'Cooling Periods' during Incubation for better hatch rates!

[yinepu]

I've cooled duck and goose eggs.. but never quail (they are susceptible to chilling), chickens or turkeys..

I wouldn't dream of cooling the emu eggs every day since the male pretty much goes into a trance state and doesn't leave his nest at all if he can help it.. he lowers his metabolism so he doesn't need to eat or drink during the entire incubation

I can see where it would have some applications.. but personally, I wouldn't pay extra for the feature

 

[dbcooper02]

I've given it a half hearted try before with waterfowl eggs but just didn't have the self discipline to keep up with it. With the info from Brinsea though I could see setting up my big old Brower goose egg incubator on a timer and just run it 21 hours a day from day 7 through day 28. I plan to try it out for myself this spring when the Pilgrims start cranking out the eggs.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I'm actually doing this with my current hatch. I am allowing a gradual cool down period of 60 minutes a day to 97 degrees. I go into lockdown tomorrow evening. All 9 eggs that I began with are alive and very active, although I can't see much now with it being day 17. I've read quite a bit about the advantages of cool down periods, the idea being that it makes for stronger chicks. I've actually done a lot of research for this hatch and have taken a bunch of notes on these eggs, and must say I'm very proud of these guys.

If you think about it, mama hen does a cool period most every day when she gets off to poo and eat. but to just shut the heat off the 'bator for lets say 15 min every day is kinda silly. most 'bators take an hour or more to cool down to even 97 unless your insulation sucks or your vents are open all the way and its in a cool room. if your serious remove the cover for 15 every day that will be a true cool off.

Thank you for assuming not only that the way I hatch MY eggs is silly...but that my incubator sucks. The very same incubator that I've had quite a few successful hatches in, might I add. I'm familiar with my equipment and am able to munipulate it to doing what I want it to do. And I've hatched caged birds' eggs in at as well. So thank you for your opinion of what you assumed so much about.

OK, if you want to take what I said the wrong way, 1) I don't know what 'bator you are using, so how can I say it sucks 2) I never said your eggs are silly 3) I'm not assuming anything about you. I don't know you. My comment/answer is for the original poster/the thread starter, not you. no where in my post do I direct anything at 'you' and if you really read my post I said it takes an hour to get to 97 which is what you are doing, whats silly is shutting down a 'bator for 15 min only, you are not doing that.

 

[stephanie1992]

my eggs i let cool for 15min a day while incubation. i try to copy the hens as much as possible. all my eggs have had successful hatch rates since doin this. im glad a incubator corp actully made bators to do this for u

 

[golden reeves]

I started with a old montgomery ward incubator that you had to open the door and turn the eggs by hand three to four times every day, causing the temp to drop drastically with great success. I then got a Humidaire with automatic turners and thought I was in heaven until my hatches dropped by ten percent, so I shut off the automatic turner, opened the door and did it by hand.
My hatch rates went right back up.
I don't know if it was the temp or the turning I just know the old fashioned way worked for me.

 

[cajun backwoods]

i have an old cabinet with auto turners, it has 3 trays and each tray holds 96 eggs, i do a weekly roatation every week a tray comes out and goes in the hatcher and a new tray goes in, i do this for about 6 months our of the year and that adds up to alot of chicks hatching. i only open my bator about every 3 days to refill the water and i keep about a 95% hatch rate. but everyone you see has their own way of doing this and what i usually tell people is once you find a way that works for you and your comfortable with, stick with it. there are alot of different routines that people use and most work well, so what im really saying if you are keeping a good hatch rate dont change it, everytime ive tried changing the way i do it my hatch rate goes down so if it aint broke dont fix it, HAPPY HATCHING

 

[yo burrill]

Just a thought with this... after the first week or so eggs start to produce their own heat. It takes a while for the inside of the eggs to actually cool to any extent so cooling them for less than fifteen minutes probably isn't making a huge difference in the internal temp of the egg. My broody will get off the nest for close to an hour before she gets back on, but usually during the warmest part of the day. Would be interesting to put a wet bulb thermometer under a broody and track the temp as she gets on and off the nest to get a good idea of how the temp drops inside an egg during this process.

 

[Hydro50]

i just got a brinsea 190 with humidity pump... i set it to cool down 1 hr a day from day 1 ... i will let you all know how it turns out .. my thoughts are a hen doesnt wait till day 7 to leave the nest and i am adding eggs monday and friday ... i am hoping it makes stronger chicks..

 

[joannavonholten]

I HAVE HATCHED CHICKS FROM BROODY HENS, THY DONT LEAVE THE NEST EVERY DAY , HARDLEY AT ALLL, MOST DONT EAT OR DRINK MUCH DURING THE HATCH TIME. MY BATOR HAS THE COOL DOWN ,NOTHING HATCHED MOST WERENT FERTILE BUT THE 2 THAT WER ,TO WEAK TO PIP. DIED IN SHELL. USING MY OLD BATOR NEXT TIME ,HAS NO COOL DOWN TIME. NOT SURE I AGREE WITH THE COOL DOWN THINGY

 

[joannavonholten]

yes i have one and 2 fertile eggs ,chicks were to weak to pip, not impressed, hens do not leave the nest for an hr a day, as i have hatched eggs from broody hens, thy hardly ever leave the nest and it isn for an hr. a day, what would a hen do for an hr a day. i dont agree with this option and i am going to delete it from my bator