questions, questions and more questions about incubation

[Cetawin]

Okay here is the deal...I finally have a broody

, Speckledhen is shipping me Suedenator eggs

and as a backup, I just ordered a Genesis 1588 and turner. Whew so here are there questions....

1. As this is broody girl's first time, should I fire up the incubator just in case when it arrives?

2. I let the eggs rest and put them under miss broody...if she leaves the eggs, how long do I wait to put them in the incubator?

3. Do they go in the turner pointy end down?

4. Will the Genesis 1588 pretty much do everything itself after it is set-up?

5. what else do I need to know?

I have never used an incubator as I always had a mean nasty older broody around to do this stuff for me. These eggs are ubber important to me and I do not want to screw it up.

Thanks for the advice and tips in advance.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

i can't answer all of your questions but I'll answer the ones I do know & maybe somebody w/broody experience will chime in.
I've never set eggs under a broody so have no experience there.

As for the incubator, YES I would fire it up the minute it gets there because it takes these things a couple days to adjust to the correct temp & humidity, you have to tweak them a bit.

Yes the eggs go in pointy end down. And after they go in the temps & humidity is going to fluctuate a bit & then re-settle & you might have to tweak it a bit more, so watch it carefully. I check mine once an hour. No more often than that, because if I do then I have a tendency to over-tweak & then it goes haywire.

My bators are Hovnabators; don't know anything about Genesis but w/mine, once they are set up & settled I don't have to do anything except maybe add a little water every few days--I poked a hole in one side & ran a piece of aquarium hose down into the channel & use a syringe to drip water into it when needed.

And be sure you have a backup wafer (if yours uses a wafer) and a backup light bulb! I have never had a wafer go out but I have had a bulb go out.

Now I hope somebody answers your broody question #2, because I will have a broody next year so I need to know that answer too!

 

[Mrs.Puff]

I've had lots of broodies. Make sure you've got her settled in a good location, preferably on some fake eggs or balls. At night, give her the eggs. Have the bator ready. If she leaves the eggs, put them in the bator immediately. I've been told that shipped eggs are extremely fragile. You shouldn't candle til day 10, and if you have to move them, do so very very carefully. That's all I know. Good luck!!

 

[TerriLaChicks]

O and don't forget, shipped eggs tend to have irregular shaped air cells, so DO NOT PITCH any because they look "weird" when you candle. I can't tell you how heartbroken I was when I finally got up the nerve to open one & it was still alive! & I realized I had pitched several perfectly good eggs because they didn't look "exactly" like the photos. I didnt' pitch anything after that experience unless it started to smell. And my last hatch of shipped eggs (from 3 different breeds from 2 different states), I had a VERY high percentage hatch & on my shipped EE/Cochin cross I had 100% hatch rate!

I hope your broody hen does all the work for you so you don't have to worry about all of this. It certainly does seem a whole lot easier (although you dont' have the fun of hovering over the bator waiting for something to happen). If my Myrtle goes broody again on me next year I'm putting her to work!

 

[Mrs.Puff]

I did that exact same thing as TerriLaChicks. Opened a funny-air cell one and it was still good. UGH!

 

[Cetawin]

Thanks for all the info. I am not going to check them or candle them or anything. I am going to let mother nature do her thing. I am going to fire up the genesis when it arrives.

TerriLaChicks...the Genesis is a pre-set/programmed hovabator so I am hoping it will do what it is supposed to. My hen is acting weird and I am not sure I will trust her with these eggs...I may just let her sit on the one she is sitting on and see what happens.

 

[BetsyOK]

I have two Hovabator Genesis; one is new and the other almost new. I've had hatches in both this season. The instructions tell you they are set more accurately than the thermometers that come with them, and I'm sure they're right. The thermometers have shown the temp to be one or two degrees higher than they should be, but the hatches have been the best I've had in several years of incubating.

Good luck with yours; I think you can trust it!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

After you get the eggs in the mail, you need to let them rest for 8 to 12 hours. Some suggest 24 hours.
That is to let the air cells settle before incubation. I don't know if that is to set them under a broody also?? Maybe someone else does.
But anyway, let them set at room temperature. I like to tilt them at a 45 degree angle gently every 4-6 hours or until I put the in the incubator. That helps the egg to not adhere to the shell. Pointy end down.

 

[cbbantams]

The genesis does not need any temp adjustment,just follow the directions and you will do fine.I have hatched at 90-95% this year with mine.