Using egg cartons during lockdown?

I just asked for advice about that on another thread and thought that it would be best for me to use the carton method (cardboard carton with bottoms cut out and top cut off). I'm going to do it to keep the eggs elevated the same, although I have a fan in the incubator the temp varies with the height. I'm also doing it to keep the air space towards the top. But this is my first hatch, so what do I know!!!

 

It works really good, I believe that you have better hatches in cartons. I do this on all hatches and it works good for me.

 

I've just started doing this. I had to see pictures of the cut down cartons before I "got" it, though. Basically, I cut my cartons down so much that they're almost a collection of rings holding the eggs upright and close together. The flat bottoms of the egg depressions are cut complete out, the sides are cut down so there's not a lot for a hatchling to climb over after zipping the eggshell.

Unless you have one hatching upside down, like this one:


He needed a little help. Yup, it's a baby roo.

 

That is so cute

 

Quote:Is there an official just hatched pics thread? If not we need one stat!

 

After our first hatch when I about had a nervous breakdown watching the already hatched chicks kick the unhatched eggs around, I will never NOT use cartons to hatch in. Not only for my piece of mind but for the poor babies still in the eggs getting bounced all around. We don't cut the bottoms off of ours though because we hatch on the floor of our cabinet incubator. We just cut the cartons to however many eggs we have in lockdown.

 

I used them for my first hatch this month. It worked great. I have read the suggestion to use styrofoam cartons instead of cardboard so it won't affect humidity.

 

Do you have to cut the carton down?

 

I didn't use anything last fall when I did my first ever batch. I filled the incubator turner rack full and then took it out those last few days. I too watched in a kind of horror at the unhatched eggs getting brutally bounced and rolled all over the bottom of the incubator. I think, for one thing, I tried to do too many eggs. Just because it will hold 42 eggs, doesn't mean I should try to do that many at once. Only about 28 eggs actually hatched successfully. Those that came out first were fine, those that might have came out later, didn't all make it, and I wondered about all that bouncing around. I did pull the hatched chicks out as soon as they dried off and were running around, placing them into my brooder box, but now I'm thinking maybe I need some kind of cut down carton to hold the eggs in place.

The reason I think possibly the hatched chicks killed some of the unhatched chicks is, some had late stage developed chicks in them when we checked. They were our own eggs, so no loss for bought eggs, but I still felt bad for the unborn. I'll be looking into some type of method to keep the eggs from abuse when I do a new batch this spring. Also, do not plan to fill the incubator so full this time. I did follow the instructions that came with the incubator, yes I am a man, some men do read instructions.