removing from egg turner

[mcanada1779]

Hi, I am on my second batch of eggs. my last batch all died so I am hoping for better results this time. I am on day 16 my question is....I know to take them out of the egg turner late in the day of day 18. but should I just lay them in the bottom on cheese cloth or should I place them in an egg carton. if I do the egg carton do I lay them sideways in the carton or air cell up? and a cardboard or foam carton?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Lay them all flat on their sides. As the peeps turn inside the egg shell to cut or score the shell from the inside with their egg tooth they also push and kick with their feet to separate the two haves of the shell. When they pip baby chicks are weak, they are unable to stand up, step out of, leap out of, or fly out of the bottom half of the egg shell. The only reason for standing the eggs on end is so the peep is able to get its first breath of air in an un-naturally flat and level nest, also called an incubator. A natural hen's nest is cupped or bowl shaped and this keeps most of the eggs naturally pointed little end down. At any rate the hen is moving, shuffling, and turning her eggs more or less constantly. Incubating eggs in a vertical manner also allows room for more eggs in the incubator. I hope this helps. It is good the last 3 days to up the humidity. 75% humidity during piping is not too much. It may in fact be too little.

 

[mcanada1779]

ok so when I lay them in the bottom is there a certain way they should be layed? I have 36 eggs it would take a while to candle the air cell to see which way it is slanted. I have read about raising the humidity I had planned on raising it to 75% but if it goes higher is it something to be concerned with? how high is too high? also I was reading that some lower the temp to 97 so I was thinking about lowering it to 97.5? is that a good idea? thank you for replying by the way. I hope these guys survive!!!

 

[WalnutHill]

I've had very good success hatching at 97-99F and 55-75% RH. I hatch eggs on their sides in a foam incubator.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

You don't need to lay them on or in anything other than the wire floor. It don't make any difference in which way the air cell is slanted. Even if you could lay them out "perfect" the first chick that hatches will soon knock & kick them all into disarray.
I don't hatch in the racks either because of exactly the reason chickengeorge said. The chick needs to kick free of the egg, dry off and start his life. If the egg is in the rack and the chick can't kick free the shell goop will dry out and the shell will stick to the chick and can rip patches of skin off when he finally leaves the shell.
I don't lower temp, I keep it @ 100*. Dunno why, just the way I do it.
I like 70% humidity, higher is ok but the chicks don't dry off as quick. If a couple hatch at the same time the humidity will skyrocket anyway. If I walk by and glance at the remote hydrometer and it shows 95% I know a chick or 2 just hatched. No need for alarm, it soons returns to 70%. Chicks don't drown because of high humidity at hatching; they drown because of high humidity during incubating which causes an excessively wet gooey chick that drowns in it's own goo as the goo oozes out around the chick's little beak while pipping & zipping.
Hope this helps.

 

[mcanada1779]

does help thanks. I just layed them on the bottom. got humidity up to 75%. I have seen a few wobble today is day 19. cant wait for babies!!!

 

[Melabella]

does help thanks. I just layed them on the bottom. got humidity up to 75%. I have seen a few wobble today is day 19. cant wait for babies!!!

GOod Luck! I am on my first setting of eggs, and I am afraid my first hatch may go like your first did. Out of the 7 I set, I am down to only 4. Hopefully I will get at least 2 little ones. I am so confused about all this, I feel bad that the chicks may not make it due to my ignorance. Hopefully I will learn from any mistakes.

Thank you!
MB

 

[mcanada1779]

Hi, Melabella. maybe we can keep in touch and learn from each other. my first set I started with 6. had 3 at lock down. after they didn't hatch I didn't have the heart to crack them open but I did make a whole in the air cell. 1 had pipped and then died. the other 2 weren't even close. and I honestly have NO IDEA what I did wrong. I just put 34 eggs in lock down. hope all is well, as far as I know everything has went perfectly. I have temp at 98.5 with 75% humidity. today was day 19. I have noticed some wobbling with the eggs but other than that it is a waiting game. I hope it goes good. what day are you on with your eggs? the only thing I have done different is I got a new thermometer and I only candled them 2 times. my first batch I was candling almost everyday out of curiosity I think.

 

[mcanada1779]

I got 2 pipps!!!!

 

[Melabella]

I got 2 pipps!!!!

So happy for you! Oh gosh.. I'm starting to get cautiously hopeful! Keep us posted!

MB