Trying to hatch shipped eggs - Take 1

[Lenka]

ok so i've been back in the chicken game for about 3 weeks... and thought of this brilliant idea of hatching eggs.. my neighbors have an incubator (well 2) and i wanted to hatch some chickens.... we found someone that had blue laced red eggs.. so we ordered a dozen to be shipped....

since then, i have taken in 34 guinea eggs- from my neighbors that found a nest.. they are my practice run in the bator. last time i used an incubator i used a reptile one (not gonna lie, not the best results... broody won that year) but thos time I have a hovebator and a little giant.

im freaking out about getting the shipped eggs. I know i need to wait at least 24-48 hours.. let them set, then put the in the incubator and let them bake with out turning for another 2 days? then go to day 19 and stop turning again...

eek.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

You are correct.

Don't forget guinea eggs take a week longer.

 

[Lenka]

oh yes, i do remember that... hopefully if they hatch it will be quick. i was thinking of moving the guinea eggs into one incubator and the chickens in the other... that way i won't be locking down when i have to rotate eggs..

 

[Lenka]

so my eggs are coming tomorrow and im kind of freaking out about temps- i have 2 thermometers set upp in the incubator with the turner (which is currently holding the guinea eggs, and the temp on one thermometer reads 100* (ish, its one of the stick thermometers) and the other thermometer is a digital reptile thermometer like this: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digi...s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1531397473&sr=8-11

the digital one is reading about 9* colder, and the probe is sitting on top of the eggs. which one should I trust? I also bout a digital thermometer/hygrometer so that I know the humidity for the non turner incubator which will arrive tomorrow...Currently that incubator has a cheap fish tank thermometer.

 

[Trinitydraco]

This was my first batch of hatching chicks (in the middle of the hatch now with 2 out and 2 pipped on day 21) and I found that the only reading to trust is the one on top of the middle eggs. If the incubator is still air just rotate them when you turn them. I wound up using one of the old reliable dial thermometers and as I am going to get at least 4 chicks out of 9 (most likely 2 more) it has worked out well for me.

 

[Lenka]

great, thanks! i will do that, thanks

 

[Altfrizzle]

Calibrate the thermometer. Put the probe in a glass of crushed ice Wait until it’s half melted. Add thermometer. If it reads off from 32 degrees, adjust your thermometer or just note how high or low it is

 

[Lenka]

oh cool, I will do that! thanks.

couple more questions, how do I clean a Styrofoam incubator? can I just used a 'normal' cleaner, a mix of water and vinegar? its kinda stinks.

is there a difference in hatch rate between using a turner or not? I was thinking of putting most of these eggs in the one with out a turner.. and manually turn the eggs. I've never used a turner before so im a bit skeptical ( i do see that its working)

 

[Lenka]

eggs are hereee. of 24 that arrived, only one was broken... so thats not too bad. no extras in the box so im hoping that the 23 left are good. Incubator is at temp.. will go without the turner this time around.

currently they are resting in the kitchen... i guess I can put them in the incubator as soon as tomorrow morning (24 hours..) or I could wait till sunday morning for the 48 hours. is there much of a difference between the wait times?

 

[oregonkat]

If there was a broken egg in the shipment, I would candle some of the good ones and see if you have detached air cells. The broken egg indicates that there might have been some rough treatment in shipping. If you do have detached or rolling air cells, they will look slightly misshapen or 'slippery' when you gently move the egg. Let them sit for 48 hours to try to settle everything down. Good luck with your hatch!