Removing turner to hatch, with just one incubator

[onthespot]

I have run split hatches in my hovabator 1602 and it has an automatic turner in it. I leave the turner in, and pop out a couple of the rows, slide in a little narrow basket with shelving stuff in it for footing and put that back in. I don't go super fast, but before I put the lid on, I pour a half a glass of almost hot water in the resrvior, and the temp and humidity just jumps right back up where it was before.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
Cool! When you do that, do you just not increase humidity for the ones who are hatching? Or DO you increase the humidity, and the younger eggs are OK?

 

[onthespot]

I increase the humidity for everyone, but I try to wait until as late as possible before they pip. If you keep an eye on things all along, and I run my bator a little on the dry side, it doesn't seem to hurt the other eggs to be more humid for a day or two, then back to dryer after the set hatches. I just kind of "eyeball it" with the humidity. If some eggs hatch a day later than I thought, I run the humidity a touch drier afterward for a few days to compensate. The last week seems to be the most crucial, so I do whatever those eggs need the most. Trust me, I have hatched my share of waterlogged and crippled and dead at term chicks, enough to get the feel of it pretty quick. Especially when you are using dark gorgeous copper black marans eggs to learn on!

 

[panner123]

Quote:
unplug turner right
lift lid off incubator, assistant or not, set lid on hard flat surface
remove eggs from turner DO NOT REMOVE TURNER WITH EGGS IN IT. The eggs in those little cups could fall out and that is the end of that chick.
I agree with the rest.
This should not take more than 3 minutes. Just put the lid back on and walk away, go to bed, go anywhere, but DO NOT touch the bator. the temp and humidity may be off, but it will return to where it was before. To many times someone will adjust the temp and cook the eggs. If the temp was right before,it will go back to that temp in a short period of time.

 

[onthespot]

if anything, keep an eye on the temperature the last few days because it will rise all by itself as the biomass and metabolic activity increases the last few days as the chicks mature and fill out and get re-positioned in preparation for hatching. If you totally ignore their contribution to the temperature rising the last few days you can fry your whole batch, at least it has happened to me in a styrofoam incubator. Don't know anything about the expensive kind...

 

[nivtup]

Our experience with the 1588 is that it will recover temps and humidity very quickly.

I would not rush it, at that point you have time to do the job carefully.

Unplug, remove top, remove eggs, remove turner, add warm water to second trough, place shelf liner in place, place eggs, replace lid, and walk away.

They really will be fine.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

I worked in a commercial hatchery once and you wouldn't believe how rough they are with the eggs when they take them out of the incubator and put them in the hatching trays. Those eggs and chicks are really tuff! Moving them around and letting them roll around won't hurt them,they will settle back down once they are in the hatcher. I wouldn't worry about them being too fragil.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Just unplug the turner, leave in incubator,same as the cartons.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I always take my turner out on the evening of day 18. I never use a second bator. Take the eggs out and set them in a carton, take the turner out, add water to the wells, (I add a wet sponge the next morning if needed for humidity levels) re-set the eggs on the wire mesh. Your temps and humidity always drop when you take a turner out, usually they are back at the correct levels by morning. I never have a problem doing it this way. You will be fine doing it this way as the eggs haven't started their pips yet and are getting into postion to hatch.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Thanks for the encouragement! We are really pleased with the new incubator so far--the difference between the Genesis and the LGs so far as temp/humidity stability is STUNNING. First week down in our first hatch with it, and all is well so far.