What do you do with extra eggs? How to decide? =)

[featherz]

I've got room in the bator for a certain number of eggs, but what happens if a nice seller sends extra and they will not fit? (short of buying another bator, as I already have two!). Is there any way to 'start' these eggs for just the three or four days needed to see which of the other eggs are tossers? They're shipped eggs, so probably already on the outer edge of 'fresh', so waiting it out doesn't seem a good plan. And I KNOW some of the other eggs will turn out to be bad and will make room.. what to do?

I've got a heat lamp and a thermometer and the humidity in the room is at least 40% so.. should I try something like this and swap the eggs around in 4-5 days?

 

[ranchhand]

Are you using an auto-turner? If so, you could take it out, that will give you some more room. Once you toss the clears you can start using the turner again.

 

[Sportsterjeep]

hmmm, sounds like you could use a cabinet incubator

 

[featherz]

Hahha nah, this is a one time deal. No need for a cabinet incubator! Good idea on taking out the autoturner. I have a hovabator so taking out the turner will help. Also have a brinsea octagon advance EX which I noticed today I could only squish 18 eggs in, thus the question. I thought it would hold 24!

I think it's because of the fuzzy stuff between the rails and the rails themselves, plus I have some rather large eggs in there (jersey giant). I notice the padding only came with the humidity pump, so I assume that's needed in there to help with humidity control?

 

[Kedreeva]

Or you could just ask the seller to send the exact amount....


If you've already got eggs going, and you think some will be clears, then it's probably ok to just order and if there's extras then you mash them into the places that get cleared up. I just over-ordered on eggs and 1 shipment was a week later than the others. When they arrived, I candled the eggs I had going and the new eggs came in with the perfect number to exactly fill my incubator after tossing clears. And EVERYONE sent at least one extra- one person sent SIX extras.

 

[featherz]

It ended up working out OK after all, but I'll keep this advice in mind for my next hatch (which hopefully won't be for a while as I could possibly be drowning in chicks if all went well). Ended up with two spots left in the incubator even with only 18 fitting in the brinsea. I think I could have easily fit 24 silkie eggs in the brinsea, but as that's the better incubator I put the unshipped eggs in first and those are huge.

If a LOT turn out to be clears and a whole incubator is free maybe I'll buy a dozen or so more but I am keeping my fingers crossed!