THESE DIRECTIONS SUCK!! I NEED HELP!

[kryptoniteqhs]

This is my first time with putting eggs in the bator. I just got a new incubator and its a little giant incubator for TSC it says it hold 41-120 eggs....it was 41.99....
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...10551_10001_28385_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1
this is the one and i cant find the thermometer that was supposed to come with it and this was the last one so i absolutely cannot exchange it, but i do have a thermometer from the POS incubator that i got a week ago, so can i use that? pretty much i have eggs that just arrived today and an incubator and no idea what to do now.....eggs are resting, incubator is heating up.....now what? i dont get exactly how you are supposed to turn the eggs either......so umm help?

also here is my other post
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=111821&p=1

 

[arllcountrygirl]

Put your thermometer in. It needs to be at 100. Do you have a hydrometer? This test the humidity.
If you don't have an auto turner then mark and X on one side of the egg and an O on the other side. They need to be turned twice a day.
And do that for 18 days then stop turning and hopefully you will have chicks at day 21.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

where do i get the humidity one...walmart???? how do i turn them...i sorta get it but not completely....also they stay on their sides? if so whats the deal with the hole pointy end down thing right now? and what do i do with the one egg who is upsidedown...???

 

[Akane]

In a still air (no fan) temperature should be measured at the height of the top of the eggs. Lower will be colder, higher will be warmer. AS well as the center will be warmer and the edges colder. That's a downside of a still air. The directions say setting the thermometer on the mesh will give inaccurate readings and if you set the temp to that you should make sure not to go too high. 99-100F should be fine since you want 100-102F at the top of the eggs. I set a little box the same height as the eggs in my incubator to adjust the temp the first time before adding eggs. After you add eggs if you have to do any adjustments do it slowly. Wait a few hours every time you touch the thermostat to see what temp it's actually going to maintain. Too cold is better than too warm. They'll still incubate down to 96F and mostly just hatch later but they will die in hours at over 103F. You can get digital or regular thermometers and humidity gauges at walmart or in the reptile section of any petstore.

To turn eggs without an auto turner mark one side x and one side o (sides not the ends). 3 or 5 times a day pick up or roll each egg until the other mark is up. You want to do it an odd number of times so that the same side is not up every night or whenever they go the longest between turning.

Eggs are stored pointy end down because the air sac is in the fat end. Stored the wrong way the air sac can come lose making it hard for the chick to hatch. Eggs are either laid on their side (usual way to hand turn) or set in turners or cartons pointy end down to incubate. You can tip the cartons back and forth to simulate a turner instead of turning each by hand but that has it's own complications.

 

[jaspersmama]

OMG INCUBATERS ARE CONFUSING HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hi im krytoniteqhs's sis (im filling in 4 her) and we just got a incubater and dont have a clue about it!!!!!!!!!!

 

[arllcountrygirl]

Quote:
You can pick them up at Walmart for $6 bucks.

 

[arllcountrygirl]

 

[jaspersmama]

HOW DO YOU KEEP AN INCUBATER AT A CONSTANT TEMPERATURE?????????

 

[arllcountrygirl]

by not opening it.

 

[seriousbill]

You need to get the incubator up to 100 degrees F, and then you only need to adjust it slightly if the temp changes more than one or two degrees. Usually, you need to let it sit overnight to be sure it's holding a fairly steady temp. Be very careful when you adjust not to overdo it (you really don't want it to get too hot). And always wait 10-15 minutes after adjusting to see what the temp will be, because it can shoot up before you know it. Once it's holding steady, don't mess with it.

Have you put water in in the little slots in the bottom? If so, your humidity will probably be just fine until hatch time. At hatch time, you may need to add a damp washcloth to bring the humidity up.

The main thing is having a good thermometer--or two!

Good luck.