Links to university info on incubating and hatching eggs

Thought someone would like to read these.

General information on hatching. Very good, concise. Selection of stock and hatching info that covers it all in one site. From the University of Maine, Dr. Hawes and Dr. Opitz.
http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2072e/


Egg selection and handling for hatching and hatching procedures
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/incubation.pdf

Trouble shooting hatching problems
http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/trouble.html


A jack pot of PDF and HTML files on anything poultry from North Carolina extension service. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_manuals/small_flock_resources.html

Uconn provides great detail of cleaning and set up for incubation. A little difficult to read, black on robin egg blue. Content is easy reading = designed for classroom use. At the end is a long list of egg sources.
http://sp.uconn.edu/~mdarre/4-hpoultry/helpfulhints.html





Porter isn't an official university, but he has plenty of experience with turkeys. Here's the info quoted from his site:

http://www.porterturkeys.com/egghatchingtips.htm



Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html



How to set up a still air incubator. I found this as confusing to read as when I tried to set up a still air on my own. SOme of you may find it interesting to read. It is certainly more info than the manual that came with my still aair incubator. Try reading it after your morning cup of joe!

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/eggs/res19-opincubator.html


How to build a couple stryofoam still air incubators from Clemson university. Basic, with wiring design.
http://www.clemson.edu/psapublishing/Pages/ADVS/EC530.pdf



For those who have the LG, Little Giant incubator.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=14596-incubation-cheat-sheet&PHPSESSID=6a9ef75252d048761e502795e39964f4


Pete55 has created a great thread on development and hatching including many very useful pics. Goose info is the basis w/chicken into also.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491013/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed


Some of these sites will not be available as links change; this site will not allow me to edit out any further loss of links. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Here's turkey info quoted from kevin porter's site:

http://www.porterturkeys.com/egghatchingtips.htm



Turkey Egg Hatching Tips

This is some basic info to help you get the most successful hatch possible out of your turkey eggs.

These are my methods and they work for me, if you have a method that works great than by all means continue with it. This is just for those who would like a little guidance.

Before you place eggs in an incubator make sure the temp is regulating at 100.5 to 101.5 degrees for still air machines or 99.5 to 100 degrees for forced air incubators with a relative humidity in the room of 50-60 %.

I recommend a digital thermometer and hygrometer if you don’t have these already .

A lot of people are using the tabletop incubators like the Little Giant Styrofoam ones.

I would highly recommend buying a digital thermometer with the probe that you can insert right thru the Styrofoam to get a reading right at the top portion of the egg.

These can be bought at most Wal-mart stores in the cooking section , it is the same kind you use to insert into whole roasting poultry to take the internal temperature reading .

If your incubator has an auto egg turner place the eggs in the holders large end up. Otherwise just lay them on their sides and turn them over completely to the other side at least 3 times a day.

Now it will take quite a few hours for the eggs to warm up , but if the temp hasn’t reached at least 99. 5 degrees in a 24 hour period turn the temp up a bit more and carefully watch that it doesn’t go above 101.5 degrees, It can get up to 103 and still be safe but this is the maximum temp and if it goes higher it will kill the embryo. So I like to keep it in the middle at a safe range so it has a degree or two to fluctuate either way without doing any damage.

The lowest the temp can be is 99.5 degrees, if it goes lower than this for too long it can kill the embryo as well.

Check the temperature often and make any adjustments needed as it will fluctuate a bit especially in the cheaper tabletop incubators, If you are using a Dickey or GQF cabinet type incubator they pretty much maintain the correct temp without worries.

The first 24 days is considered the incubation period. I don’t add any water at all in the incubator for this time period. You shouldn’t have to unless you are in an extremely dry part of the country with very low humidity below 50%

If you run your incubator in an air conditioned room you may have to add water if your humidity is below 50% in the room.

I have mine set up in my basement and the humidity is ideal down there already .

Now at day 24 the eggs no longer need turning, the last 4 days is the hatching period, the embryo is fully developed in the egg and now it positions itself to hatch and the yolk will start to absorb into the abdomen.

Now at the end of day 24 or 25 take out the turner and put the eggs back in laying on their sides or just move them to your hatcher if you have one. You will now need to decrease your temp. down to 98.0 - 98.5 degrees and also increase the humidity by adding water, and you want the humidity to be at least 80% and if you can get it higher it will make an easier hatch for the poults as it will help to soften the shell.

But make sure you make all these changes to temp and humidity at the same time . Remember this, A combination of high temps and high humidity is a killer. So lower that temp when you raise the humidity.

Your poults should hatch out by the 28 th day, sometimes they will come out a day or two early.

I like to see an early hatch instead of a late one. Most late hatches result in weaker poults that just don’t seem to thrive.

Most early hatched poults are very vigorous and do quite well.



Happy Hatching .

Kevin Porter

More candling photos.

http://lancaster.unl.edu/4h/Embryology/candlingphotos.shtml

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/mycandlepix/candle.html

http://shilala.homestead.com/candling.html



Backyard chicken sources:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261876

Hi! Have you checked *Sticky: Incubating & Hatching Eggs Important Topic Index - Please Read * at the top of this page?
If your links aren't there already, you might ask a moderator to add them to the list.

Lisa

Yes, very good info in those stickies. I tried to not repeat any site, but provide others of interest.

Thanks for posting this! Very helpful!

Good general hatching info for a first timer. Has a diagram of an air cell. Good to copy and put with candler for air cell checking.

http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/resources/egg_to_chick/procedures.html



Another resource to determine source of hatching problem
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatchability-problem-analysis

Yinepu 's page on incubating Muscovy Ducks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs

Here are 2 diagrams of air cell development. I put them here for educational purposes as these represent 2 different levels of moisture loss. I don't know enough to know which is better. I follow the second diagram because I like the colors! Really, it's because it's the first picture I had when first learning and it works for me as my eggs are shaped like the egg in the lower diagram.


CHICKEN EGG--development of air cell.



Compare to this diagram;

FOr those that are jumping into hatching and need a little info, I'll bump this up. I need to add how to hatch marans eggs that have been shipped. It is under the FIRST post of the 3rd annual Mahoney easter hatch, under the tips section.