Stacking eggs in the incubator????

[talkinboutchickens]

Hi all,
I got an ImPECKables 12-capacity egg incubator from TSC on sale a few months ago (my 30 capacity Meef incubator quit on me .) I am hoping to hatch some chicks next Spring BUT I want to hatch a few MORE than 12 I want to try out the stacking method where I stack eggs on top of one another and NOT turn them at all...Has anyone tried this method before?? Are the chances higher of getting deformed chicks than with a wet or dry hatch?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MGG]

Hi all,
I got an ImPECKables 12-capacity egg incubator from TSC on sale a few months ago (my 30 capacity Meef incubator quit on me .) I am hoping to hatch some chicks next Spring BUT I want to hatch a few MORE than 12 I want to try out the stacking method where I stack eggs on top of one another and NOT turn them at all...Has anyone tried this method before?? Are the chances higher of getting deformed chicks than with a wet or dry hatch?

Thanks in advance!

It works, but you still have to turn them obviously. I also rotated which eggs were on top and which eggs were on the bottom layer when I did it. I still had a high hatch rate from what I remember and no issues.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

It works, but you still have to turn them obviously. I also rotated which eggs were on top and which eggs were on the bottom layer when I did it. I still had a high hatch rate from what I remember and no issues.

Oh wow! So it does work! How do you prevent the eggs on the bottom layer from hatching and the egg on top of it from crushing them?

 

[MGG]

Oh wow! So it does work! How do you prevent the eggs on the bottom layer from hatching and the egg on top of it from crushing them?

Chicks are tough and eggs aren't that heavy, they just climbed up to the top stack once they hatched. The first few I put on top to hatch but I don't think it was necessary. They seemed fine. I had a duck hatch eggs three layers deep.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Chicks are tough and eggs aren't that heavy, they just climbed up to the top stack once they hatched. The first few I put on top to hatch but I don't think it was necessary. They seemed fine. I had a duck hatch eggs three layers deep.

Do you rotate the ones that are gonna hatch the soonest to the top?

 

[MGG]

Do you rotate the ones that are gonna hatch the soonest to the top?

That's what I did, yes. But I don't think it would have been necessary. I did pull chicks as soon as they were dry though to make room. Probably only left them in 2 hours max.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

That's what I did, yes. But I don't think it would have been necessary. I did pull chicks as soon as they were dry though to make room. Probably only left them in 2 hours max.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If you don't rotate them at all the yolks can stick to the shell and then the chick will die while trying to hatch, right?

 

[Debbie292d]

When I used the NR360, that holds 20-some silkie eggs and I had 30-some silkie eggs so stacked them in there. Some stacked ones turned with the egg below, some didn't. Thus, I turned them three times a day until Day 7 when I candled them. I was able to remove just enough unfertilized ones to only have the ones left that turned.

You do need to turn them or they'll stick to the shell like @BigBlueHen53 said. Good explanation from Brinsea here.

The last week, you could forgo turning as by then they move around themselves enough. I do a 5-day lockdown so they're not getting turned as it already for 5 days. It's most important the first two weeks.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you for this link, Debbie! It was a good read.