Hello, Our eggs will be collected on the 24th and shipped to us, arriving (hopefully) on the 26th. My question is, since I'm brand new and first-timer, do I have to do all this "candling" and recording, and picture-taking etc etc? I'm already nervous enough as it is and I think if I do all that extra "stuff" I'm not going to enjoy what in my opinion should be an enjoyable time. =/ Can I just let them sit out for 24 hours to get to room temp, put them in the incubator and follow the instructions and if they hatch great!! and if they don't -- wrap them up and throw them away or...?
No, you don't have to do any of that stuff. Many of us don't candle and do fine. Candling is more fun than anything else, though if you have kids it can be educational. Some people will try to scare you, telling you if you don't candle your eggs will explode. If you start with a clean incubator and clean eggs, you are not likely to get exploding eggs. As far as I am concerned, you are better off just sniffing every few days to see if you smell anything like the rotten egg odor. Obviously taking photos does nothing for your incubation. This is a pretty social site and many people like to see photos so they can go ooh and aah but they really don't help your incubation. If you have a problem photos can be invaluable, but generally they are just for social purposes. You don't have to keep any records either. If you have an abnormality they may help you deternine what happened, but I haven't kept any records for years when I incubate. After you do it a few times you get a feel for what works. It is beneficial to watch what goes on. That way, if you have a bad hatch, you might have a better idea of what to do differently next time. Humidity is a pain because different humidities work for us. What works for me might be a disaster for you. As far as I am concerned, humidity is about the only thing I adjust. You can get as technical as you want with record keeping, weighing eggs, candling, and all that. Sometimes it can help you get better hatches, but you will often get good hatches taking a much more relaxed attitude. What you do is up to you.
