how much would you let the temp go down before restarting? Right now it is holding between 37.5 and 37.6 C.

 

[Kelsie2290]

How tight are they in there? from what Brinsea says, the eggs can jiggle or roll a little bit (think about what a hen does with them), but you don't want them squashed tight in the racks. I've done rows like you have and usually just angle the eggs a little bit to fill up the row, or if short an egg put some of the foam etc in the empty space, I don't worry about them moving some as they are turned... those incubators turn really slowly.
With the automatic cooling, the ones I have can be set at 1 hour increments, yours is the same? So you could just do 1 hour if you are worried. They recommend the incubator be in a room between 69-77* so they are taking that into account with the 2 hour recommendation.
With the humidity at the end, if yours is low, fill up both wells and put paper towels or that paper they give with the inc and into the wells and over most of the bottom. If you have room, put something like a small jar with a sponge etc in the tray right below the vent, you can add more water to the jar with a syringe and some tubing thought the vent (and to the bottom if need be if you set it up right).

 

[dekel18042]

I added a bit of water to the second well and the humidity has been holding at 46% all day so that is good, I think. I already have paper cut outs ready if I need to raise the humidity during hatching. The problem with the house temperature is it has been frigid out, at least 25* below normal and we got a new hot water heater last week so the installers adjusted the furnace downward and our house was in the low 60's. My husband worked on it and got it a little higher but Monday morning a call will be in for a different adjustment.
Can you tell I'm a nervous wreck?

 

[gander007]

Your doing great and a fine incubator your should have a good hatch !!!!!!