Very first time hatching eggs

[lilshadow]

I put my very first eggs in the bator. I am a big chicken so I only put two in there. I have never done this before, and I have a still air bator. I t has no humidity ready only temp reading. It has stayed steady for 24 hours now. I figured I could do all the reading and asking questions until I turn blue in the face, so I might as well give it a try and see what happens. I don't even know if my eggs are fertile or even viable because I had them sitting on the counter in a bowl for 2 days. I also figured that a hen leaves her eggs in the nest for a time before sitting on them. We will see. If something starts stinking then I know I didn't do it right. That's why I only used two eggs.

 

[BantyChickMom]

You really need to get a hygrometer so you can keep up with the humidity.
High/low humidity affects the size of the air pocket!

 

[Katy]

I'd encourage you to grab at least 2 or 3 more of your hens eggs and stick them in. It's easier to hold temps with more eggs, plus if you only have one of the two hatch, then you have to deal with a single lonely chick or go to the feedstore and get him some friends.

 

[lilshadow]

I suppose I can't stick eggs that have been in the fridge for a day or two in there huh? I don't know that much about hatching, and where can I get a hygrometer? Wish I could just watch someone do it.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Quote:
some feed stores sell hygrometers and so does walmart. even home depo sells em

 

[lilshadow]

Should I or should I not open then vent plugs on my bator. I just read on the how to pages, and it said to open the vent holes. Maybe I should just buy my chicks instead of trying to hatch them.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

What day are you on? Try to hatch first before buying chicks you might have a baby in there. I have come close to pulling the plug many times thinking I have bad eggs and them proving me wrong

 

[lilshadow]

I just put them in at 6:10 pm. I guess I am just nervous because I have never done this before. Should I pull out the vent plugs or just leave everything as is.

 

[jlbpooh]

As far as refrigerator eggs. I just had one hatch this late last night/early this morning and another that was rocking yesterday. This was my first time at this. It all started because I forgot an egg that I had collected in my jacket pocket. I found it the next morning so I plugged in my never been used incubator, got one fresh egg, the one from my pocket, and 3 from the fridge. The pocket one and one fridge one weren't fertilzed, but the the fresh one and one refrigerated one are happily in the brooder, and I am waiting to see how the third one is going to do. My humidity was only 20-25% until day 18 and then I finally figured out how to get it raised up, it was at 65-68% since then. My temps fluctuated quite a bit ,98-103.5,(I have a min/max recording thermometer) but the temps have been that way here. My house changed by as much as 10 degrees on the days I had a problem. All in all, I was happy with 2 hatching so far. I have 15 more babies getting shipped from the hatchery tomorrow to keep these little buggers company. I have been totally stressed for the last 3 weeks, paranoid that I was going to screw something up. I am more relaxed now.

 

[lilshadow]

Did you just take the egg straight out of the fridge and put it in there, or did you let it come to rum temp first? oh yeah,, I figured if this works I do have babies coming the first week in March so they will have company.