# Questions on eggs and incubator



## pearnist (Apr 7, 2014)

I get 6-8eggs daily from my 10 hens. A friend . Is going to hatch eggs for me. Is it okay to add eggs daily to incubator or do I collect eggs and leave at room temp until I get all the eggs I want to try to hatch and then place in incubator at one time? I am new at farming period. I have 10 hens with 2 roosters and goats  All information will be appreciated.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Since a friend is doing the hatching, collect all you want to hatch until you're ready to put them in. Keep them in a cool, climate controlled area. Depending on how many you're planning on giving the friend will depend on whether or not you will need to turn them or not. The longer they are stored, the more important rotating at least once a day becomes.

Staggered hatches are more complicated and requires two incubators. One to get the eggs to 18 days and another for the last three to use as a hatcher.


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## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

Do all the eggs at once. When I first started out I put eggs in on different days and they either didn't hatch or died a few days after hatching. Now I do one batch at a time until I get another incubator to use as a hatcher. 


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## pearnist (Apr 7, 2014)

Thanks so much. When stated cool controlled climate do u mean like in the house just sit out in kitchen? I keep the house like 70 but if gets warm out I open kitchen window.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I either kept my eggs in an unused bedroom or in a cooler in my kitchen. In the cooler were ice packs that I switched out each day. The eggs were in egg cartons so they were stored properly and could be tilted to prevent the yolk from sticking to one side of the shell.

All of that said, I mistakenly packed an egg with some that I sold. It was obviously very old when I candled and had not meant for it to go to the customer. I notified the woman and she set it any way and it hatched. The egg had been buried in shavings and I had missed it all of those times I checked. 

The moral of the story? It seems that a determined chick will hatch even in eggs left out in the nest for at least a month.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

robin416 said:


> I either kept my eggs in an unused bedroom or in a cooler in my kitchen. In the cooler were ice packs that I switched out each day. The eggs were in egg cartons so they were stored properly and could be tilted to prevent the yolk from sticking to one side of the shell.
> 
> All of that said, I mistakenly packed an egg with some that I sold. It was obviously very old when I candled and had not meant for it to go to the customer. I notified the woman and she set it any way and it hatched. The egg had been buried in shavings and I had missed it all of those times I checked.
> 
> The moral of the story? It seems that a determined chick will hatch even in eggs left out in the nest for at least a month.


Yes they will, and hubby told me the 1 leg horn egg that we hatched out in the incubator last year was about 1 month old. It did hatch and a perfect little rooster, he went in the culling group last year. We didn't want any leghorns lol  And this year I am getting a leg horn cockerel from Cackle because my husband loves the roosters


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## pearnist (Apr 7, 2014)

Tjanks for all the help. We have placed 24 eggs in the incubator today is a week ago. I will be checking soon to see how many are fertile. Cant wait!


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

pearnist said:


> Tjanks for all the help. We have placed 24 eggs in the incubator today is a week ago. I will be checking soon to see how many are fertile. Cant wait!


Keep us updated.


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## pearnist (Apr 7, 2014)

Just letting you know we were hit by the tornadoes in noth alabama and lost all my eggs and incubator :-( once I can will have to start over. Luckily all my chickens were found and ok just ruffled up. Please keep all of us in your prayers.


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## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

I will pray for you. 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

pearnist said:


> Just letting you know we were hit by the tornadoes in noth alabama and lost all my eggs and incubator :-( once I can will have to start over. Luckily all my chickens were found and ok just ruffled up. Please keep all of us in your prayers.


So sorry to hear that pearnist. I hope the humans came out OK too.


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## pearnist (Apr 7, 2014)

Yes thanks . we all were fine and very blessed considering what was just next door.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

Good to hear that you made it ok, through all of that.


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