Can you hatch two different sets of eggs at different times in the same incubator?

[artvandolay]

I am buying fertilized eggs, but they may not come on the same days.

1. Should I wait until they are all together? Some may come a few days later and I don't know how long you have after fertilization to incubate them. How long?

2. Can I put the first ones in, then add the 2nd batch when they arrive?

3. Should I start to incubate the first ones, then do the others in a separate incubator? I would have to borrow one from someone.

Thanks in advance for any input to help me hatch my new eggs coming next week.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I let shipped eggs sit a day first. Yes I have started eggs of different days.
Make sure to write the day started and hatch dates is the main oops.

 

[artvandolay]

Yes, I had read you are supposed to let them settle for a day after arrival. How long do you have to put them in after being fertilized or they will go back an not hatch?
Thanks for the tip about writing the days. In the main oops?

 

[NatJ]

I am buying fertilized eggs, but they may not come on the same days.

1. Should I wait until they are all together? Some may come a few days later and I don't know how long you have after fertilization to incubate them. How long?

2. Can I put the first ones in, then add the 2nd batch when they arrive?

3. Should I start to incubate the first ones, then do the others in a separate incubator? I would have to borrow one from someone.

Thanks in advance for any input to help me hatch my new eggs coming next week.

If it's only a few days, I would wait and start them together.

If it's going to be very much difference, I would start the first ones and add the others later, then buy or borrow another incubator for when they hatch.

Incubating different ages of eggs together is fine.
But when the early ones hatch, they can get goo on the other eggs, and can kick them around.
So if you move the early ones to another incubator at lockdown time, all their mess and activity happens in that other incubator. Then can clean & return the other incubator, leaving the later eggs to hatch in the original incubator you own.

How long do you have to put them in after being fertilized or they will go back an not hatch?

It's usually best to start them incubating within a week of when they were laid.

If you wait longer, you get a lower hatch rate (so some may still hatch, but some may not.)
I've read of eggs that were stored for 3 weeks and then incubated, and a few of them hatched, but you will typically get much better results if you do not wait that long!

 

[artvandolay]

Thanks. The ones that I think will come first will be regular eggs from standard breeds like Orpingtons, Plymouths, Marans, and Rhode Island Reds, the others will be Serama so they're smaller and will hatch faster.

I will have to time it I supposed and figure out the lockdown for them. I didn't think you should open them during the lockdown. So if some start hatching before, what do I do if they're hatching at different times or during the lockdown? Can you open them to move them to a different incubator during that time?

 

[Ridgerunner]

If it's only a few days, I would wait and start them together.

If it's going to be very much difference, I would start the first ones and add the others later, then buy or borrow another incubator for when they hatch.

Incubating different ages of eggs together is fine.
But when the early ones hatch, they can get goo on the other eggs, and can kick them around.
So if you move the early ones to another incubator at lockdown time, all their mess and activity happens in that other incubator. Then can clean & return the other incubator, leaving the later eggs to hatch in the original incubator you own.



It's usually best to start them incubating within a week of when they were laid.

If you wait longer, you get a lower hatch rate (so some may still hatch, but some may not.)
I've read of eggs that were stored for 3 weeks and then incubated, and a few of them hatched, but you will typically get much better results if you do not wait that long!

This.

You don't know how long they were stored before they were shipped or what conditions they were stored under. You are usually OK even under fairly bad storage conditions for a week. Under good storage conditions you can go two weeks and get good hatch rates but you can't consider the time they were being shipped as good storage conditions. I'd want them in the incubator within 24 hours of you receiving them.

Get the second incubator and either put one set of eggs in it or use it as a hatcher for the first set.

 

[NatJ]

I didn't think you should open them during the lockdown. So if some start hatching before, what do I do if they're hatching at different times or during the lockdown? Can you open them to move them to a different incubator during that time?

"Lockdown" is a bit of an exaggeration.
Opening the incubator once or twice a day to take out chicks or move eggs isn't a big deal.
But you shouldn't be keeping it open for long stretches of time, and you shouldn't do it too many times in a day.

It's common now for incubators to have clear sections to look through and watch.
Not too long ago (maybe a few decades), there were some common incubator styles that had no good way to look inside without opening it. Of course it was really easy for impatient people to overdo it, peeking so often and for so long that they caused problems. I think the term "lockdown" is meant to remind people not to do that, and to only open the incubator when there's a good reason.

 

[MrsFarmerJoe]

I agreed with all started above. Things in moderation for monitoring is necessary. The rules are in place for greater rates of success. If you mark on a calendar when you started the incubation(set date) then 18 days after that date is the best time to move your eggs to another incubator prior to lockdown. Day 18-21 is when the humidity should be higher to keep the egg shells softer and therefore easier for the chicks to Crack the egg and not dry it out. So slightly lower heat, Higher humidity during the last 3 days. The concern with opening the incubator during "lockdown" is mostly about loosing those ideal conditions. So I would feel more confident moving eggs at day 17 or 18 versus once they have actually started to hatch. Research shows that the clicking sounds from eggs just days from hatching can actually facilitate other eggs to hatch called "synchronize hatching". So that you could get a chicks hatching once started within hours to 24 hours after it starts. I wouldn't want to disturb that process. I use a calendar high lighting the importance days and then watch the process. All of my eggs are dated on the day they are laid and I gather until I have the batch I desire as long as they are in that 7-10 day window for best fertilized egg condition, then I incubate. But again like stated by another I know the conditions, handling, and the exact dates of my eggs being laid. Even under a brooding hen as she mothers her clutch these eggs are laid on different days, sat upon at different temperatures and turned by her, so I just mimic mother nature whenever possible.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide and how it turns it out.

 

[ComradeQuedtions]

In situations like this where you have incubated eggs that started the process 10+ days apart and you only have 1 incubator and want to move the ones on day 18 is there any recommended solutions? Like temporary makeshift incubators? Or something like that?

 

[NatJ]

In situations like this where you have incubated eggs that started the process 10+ days apart and you only have 1 incubator and want to move the ones on day 18 is there any recommended solutions? Like temporary makeshift incubators? Or something like that?

I would recommend these possible solutions, in this order:

Solution one: buy or borrow a second incubator.

Solution two: if you have a broody hen, put one group of eggs under her.
Be sure to mark the eggs, so you know which ones they are. If she has been sitting for several weeks, give her the ones about to hatch, and let her raise the chicks. If she just started sitting, give her the younger eggs. Either she can keep them all the way to hatching and then raise the chicks, or else after the first eggs hatch you can move the eggs from the broody back into the incubator.

Solution three: leave both batches in the incubator, so the first batch hatches while the second batch is still there. Putting the first batch in mesh bags or baskets can help contain the mess, and keeps them from kicking the other eggs around, but some people get good results without doing that.

Solution four: come up with a makeshift or temporary incubator. Many of these do not work very well, which is why I am listing this as the least-desirable option. Some people do make homemade incubators that work very well, with proper control of temperature and humidity, but I would put those under option one (second incubator that is not makeshift.)

(Other people may have different views on the matter. This is just what *I* would do, based on what I think is most likely to produce the best rate of hatch from all the eggs.)