egg position during hatch

[Trog]

Um, day 18 tomorrow didn't notice any veining, mostly dark. Mini mag-light, really dark room. I'm not going to handle them any more though. I'm just gonna wait now. I mean, after I take them off the turner. Oh, I had one vent hole open this time too. Live and learn. They are chicken eggs. Chickens I got last summer. (When I started this adventure) They are just some cheepies from the mill. Feed mill. That may have something to do with it too, I realize that, but I thought I'd give it a try. My chickens are all very healthy.

 

[Trog]

So, wish me luck. I'll keep you posted as to the progress. Thanks again...

 

[FenDruadin]

Good luck!!

It sounds promising to me--I would think a 1/2" air cell would be sufficient for a chicken egg, although I personally like to see them fill 1/3 the volume of the egg. But I've had decent hatches with smaller air cells.

And you know to leave the vent hole plugs out now, right? I think that's what you were saying, but I just wanted to be clear.

Day 18--so you've got a few days long wait ahead of you now. Keep us updated!!

 

[adrian]

Looks like you've gotten a lot of great advice here. I like to mark my air cells with pencils throughout incubation to catalogue growth. If I have only a few eggs, I will also weigh them to see exact weight loss. This is a common practice in other areas of aviculture, particularly with parrot eggs, which are hugely valuable. With small gram scales weighing in 0.01 of a gram, this is very possible and can be very accurate! With large eggs like goose eggs, I find a gram scale weighing in 0.1g is sufficient, but most people really don't need to do this. I think, the more you hatch, the better a feel you'll get for your incubator and your environment, as well as the tools you use - thermometer and hygrometer, that is.

I find 40-50% is a generally safe range for all eggs, goose and duck eggs included. Any higher is going to cause massive risk in chickens, quail, and pretty much any other bird, and a minor risk in duck and goose eggs. I've had mass deaths in ducks due to high humidity, and some deaths in geese due to them, too. So high humidity can and does kill, even with eggs that apparently require it.

Just a note - have more than one hygrometer. Thermometers, in my opinion, are not nearly as finicky. But here's a bit of information I found that has really helped me ever since I found it.

For thermometers -
Go to your local pharmacy and purchase a higher end "fever thermometer"; that is, a digital one you would use to check body temperature. You'll probably pay $15-20 for it, but it will be worth it. Then, poke a small hole in the side of your incubator (easy if it's styrofoam; not so much if it isn't) and stick the sensor through it. This kind of thermometer, along with digital cooking thermometers with similar sensor probes, are extremely accurate. I found that my cooking thermometer, which I also used for formula for hand-feeding, was accurate within 0.1 or 0.2 of the fever thermometer, which is apparently guaranteed accurate within 0.1F. Leave it plugging up the hole at all times, and just take a reading every time you check your eggs. If you want, keep a backup thermometer or so in the incubator, but trust the fever thermometer above all else.

Hygrometers-
I have found analogues are better than digital ones! And the best ones are used for terrariums, and can be found at any pet store. I usually look at them in the pet store, and as they are always turned on whereas digital ones are not, I can compare their readings. I usually choose the median, or buy a few (often from different brands) and then calculate a median. I have finally found a hygrometer that works for me, and it was after much trial and error.

I know, I am extremely long-winded, but these are some details that meant all the difference for me.

With a mini mag-light, you are probably not going to see veining around the air cell. In the next day or so, if you candled you would observe some shadowing in the air cell, which at first is merely the chick positioning itself against the air cell, pressing its beak against the membrane and preparing to pip. Internal pipping only truly occurs when tapping and breathing can be heard, and often vocalizations, and a larger, progressing shadow would be seen then. But do not candle, do not even open the incubator past this point. The only reason I know these things is that I have a high powered LED flashlight and do not need to handle my eggs to candle them. I'm also not too paranoid about humidity during hatching, as some are, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Again, a supremely high humidity during hatching can also cause problems. I find chickens do not dry out nearly as easily as waterfowl, which is to be expected. 65% is probably fine.

 

[chickenlady81]

Cat what do you keep your humidity at to prevent drowning?

 

[Leahmig44]

Question I'm hoping someone sees! If you have been incubating eggs on their sides (goose eggs specifically) is it ok to move them to cartons before hatching? I'm tired of things happening that cause the eggs to roll in the last days, making me paranoid about positioning. And if this is a good idea, are cardboard or styrofoam cartons better?