Update - New to incubating eggs

[Wood2876]

I have never used an incubator before. I thought about purchasing an incubator but decided to build me one. You can see the incubator on my page.
I set 36 eggs on 03-28-10, the same day I finished my incubator. This was an experiment to see if the incubator worked and washed or unwashed eggs. I had 12 eggs from 1 1/2 year old hens, 12 washed eggs, and 12 eggs from new pullets. I broke one while candling so I have 35 left. It is day 20 and the incubator worked. I have 3 eggs that have already hatched and so far about 3/4 of the other eggs have pipped. I guess it is a waiting game for the next day or 2 to see how many more hatches.

Update 04-18-2010
I had an 85% hatch rate with my homemade incubator. I would like to thank everyone on this forum who has posted under this topic because I learned alot just reading your posts.

I can't get the picture to attach so here is a link to it.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/34850_dsc00649.jpg

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Congratulations that is great hatch.

Are you saying you washed 12 eggs and didn't wash eggs the other 12? Did it make a difference?

 

[The Lisser]

Congratulations on your incubator making and a successful hatch! I haven't hatched any eggs yet (got my first chicks about a month ago), but I am so wanting to do the incubator thing one day! Thanks for sharing your info.

Melissa

 

[Wood2876]

I had 12 eggs from the older hens, 8 hatched. I had 12 eggs that I washed, 9 hatched. I had 11 eggs from new pullets, 10 hatched. I started out with 12 pullet eggs but I dropped one when I tried to candle them so I never candled the other eggs. The 8 eggs that didn't hatch, 1 was a double yolk, 6 never started to develop, and 1 quit developing in the early stage. I guess if I wasn't afraid of dropping more eggs and candled them, then I would have had only one egg that didn't hatch.