This newbie needs help!! Please!

[LilDucky85]

I just set my very first batch ever, and now am nervous that something will go wrong! Ok here are a few questions I have been wondering about, and a few things to verify. I knew I should have written down most of my questions because now that I'm here I cant remember any!! Please bare with me, I'm new at this!

My Questions:

1. I dont have an egg carton right now so I cut rings out of toilet paper rolls and set each egg in one. Is it okay that they are in this way until I go get some cartons? Can I use styro foam or does it have to be that other paper material? I have a styro foam one right now that I can use if that okay. (It came with chocolate easter egg candy in it). I also have some plastic ones for dying eggs, could these be used or will they get too hot?

2. I just set the eggs tonight, how long should I let them sit before opening the bator to put them into the cartons or rotate?

3. Must I have one of the red vent plugs open for ventilation? Someone said that they do not have to be open because the Little Giant has other holes for ventilation. I havent found these holes yet though.

4. With using the carton method in the Little Giant will the eggs be harmed since they are sitting up instead of laying down and are closer to the heating element? Im worried about them getting cooked if too close.

5. As long as the eggs do not sit in one spot for too long does the degree of tilting/roatating matter? Should I get a level out or something? lol

6. I set the eggs in the incubator at 7pm today, when do I consider it day one? Tomorrow at 7pm?

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Let me make sure I have this right....

1. Egg Carton Method- Pointy end down. Put something under the egg carton so that it is 30 to 45 degrees. Switch sides at least 3 times a day.

2. Temperature- 100.5 is fine with a still air so that there is room for the temp to drop, or get higher without being harmful to the eggs.

3. Humidity/Misting- For duck eggs the humidity should be 70% and misting should begin only after day 6.

I'm sorry I know this should be in another posting area but I might have some chicken eggs in there too, and the people on the duck thread never answer! You guys are awesome about responding, and give great advice! Please Please Please let me know anything I didnt mention!!

 

[Bock_Bock]

yes toilet rools are fine you can switch to egg cartons any time before day 18 or even day 18 but the earlier the better, and the whole raising one side of the egg carton isnt really a good method as it puts some eggs higher up then the other half which means they will be in diffrent temps also the higher up the eggs the higher the temp to remember heat rises yes 100.5 is good for still air bators and the extra holes they are talking about are the holes to hold the fan in, also they are hard to see but there is also holes on the sides, and you are right about the duck eggs you just dont want them dripping wet just a mist i hatched my eggs out with my chicken eggs it was fine they just take 28 days not 21 like chickens

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I use pipe cleaners and make a ring out of it to set my eggs on. I don't use an egg carton because sometimes I have a hard time deciding which end is the pointy end, which should be down. I would not use an egg carton during hatching because I fear that they would stumble around on them and hurt their legs. You do need to have ventilation at all times. I'm not sure on the humidity for duck eggs. Good Luck with your eggs!!!

 

[LilDucky85]

I have another question.... I read somewhere that the wire rack is supposed to come out until they are ready to hatch. Should the wire rack stay or should it go? Also, the non-slip mat can be used during incubation on the bottom of the bator right?

 

[Bock_Bock]

the wire rack stays in the whole time no matter what and the cloth can go directly on the wire mat, DO NOT TAKE THE WIRE SCREEN OUT

 

[jj ranch]

i also have a LG. check my post out of found a new way to incubate and hatch, i put pics on there for another idea for you. my hovabator is tall enough to do the other carton way but the lg is to swallow to be that close to heating bar. i also have duck eggs too, i usually start them a week ahead and then on their 7th day i put chic eggs in. ive never misted or anything and have been fine. ive also put them all in at the same time and the higher humidity at the end for chicks was fine for ducks, they actually like higher humidity.

 

[LilDucky85]

I didnt think the wire rack was supposed to come out but I read a step by step on the LG and someone posted it should be removed until hatching. I kept mine in.

Ill look for your post right now. I didn think the carton method with tilting could work because its way too close to the heater. However, sitting them up is okay right?

 

[Bock_Bock]

Yes sitting them upright is just fine i got 50 in my bator right now all in egg cartons standing upright with small/pointy end down

 

[LilDucky85]

Awesome thank you so much!

Is the incubator supposed to take up to a few hours to regulate after opening it to turn the eggs? It seems to hover around 97 degrees for like 2 hours after I open it. This worries me. Im going to try the water wiggler method soon.

I did cut the cartons in half! Thank you for that great idea! When I set the eggs in the cartons they didnt tilt well so I cut them down the middle and now they rest perfectly on an angle.

I didnt actually see the temp rise up to 102 but the thermometers memory read 102 for a high, and 89 as a low (89 because it dropped after opening the bator to change the eggs to cartons). Im not sure if this was before or after I set the eggs because I didnt think to reset the memory before setting the eggs. I had never actually seen the temp spike this high, kind of scary. I decreased the heat just barely and now its at a steady 99-100.

 

[Bock_Bock]

sometimes it takes the temp to rise back up as it has to heat all the cold air inside as it surcomes all the hotair once the bator is open, also it could take some time for the thermometer to catch up to they can be picky at times but being at 97 wont hurt it that much if any at all for that short amount of time well once agian good luck