what do you wish you'd known before incubating?

[Cattitude]

You have been infected by the C. hatchaholis permanensius virus! It's incurable!

Muahahahaha! *Vincent Price laugh*

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

That you need more room for hatching than for incubating. The chicks that hatch first kick the others around something fierce. So maybe you should not fill your incubator all the way up, or have a "Hatcher" (homemade or bought) to spread the eggs out during their last few days. We are looking at building a homemade hatcher to help with this.

Everyone is telling you correct humidity is important the last few days. They are right.

Hatch eggs of about the same size. Medium eggs seem to hatch quicker than large eggs, etc.

If you are in New York and are hatching in Feb and March, you will need to keep the babies indoors somewhere so they can be 90F. I'm sure you know this already, but my first hatch seemed to be in the house a LONG time because they were early in the spring / late in the winter.

It hurts more when one you hatch dies than one you bought.

 

[jodief100]

Quote:
It is not therapy, it is enabling!

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

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Yes, this is true!

I incubated geese and chickens this year. I had a time of it with the geese. Not much success but it was worth it for the few I did get.
Ok, learn from my mistakes and DO NOT USE cheapy walmart digital thermometer/hydrometer units. They were all off when tested and the high temps cost me dearly.
Instead, use 2 or 3 of the ones made for incubating that sit on top of the eggs and it has the red alcohol that rises. I have also found that using a wet bulb thermometer is much more accurate for testing humidity. You can buy one or use one of the incubating thermometers I already mentioned but have a shoelace wrapped around the bulb so it always touches. I just stapled it on and then set the other end of the shoelace in the water pan to wick water. Keep the pan full.

Write down what your temps and wet bulb readings should be and have it on a sticky note near your incubator.

I have a poultry book that recommends keeping the still air incubator at 100.5... no, that is too low. I lost 20 out of 25 and the few that hatched were 4 and 5 days LATE. Instead keep it closer to 102
Forced air at 99.5 is good though. I had good results with that bator. The incubator with the fan is worth the extra money... the egg turner is also awesome.

Um, have a way to add water to the incubator without opening it for hatch. I use a straw, funnel and electrical tape and add it through the vent holes.

What did I do right? Well I have chicks and goslings so I did something right! But next time I hope for a better hatch rate.

Lets see, one thing that noone told me but I kinda figured out. If the chick pips on the underside of the shell, and its the only one pipping, its worth it to open the incubator to turn it pip side up. They seem to do better.
Also, if the chick starts pipping on the small end of the shell, its worth it to help a little, opening a bigger breathing hole because the chick is not in the air pocket.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

It is true..it takes more room to hatch than to incubate. I filled my incubator with 25 eggs, and once they had to come out of the turner they were close together and the chicks could not kick the shells off as easily as when I did it again and put in less eggs...also get a hygrometer to measure the humidity...I did it twice w/o one and had an ok hatch, once I got one it made a world of difference..and also a good thermometer. My hygrometer has a built in thermometer also and it costs about $5.00 from the hardward store. also just hatch a few at first to get the hang of it..when you lose lots of eggs it is very upsetting...AND DO NOT KEEP OPENING THE INCUBATOR. Read, read, and read up on it.

 

[SweetMotherOfMars]

LouLouBean, you will love incubating!

I made my incubator myself and love it. I adapted MissPrissy's design:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1996-chic-chick-bator

One change I made was to use the power supply fan from an old computer and leave it in half of its metal case. I then used this [ shaped hollow to put the light behind. It keeps the chicks safer.

So far the most I've had good luck with is around 2 dozen. I *do* wish I had a separate hatcher so I could stagger my hatches. One of these days I'll make another one. It would be nice if only as a back up incubator.

What I wish someone had said before: it's more important to keep the eggs turned the first 7-10 days than any other time. If you forget a day later in the hatch don't beat yourself up.

For your first hatch I'd try light colored eggs so you get used to candling. For $12-17 you can find an incredibly bright LED flashlight that will let you see everything in that egg! The one we have now is 75 lumens and you wouldn't need higher than that.

I keep a small bottle of water in with the eggs. Primarily it acts as a heat sink should the incubator fail, but I have used the water in it to add to the humidity pan before. I let the humidity drop to 25-30 before adding more... unless it's lockdown time. Right before I lock down I candle and trace the edge of the air cell so I know where to look for pips. I do incubate and hatch in cartons with holes cut in the bottom of each cup.

We keep a blanket over the window in the top of the incubator. It cuts down on the condensation so when it's hatching time we can actually see what's going on. (Provided we remember to put the blanket back when we are done.)

Most of all, have fun!

ETA missing punctuation

 

[SportChick]

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That's a really good idea!
I have a question about egg carton hatching. Do you put the eggs in on their side or fat side up?

 

[emvickrey]

Number one, it's very addictive
Number two, Humidity and temps are crutial
Number three, it's very addictive.

I am constantly trying to find room for more. I'm finally shutting my bator down for a little while when it gets empty on or around 7/3. (of this year) I'm expecting some silkie eggs but other than that, i'm done for the year.

I found a candler on ebay for 17.50. There where cheaper ones but I chose that one. I used a big flashlight that holds those big square batteries for a year. I made an attachment for it out of the spout of a 2 litter coke bottle and foil and it worked pretty good. A candler is the way to go though.

I also bought another bator that I use for lock down. I always have staggered hatches and another bator is very important especially if you have a turner. I hand turned my eggs 3 times a day for a year till I finally bought the extra bator and turners for them both. I don't use the other turner since I use that bator for the lock down but i'm sure it will come in handy one day. The turner saved me from having to be home most of the time to turn the eggs. Now all I do is watch the temp and humidity.

Oh! a digital thermometer/hydrometer is important also. I have one it both bators. They are cheap also. I got mine for about 7 bucks each at Walmart. I also found to put sponge in the water wells keeps the humidity more stable. I also added a slice of sponge for the extra humidity for when I open the bator and the humidity drops and also during lock down. I can adjust the humidity by mot only the plugs but the amount of water I put in the sponge.

To keep from opening the incubator that has the turner in it I threaded some fish tank air line through 3 of the vent holes and into the water wells. I use a meat injector to add water through the lines. I also use a flash light to look into the wells to see when I get them full. I only need to open the bator to candle and remove eggs to be put in the lock down bator.

I keep the humidity between 45 and 50 for the first 18 days. Then in the lock down bator I keep it between 52 and 58. It works well for me. Any higher and I loose chicks or they get swollen and mushey. I keep my temps between 99.5 and 101. I have an airconditioner in the "nursery" that is set at 76 degrees and is on low and energy saver. When it gets too cool or hot in the room the bators are in they respond with the same. I've lost and had crippled chicks from temp and humidity not staying stable. Hatching problems, all kinds of stuff to keep me on my toes.

I think i've learned enough to earn a vacation from it. lol

 

[PunkinPeep]

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My incubator should arrive tomorrow, so i'm reading along with this thread to see what i can learn. I was planning to hatch in cartons. But i don't think i understand why you're cutting holes in the bottom of the cups. Will you explain? Thanks!

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

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My incubator should arrive tomorrow, so i'm reading along with this thread to see what i can learn. I was planning to hatch in cartons. But i don't think i understand why you're cutting holes in the bottom of the cups. Will you explain? Thanks!

they do that because eggs breathe through the shells so it increases circulation