The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[jbkirk]

how did you remove your racks?!

First you pull all of the pins & white things off . then you pull off the bar that connects all the trays (pull it off of each one a little bit then pull it off of each one a little bit again ect. ) Once that is off, grab a tray twist and pull up on the bar side while (it will pop out) and a tray is off (this is for the hovabator model)

 

[Mama Bay]

I have a FI incubator.  The built in thermometer is WAY off.  I have seen repeated posts of the same complaint.  Don't trust it.   I only use inside thermometers and have good luck.

Thanks, I'm just going to ignore that one!

 

[PrairieChickens]

Well they're all in! The dirty one on the bottom left is really bothering me

most of what I read said to leave it alone though...

I have a dirty egg too. I usually have at least one in every hatch, and so far, they've hatched out fine. Just keep an eye on it! Good luck!

 

[wornoutmomto3]

So many beautiful eggs just waiting to hatch.

My official hatch numbers are
1 Lavender Ameraucana,
1 Splash Ameraucana,
2 Splash Maran,
2 Speckled Susssex,
2 Light Brahma,
2 Golden Sebright bantam,
1 Silver Sebright bantam,
1 Millie Fleur d'Uccle,
14 backyard mixes.

Total is 26 eggs in the incubator.


I have 8 under a broody but I am not counting those just yet. I moved her last night while she slept into a separate nest box. She picked the most popular nest box to start brooding. Well, she hasn't settled into the move just yet. She is still in the coop. It's just that the other hens can't crowd her and slip more eggs in the nest. As you can see by the picture she is still unhappy with me.
She is still early in the brood and the eggs haven't started "cooking" yet. So, she has some time to settle in. I am not counting the eggs just in case she doesn't settle. If she does settle the total will be 32. I will give her until Monday.

 

[PaisyQ]

It's a bit early to worry about temps.

What is your incubator?

I thought I needed to get the temp settled at around 99.5 to hatch? Right now it's anywhere from 103 to 97, depending on which thermometer I'm looking at. I just bought a Farm Innovator 4200 yesterday, because my brinsea mini broke.

I got a hydrometer/thermometer from home depot I keepin thee, along with a reptile thermometer and hydrometer, and one the bator comes with. I check everything every day and try to get it as close as possible.

right now, thermometers say 100, 99, 99, and 99.5. 100 is from the built in.
hydrometers read 75 and 70...I broke my other one...LOL

I just like being extra safe.

I live in nowhere land; I just tried finding a hydrometer/thermometer that would fit in the incubator. Everything the local stores carry is too big. I ordered a brinsea spot check off of amazon, but that won't be here until tuesday, and I got two different oral thermometers. They were reading within a half a degree of eachother when I checked them out, but now they're showing 2 degrees different in the incubator; 1 at 103, the other at 101. The probe that came with the incubator is reading about 98 and the built in is at 97. I just don't know what to do. I want to set the eggs, but I don't know what to trust, and I'm really getting frustrated with this whole thing. Why have a built in thermometer if it isn't going to be accurate? I wish my brinsea was working.

 

[Tropic Rooster]

I

I should clarify, I use a store bought thermometer/hygrometer from Walmart, not the flimsy one that came with it.

I bought my digital thermometer on ebay! (see picture below) So you recommend I just look at the digital one and ignore the one that came with the incubator?

 

[Mama Bay]

wow...your temps are crazy! my FI 4200 temps are around 99-101.
I would trust the loose one it came with. your average of all of them is 99.5

Yes all over the place! I'm going to check again in an hour now that the eggs are in. I did notice that when I put one on the wire rack it read 5 degrees higher (of course metal duh lol) so I moved it into the egg turners with the others. I ordered a digital thermometer/ hydrometer from Amazon but it won't be here until Tues/Wednesday. The thermometer/hydrometer is definitely busted on here but I'm going to take the advice I gotnon here the other day and not worry so much about the humidity yet

 

[potagergirl]

Okay its noon and is set 18 eggs!

not bad for only 4 hens laying and being my first year!
I'm sooooo excited!!!!

 

[Mama Bay]

I have a dirty egg too.  I usually have at least one in every hatch, and so far, they've hatched out fine.  Just keep an eye on it! Good luck!

Thanks! I'm trying not to look ... Such an eye sore lol.

 

[wornoutmomto3]

I bought my digital thermometer on ebay! (see picture below) So you recommend I just look at the digital one and ignore the one that came with the incubator?

I picked up the same thermometer. I use it as my primary but I also use the thermometer on my incubator because to controls the heat source. The separate, egg level thermometer is my back up.