quick question for you hatching eggsperts

[boykin2010]

i am going to a friends farm tommorow and i am going to get 4 or 5 fertile eggs from his chickens to incubate. This is my first time hatching eggs and i am doing my best to research what to do. i do have some questions though. The eggs i will be gettting will be fresh and fertile. How do i store the eggs until the time i have my incubator set up. do i put them in an egg carton pointy end down?

Also i have little giant still air incubator and i bought the turner to go with it. I know you dont turn the eggs in the incubator the last 3 days so do i just take out the turner and set the eggs on the botttom floor of the incubator to prepare to hatch.

How do you keep track of humidty and keep it level in an incubator?

Thank you guys on here. If i think of any more questions i will post them.

 

[debilorrah]

Pointy end down while resting and while in the bator. Go get yourself a thermometer and a hygrometer, or a combo unit and calibrate the hygrometer first: 1/2 cup salt, 1/4 cup water in a coffee mug, set the mug and the hygrometer in a sealed baggie for 12 hours. It should read 75% but probably won't. Adjust humidity from there.

Good luck!

 

[5acrehome]

the day you get the eggs you should incubate them the fresher the better IMO. Try and get that days eggs! if there are not enough then get eggs from the last 3 days. I would not incubate eggs over 7 days old. Never refrigerate the eggs you want to incubate they do fine sitting in a dark moderately cool place at about 65-70 degrees.

before you load your incubator with the farm eggs! load it with store eggs and make sure the incubator is stable at 98-100 degrees for at least 2 hours use the same amount of eggs because you want to dummy load the incubator before the others are in place. Also makesure your humidity is at the level you want it before you settle in the farm eggs. Adding water to a stable incubator will change the temp from the water in the air. Doing this step will save you another trip to the farm unless you intend to babysit the incubator for 4 hours tweaking it possibly all night.

Pointy end goes Down in the turner. You can leave the turner in for the hatch out but remember if you do you have to take it apart and clean it. I would suggest egg cartons cut in half to replace the turner on day 17-18 but make sure the height the eggs rest at is the same or your temps will go wonky.

last but not least I would suggest a product from walmart a acu*rite therm. It shows temp inside and outside the incubator and the humidity level surrounding the meter. because the humidity meter is built into the meter you have to put it inside the incubator to get it to read the humidity. These meters are very good for the price.

 

[ajacskr]

I would like to thank you for your responses, as both were what I was looking for. I got lucky and boykin2010 had posted and you all gave the answers that I was looking for. Thanks again.

 

[boykin2010]

ok thanks! what do i do about the egg turner? do i leave it in the whole time or do i take out before the last 3 days.