r-com new 20 ?

[sassy]

Hello, I just received my new incubator and it did not come with directions on how to incubate chicken eggs. The only directions that it came with was what the buttons were for. I have done a lot of research on the internet and have read that chicken eggs take 21 days and for the first 18 they should be turned and the temp be 100 and humidity around 85-87. Is this correct? Day 18 you stop turning, keep the temp the same and raise humidity to 90. Is this correct? Also, for those of you know about the unit I have, you know that there are these plastic dividers that you manually put in to make columns that seperate the eggs. Do I put them in exactly the width of the egg? I also read that you need to stand the eggs up where the large area is on top. I tried with my store bought chicken eggs to do this and I can't seem to make it work. I am getting my eggs to incubate either today or tomorrow and thought that I would have had this figured out by now but I don't. I do not see any place on this unit to open "air vents". Do you know if this unit requires me to open the lid or something to ventiltlate it ? Any help that someone could give me asap would be greastly appreciated. Thanks in advance and have a nice day!

[bonnie in indiana]

Never heard of the Incubator name. Is it a styofoam job? Does it have a fan? Does the company have a website.

A fan forced air inc. runs best at 99.5 F. The thermometer is the most important thing. Get a good one. Put the inc in a room with no temperature variations--especially with winter comming.

If your eggs are expensive---it would be best to have someone experienced and with a good incubator to hatch your eggs. And remember---mail order eggs SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The hatch rate is usually really bad. It is all the 3 foot drops on the mail house conveyor belts that scramble the eggs.

[bonnie in indiana]

http://www.brinsea.com/customerservice/ ... tions.html (http://www.brinsea.com/customerservice/instructions.html)

you can download the user manual here. Looks to me like you got an inc that is really SMART. It will do anything except lay the eggs. Good Luck

[tk6690]

I have one of these incubators. You need to space the plastic dividers far enough apart so that the eggs can roll when the bottom tray moves. You don't need much room but not tight. You can usually get 7 rows of 3 eggs in it if you space them right. Fill up your water compartment and plug it in. Don't over fill or the bottom will flood and you can't hold the humidity level. I set mine at 99.7 degrees and 45% humidity. At 18 days we turn off the turner and raise the humidity to 60%. Make sure the turner light is on when your ready to start eggs. This incubator will temp. and humidity right where you want it and turn the eggs automaticly. Just make sure you keep water in it. An alarm will alert if it runs out. We hatched around 150 chicks last year at between 85-100% hatch rate per batch.

[sassy]

Thank you for some great advice. When the 18th day comes and I stop turning and raise the humidity should I take the plastic dividers out? Also, after they start hatching, how long do I keep them in this incubator? Thanks

[tk6690]

I leave the dividers in. I make sure the chicks are dry and seem energenic before I take them out. Most times it is 12-18 hrs. after they hatch out. One bad thing is the fan sucks the fuzz into every compartment and you have to disassemble the incubator and clean everything before you set the next batch. I have an old still air incubator that I can use as a hatcher sometimes if I don't want the mess in the R-com.

[Pathfinders]

Congrats on jumping into incubating. What sorts of eggs are you going to hatch? Some breeds are more forgiving than others.

And here's a link to a site with tips in incubation:

http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/hatch.htm

And remind me, where in NKY are you again? Have we met? Were you at the Bluegrass show yesterday?

Laura

[sassy]

Hi Laura, We have not met but you have given me some wonderful advice along the way. I wasn't at the show yesterday and was sorry that I missed it. (Have the flu). I have different colored silkies and 7 blue splash morans. Went mostly for niceness, colors and by the looks of the BSM's eggs that I am incubating, they should be about the right size for eating. I hope to meet you sometime soon. Aren't you in Alexandria?

[stoneunhenged]

Set the temp on 99.5.

Set the humidity on 55.

Stop turning on Day 18.

You can take out the dividers on Day 18 if you want.

This should result in a good hatch. I have four of these incubators.

[sassy]

So, I have been incubating my eggs at 45 degrees since last Thursday. Should I raise the humidity to 55 degrees now? Thanks

[stoneunhenged]

If you read the literature, there's a lot of variability on the recommended relative humidity. I've found 55% works well for me. You may want to try 50% for the first 18 days, then boost it to 55% for the remaining 3 days. The only way to be certain is to precisely weigh the eggs during the incubation cycle and compare your numbers to the optimum water weight loss for eggs. Most people don't do this.

[stoneunhenged]

I should also mention that I hatch my chicks in a hatcher, not the incubator. Hatching is a messy process, and although the RComs are easy to clean, I'd rather not have a lot of egg goo promote bacterial build-up in the incubator. Also, the RCom plastic tray is a little slick and chicks can slip on its surface. You can buy a cheap little styrofoam incubator and these work well as hatchers. They have wire mesh floors that afford a good walking surface for the chicks. You should leave the chicks in the hatcher until their feathers are fluffy; usually about 12-24 hours.