Setting eggs today.. begginer help!

[sloallie10]

OK, so i have recieved 12 eggs in the mail yesterday. I got my bator alll set up last night (still air little giant) and the temp reads like 101f. Im going to put water in the bottom in the little resivoir. Does it need to be hot water? Also Some of the eggs are a little dirty, should I do something? AlsoDo i let the eggs just sit in the incubator for the first day? I am getting more eggs on monday, will it effect the eggs I am putting in today? My incubator has 2 venalation holes, do i need to open them yet?

I might have more questions i just cant think of them now, but thanks and any help is needed!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Im going to put water in the bottom in the little resivoir. Does it need to be hot water?
It does not need to be hot water, but it certainly won't hurt if it is as hot or a little hotter than incubation temperature. The incubatir will warm it up.

Also Some of the eggs are a little dirty, should I do something?
Depends on how dirty they are. The most I would do is gently wipe them off with a dry soft rag, otherwise you will wipe off the bloom. That is the coating the hen puts on it to help keep bacteria out. If they are really dirty, I might not set them to start with, but I probably would and give them the sniff test whenever I added water to see if they start to stink.

AlsoDo i let the eggs just sit in the incubator for the first day? I am getting more eggs on monday, will it effect the eggs I am putting in today?
I would wait until I had the all and start them all at the same time. Otherwise when do you go into lockdown? Do you go into lockdown for the first eggs, up the humidity and stop turning the later eggs or do you continue turning the later eggs and risk shrink-wrapping the first eggs. I have shrink-wrapped a chick before by opening the incubator earlier than I should have, so I know it can happen.

My incubator has 2 venalation holes, do i need to open them yet?
If you can maintain the humidity and temperature you want with them open, it will not hurt anything for them to be open and it might help. I have a different incubator but I leave mine open. The eggs need the exchange of oxygen.

I suggest you check out this link. It will probably answer some questions you don't know you have and might raise a few questions.

Texas A&M Incubation site
http://gallus.tamu.edu/library/extpublications/b6092.pdf

Good luck! It is an exciting time.

 

[sloallie10]

AlsoDo i let the eggs just sit in the incubator for the first day? I am getting more eggs on monday, will it effect the eggs I am putting in today?
I would wait until I had the all and start them all at the same time. Otherwise when do you go into lockdown? Do you go into lockdown for the first eggs, up the humidity and stop turning the later eggs or do you continue turning the later eggs and risk shrink-wrapping the first eggs. I have shrink-wrapped a chick before by opening the incubator earlier than I should have, so I know it can happen.

Wow, thank you so much for all your help!

ABout the Question above, The only thing about waiting till monday, is im worried that the eggs that im putting in will then be older than a week and then I will get a less percent hatch rate, because Im not sure when these eggs were layed.. so what do you suggest I do?
Thank you!