Question on temperature..?

[biteme2134]

I've done quite a few hatches so I've begun staggering the hatch with 2 incubators now.

My question is this - I usually keep the egg turner inside as I gather the eggs over 3 or 4 days before I put them in the incubator. I'm wondering if leaving them in the garage is ok instead of inside the house? (we have a 2 year old and it's becoming harder to keep them away from little hands' reach)

I put my hydrometer out there that tracks the lowest and highest temperature and (we are in GA) the lowest so far we've hit is around 54 degrees. I know some people have hatched after putting them in the refrigerator (which seems crazy) but I'm wondering if this or even 5 or 10 degrees cooler out there would impact my hatch?

Thanks!

 

[chicklover 1998]

I don't quite know what you are asking, if they can be stored out there until incubation, or incubate them out there. There should be no problem storing them out there, I had 3 serama eggs that were about 12 days old and had been at low temps for that time and all three started to develop just on time, I just made sure that they are being turned every day to keep from having stuck embryos, now if you put your incubator out there to try to hatch you may not be as lucky because of the low temp your incubator may not be able to keep the temp up high enough, 99 -101.

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are ideal conditions to store eggs in before you start incubating them, then there are the conditions most of us use. A high humidity with a temperature around 55 degrees is supposed to be idea. Like I have any place like that. Mine get stored in a spare bedroom in the turner at whatever the humidity and temperature happens to be, usually fairly dry and in the 70’s. I still regularly get pretty good hatches.

Supposedly the temperature varying during the day, cycling between warming up and cooling off, is not ideal, but it’s probably not as bad as your 2-year-old playing with them. Just do the best you can, it will probably be OK.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

There are ideal conditions to store eggs in before you start incubating them, then there are the conditions most of us use. A high humidity with a temperature around 55 degrees is supposed to be idea. Like I have any place like that. Mine get stored in a spare bedroom in the turner at whatever the humidity and temperature happens to be, usually fairly dry and in the 70’s. I still regularly get pretty good hatches.

Supposedly the temperature varying during the day, cycling between warming up and cooling off, is not ideal, but it’s probably not as bad as your 2-year-old playing with them. Just do the best you can, it will probably be OK.

Me too!!!

I thought about using the "whole in the ground under the house" that the landlord calls a "cellar", but I was afraid that a mouse or chipmunk or something (I can say I have not ever seen a rat here in almost 2 years) would carrying thhem off or chew through them or something, so they stay up here. I have used a styro cooler with my humidity ball in it at times.

 

[biteme2134]

There are ideal conditions to store eggs in before you start incubating them, then there are the conditions most of us use. A high humidity with a temperature around 55 degrees is supposed to be idea. Like I have any place like that. Mine get stored in a spare bedroom in the turner at whatever the humidity and temperature happens to be, usually fairly dry and in the 70’s. I still regularly get pretty good hatches.

Supposedly the temperature varying during the day, cycling between warming up and cooling off, is not ideal, but it’s probably not as bad as your 2-year-old playing with them. Just do the best you can, it will probably be OK.

Thanks! that's what I was looking for - If "ideal" is around 55 degrees then I should be fine. I put them on a shelf in the egg turner so they're being turned properly. They did go up to about 65 during the day so they are going up and down probably 15 degrees or so...