Food coloring in incubator water?

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I've got 40 chicken eggs going in the bator tonight with an automatic turner. Only other hatch I've ever done is the button quails, so I've never used the turner before.

With it in there, it is difficult if not impossible to get to the water trough. I made a hole near the base and ran plastic tubing so it lays in the water trough so I can fill it from the outside. It's still going to be difficult to SEE in there, so I was thinking of adding a drop of food coloring to make the water level more visible. That should be ok, shouldn't it? Also, what's the best way to get the water into the plastic tubing? I don't have a funnel small enough. My reason for doing this is to keep the temp and humidity as constant as possible without having to keep opening it. That's where I ran into trouble with the buttons. Thanks for any help.

 

[robinaggie]

Can you use a turkey baster to get water into the tube? If you use food coloring, the ring it leaves might make it look like there's water in the trough when there isn't. Just a thought.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

You can use a syringe for the water. Look in your local farm supply store for them.

I'm not sure about the food coloring.

 

[MissPrissy]

Food coloring will stain up your bator.

I hate bator stains as much as dirtbeads under a babies neck.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Well, it was a thought. Hadn't considered the stain factor. I'm just afraid it'll be ok when I leave in the morning and dry as a bone when I get home.

Thanks for the tips about the syringe. Will check that out tomorrow.

 

[Julie08]

LOL@dirt beads under babies neck!! I thought I was the only one that got drivin crazy by that!

 

[donnap1967]

My water containers are impossible to see in my little homemade incubator but when I shine a flashlight in there I can see the reflection of the water and that's how I knew how full it was.

 

[chickenlisa]

I added blue food coloring to my water in my first hatch, and it washed right out when I soaked my bator in bleach water after the hatch. It did help and it was fine.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Oops - just read this last one now. Eggs are in - all 41 of them and no food coloring...

Question though - this is my first time using the egg turner. Should I have put them in little or big end down? I did little end, thinking it would be better because the air sac is in the big end. Did I do good?

 

[donnap1967]

Little end down is the proper way to place them. You did good!