- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks!Just bring them in and let them set at room temperature for 24 hours. (perhaps take them out of the box, but leave them in the bubble wrap for a few hours, then set them in egg cartons for the remainder of the 24 hour rest period. It would be a good idea to get a couple bottles of warm water in the incubator at least = to the volume of the eggs you will be putting in. That will give you a better handle on how well the incubator is holding temps. Ideally, it should hold for at least 24 hours without you having to adjust the thermostat before setting eggs. When you put the eggs in, take the bottles out, unless you have extra room, in which case you can leave one or more bottles. Then, don't adjust the temp for the first 12 - 24 hours, unless you have the temp go above your desired range. Also, use your thermometer to test the temperature in multiple locations inside the incubator. Even with the fan, you may see variations up to 1.5 degrees depending on your air flow. THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND GETTING THINGS PERFECT BEFORE PUTTING THE EGGS IN, THE LESS PANIC AND ADJUSTMENT YOU'LL HAVE TO DO AFTER THEY GO IN!!!
Thermometer and hygrometer accuracy are the most difficult things to deal with in home incubation, especially when the meters that come with an incubator may not be reliable. There are several options for calibration, or making "math" adjustments to get an accurate temp and humidity reading. Ice water calibration and salt water calibration are sometimes recommended. An other option is to find a thermometer that is most likely accurate, and use that as your gold standard, then test all of your other options in a 100 degree water bath. This is my preferred method, because, even if you have a rod thermometer that is accurate at 32 degrees, it still may not be accurate at 100 degrees. I use an old fashioned mercury medical thermometer as my gold standard. Others use digital medical thermometers for the same with good results.
Lock down: I like to put a piece of waffle shelf liner over the wire when laying my eggs flat for lock down. This is softer on the chicks fragile skin, and not as likely to catch delicate structures if they have any herniation or unabsorbed yolk sacs. Mark your day 18 air cells, and the likely pip location, and orient the eggs with that pip location facing up.
I like to use a piece of sponge 1" x 3" in a small cup, with a length of airline tubing attached to a syringe to control humidity until lock down, then I add a larger sponge. This makes it super easy to control humidity without opening up the incubator. I HIGHLY recommend that you try a "dry" hatch, following the guidelines listed by Russian Chickens.
Happy hatching, and be sure to keep us informed about how things are going for you.
PS I should know more about the pip. Does anyone remember where that thread is? I saw one in it ages ago but I don't remember where it was.
I LOVE IT!! It was easy to set up and I followed these instructions 
