St. Patty's Day Green Egg Hatchalong, Set 2/25

[Blarneyeggs]

Oooh! Someone (tls_ranch) just posted on the Northern California thread about how they use the clear plastic grape or strawberry containers to separate staggered hatches, or different breeding lines. She lines the bottom with a shelf liner and puts the hatching eggs in. When they have all hatched, she just picks up the whole container and the incubator is ready for the next hatch. No mess to clean up! The big grape containers from Costco hold 12 eggs, with room for a few more. I have a 2# strawberry container that I think I'll use to put my BCM eggs that aren't very high quality. Keep them away from my good ones so I know which is which.

Ok, I just checked out the Costco grape container in my fridge, I think it will fit If I take the top off.

 

[farmerChef]

I have plastic shoe boxes I got at the dollar store. The sides are tall enough they cant climb out. I also have a couple little hardware cloth baskets I made for 1 or 2 eggs

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

I've got a temperature question

I've got 2 digital thermometers of the same kind sitting on top of my incubator and 2 different thermometers inside the incubator and they all have different temperatures on them. Of the two on top one reads the highest, 102.5 and the other the lowest, 98. They are both on wires run through the vent holes with the low one on top and the high one on the bottom. The two on the inside read similar with one reading 100.2 and the other reading @ 100. Which one would you use?

I'd lose my mind if I had that many thermometers. I always use one reliable thermometer sitting on top of the eggs, reading 99.5. I calibrated my thermometer. You can look up directions for doing this if you think you have an inaccurate reading. But I do know lots of folks who always hatch with multiple thermometers, one on top of the eggs, and one on the bottom, averaging the temp between the 2 at 99.5. It sounds like the digital reads your getting from the ones on top are giving you this result. Do you have a fan in your bator? My Hovabator has a fan, and I found that gives different readings in different spots. I found the most reliable spot to be about halfway between the center and the edge (about where your digital one is sitting on top of the eggs) My best advice would be to put the thermometer you consider most reliable there. But really, it sounds like your temps are pretty good. 100.2 is a teensy bit high, but you might have a hot spot. You're always safer settling on the slightly lower side.

 

[what did I do]

Thank you redriver and Brooster Springsteen. I have only used the cheep thermometer that came with the incubator and did just fine with 2 hatches. Then I had 2 hatches where not many hatched but the eggs were not treated well before the hatches so I bought the big thermometer that is inside in hopes of improving my hatches. I think the low one on top is off and the high one is on top too and of the same kind as the low one so must be off too. I'll just stick with the two on the inside. They are close to the same temperature. I just hope I haven't been running my temps at 102 or higher.

 

[fduncan]

Oooh! Someone (tls_ranch) just posted on the Northern California thread about how they use the clear plastic grape or strawberry containers to separate staggered hatches, or different breeding lines. She lines the bottom with a shelf liner and puts the hatching eggs in. When they have all hatched, she just picks up the whole container and the incubator is ready for the next hatch. No mess to clean up! The big grape containers from Costco hold 12 eggs, with room for a few more. I have a 2# strawberry container that I think I'll use to put my BCM eggs that aren't very high quality. Keep them away from my good ones so I know which is which.

Oh cool thanks I'll have to try this . I've got some small cutie orange containers not sure how many eggs they'll hold but I'm sure if I need more my kids will gladly eat some more oranges

.

 

[2seth2]

Can someone show a picture of the container thing?

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

Day 4 here. I candled one egg this evening, and saw veins. Yay! I Don't usually candle until day 7 or 8, but I was curious since this is the first time hatching from this flock. Looking forward to checking out the whole batch this weekend!

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Day 4 here. I candled one egg this evening, and saw veins. Yay! I Don't usually candle until day 7 or 8, but I was curious since this is the first time hatching from this flock. Looking forward to checking out the whole batch this weekend!

Wow! veining already!!

 

[2seth2]

Can you see viens on day 4 normally?

 

[farmerChef]

Can you see viens on day 4 normally?

I think the veining starts after the first day, but its easier to see a diffference after a week. White eggs are the best for candling