Does light color effect incubation?

[andieschicks]

I know silly question... but I'm pretty positive that out of 6 eggs that are supposed to be hatching soon, all of them have died. I have been really anal about heat and humidity and all that jazz (yes I don't have a hydrometer so humidity is more guestimated) but I am fairly sure I have not done anything wrong. I AM using a blue 25w light bulb, but it has never gotten above 102 and it is almost always at 100 or 99. Does the color change incubation outcome?

3 are supposed to have already hatched.... 2 are obviously dead, one looks like it should have hatched but no response to tapping and the veining is gone.

One is supposed to hatch the 30th. It doesn't look right (I can't take pictures sorry) the veins are splotchy and super dark and it isn't developed as much as it should be.

The other 2 one I can barely see through the shell, so I'm not positive about that one.... never have really seen much but it is dark where the yolk should be and MIGHT look like something IDK, the other one there was an embryo but now the veins are gone and the yolk/embryo seem to just be free-floating in the egg.

 

[BantamLover21]

As far as I know, color of light does not effect incubation. Temperature certainly does, but color, no. What day of incubation are the eggs on? I wouldn't give up on them yet; wait until at least day 22 or 23 before removing them.

 

[andieschicks]

day 23 now.

 

[Avlana]

I highly doubt the color bulb has any affect on them. I'd look at the temp though. Perhaps you may have cold or hot spots? Maybe it's not consistent enough? Maybe you didn't catch a spike. Is there enough air circulation? Fresh air? Start looking into those things. It stinks having a bad hatch, I know. But it's all trial and error and you'll get it down It's a learning process.

 

[andieschicks]

yeah I'm getting there. It's still air, I'm going to be putting a computer fan in there and have figured out a few more modifications. I changed the location of the eggs with each turn in case of hot/cold spots, and there IS a spike I know I didn't catch. (power outage in the middle of the night... not sure how long it lasted and it was on a snowy night.)

I was just so excited for the one egg that looked good. Well next clutch will work! I'm sure of it!

 

[Avlana]

yeah I'm getting there. It's still air, I'm going to be putting a computer fan in there and have figured out a few more modifications. I changed the location of the eggs with each turn in case of hot/cold spots, and there IS a spike I know I didn't catch. (power outage in the middle of the night... not sure how long it lasted and it was on a snowy night.)

I was just so excited for the one egg that looked good. Well next clutch will work! I'm sure of it!

Yes, you'll get it Don't give up. Good luck to you!

 

[andieschicks]

Thanks! ^_^

 

[andieschicks]

I did an eggtopsy... the one egg DID pip internally but the super low humidity outside the incubator must have been too much and it shrink wrapped and suffocated. Looks like it happened in the middle of the night last night when I wasn't able to get to it since the air sack was a lot bigger today than it was yesterday and was bigger where the pip was The humidity inside the incubator was high so I know that wasn't it. The others seemed to have died from infections because of the odd buildup inside all of the eggs. I'm going to be super cleaning the incubator and rebuilding it.

 

[Murgatroyd]

White light reduces hatch time by about 6 hours in a study I found. Monochromatic yellow, green, or red light had lessening effects on reducing hatch times in that order. Blue light had no effect. Hatchability was increased by about 4% with white light and descending amounts with the other colors, and chick weight at hatch was also about 5 grams greater under white light. Incubating under blue light had the same effect as complete darkness (no effect). Lighted incubation (not blue) increased interlimb coordination before hatching and there was less incidence of asymmetric bodies.

Interestingly, another study found that limited exposure to UV light for 2 hours per day at a certain stage during incubation had beneficial effects on the embryos.
Exposure for 1 hour had negligible effect. Exposure for 3, 4, and 5 hours per day of UV light had damaging effects on the embryos.

Another study found that incubating eggs of a commercial broiler strain with monochromatic green light increased the breast weight.

 

[csackles]

As far as I know, color of light does not effect incubation. Temperature certainly does, but color, no. What day of incubation are the eggs on? I wouldn't give up on them yet; wait until at least day 22 or 23 before removing them.

I had the very same question. I’m a first timer and have had no luck getting eggs to hatchHere is a picture of an egg that should have been ready to hatch this week. I Ave 7 more eggs still in the incubator and should hatch next week.