help please! I must regulate egg temp by touch until tomorrow- how warm to touch?

[VioletLupine]

Hello, I have never incubated eggs before and I don't have an incubator. I was letting a first time broody sit her nest, and I went to check them today since the eggs should hatch soon. Unfortunately about half the eggs were gone and there were pieces of shells and a dead chick there. The hen was still sitting on the eggs that were left, so I built an incubator using a cardboard box that I lined with foam. I took a baking tray and filled it with water, then stood a colander in the baking tray and put the rest of the eggs in there with some bedding. I took a cozy coop flat panel heater and mounted it horizontally a few inches above the box on a stand made from 2x4's. Then I put some greenhouse plastic loosely over everything to hopefully hold in the humidity. The cozy coop heater does not get very hot and won't ignite anything.

I don't have a thermometer, so I am trying to feel out (literally) how warm the eggs should be. I can't go get a thermometer until tomorrow afternoon. The eggs are probably 1-3 days from hatching? I was hoping someone can let me know how the eggs are supposed to feel to the touch. I have been trying to get them to the temperature that a baby's bottle is supposed to be when you hold it on your wrist- like a little warmer than you. I am afraid they are a little too hot, I keep adjusting the height of the heater. I am misting the air inside occasionally. The eggs were all alive when I put them in; I saw a youtube video about water candling so I did that and they were all pretty wiggly! Then I later saw that other people say you should never put them in water, so I won't do it again.

At any rate, I will know within a few days if my attempt will work. How do properly heated eggs feel to you guys? like a baby bottle? like a person with a fever? When I go to the hardware store tomorrow I can get a thermometer.

 

[melissacoleman]

Hello, I have never incubated eggs before and I don't have an incubator. I was letting a first time broody sit her nest, and I went to check them today since the eggs should hatch soon. Unfortunately about half the eggs were gone and there were pieces of shells and a dead chick there. The hen was still sitting on the eggs that were left, so I built an incubator using a cardboard box that I lined with foam. I took a baking tray and filled it with water, then stood a colander in the baking tray and put the rest of the eggs in there with some bedding. I took a cozy coop flat panel heater and mounted it horizontally a few inches above the box on a stand made from 2x4's. Then I put some greenhouse plastic loosely over everything to hopefully hold in the humidity. The cozy coop heater does not get very hot and won't ignite anything.

I don't have a thermometer, so I am trying to feel out (literally) how warm the eggs should be. I can't go get a thermometer until tomorrow afternoon. The eggs are probably 1-3 days from hatching? I was hoping someone can let me know how the eggs are supposed to feel to the touch. I have been trying to get them to the temperature that a baby's bottle is supposed to be when you hold it on your wrist- like a little warmer than you. I am afraid they are a little too hot, I keep adjusting the height of the heater. I am misting the air inside occasionally. The eggs were all alive when I put them in; I saw a youtube video about water candling so I did that and they were all pretty wiggly! Then I later saw that other people say you should never put them in water, so I won't do it again.

At any rate, I will know within a few days if my attempt will work. How do properly heated eggs feel to you guys? like a baby bottle? like a person with a fever? When I go to the hardware store tomorrow I can get a thermometer.

I’m no expert but have hatched 4 sets of eggs by brooder. I feel you are correct about baby bottle warm, maybe a teeny bit warmer? I heard you will have more female chicks at 99 degrees and more males at 99.5 but I think that’s when u first begin incubating. Your attempting a very difficult task so please don’t feel bad if it doesn’t work out.

 

[VioletLupine]

I’m no expert but have hatched 4 sets of eggs by brooder. I feel you are correct about baby bottle warm, maybe a teeny bit warmer? I heard you will have more female chicks at 99 degrees and more males at 99.5 but I think that’s when u first begin incubating. Your attempting a very difficult task so please don’t feel bad if it doesn’t work out.

Thank you! I am hoping for the best. I just keep feeling the eggs, hopefully they will not be too hot. I had my other hen successfully hatch her brood about two weeks ago, so I'm not completely out of luck. My kids are hoping for "inside chicks" too though

 

[melissacoleman]

Thank you! I am hoping for the best. I just keep feeling the eggs, hopefully they will not be too hot. I had my other hen successfully hatch her brood about two weeks ago, so I'm not completely out of luck. My kids are hoping for "inside chicks" too though

Either way, so nice that you are at least trying. Your kids will remember that you didn’t give up

 

[Rose Quartz]

They should be warm to the touch, but not fever warm. Slightly warmer than baby bottle. Think dog or cat body temperature.

I was able to keep 8 eggs alive on my skin under a pillow over night when I lost power in the middle of winter one time. But only once. Other attempts failed, humans are slightly cold for eggs and moving around is a major problem. If none are currently externally pipped you don't need to worry too much about the humidity.

Being too cold is better than too hot, but once they are hatched you'll want to move them to a brooder area to dry off.

Good luck, hopefully you get some babies.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Temperature does not regulate sex. That is certain reptiles, which poultry are not. Stick your hand in your armpit. They should be about that warm

 

[yakitori]

You can also try putting them on a water bed. Asian countries tend to favor it as an incubation method. you would need to double bag up two water tight trash bag and fill with warm body temperature water. When you stick your hand (hand! not finger, the more body parts you can submerge the better, lol) into the water, it should feel like an extension of your body, if in doubt, err on the side of cool.

place that inside an insulated box, secure the opening so that it hangs outside the box. the filled bag should form a flat "water bed" in the box

now place the eggs on top of that... if you've candled them and can tell where the pip is most like to be, put it pip side up.

Cover with a thick towel. you can wet the towel to add some humidity. or if you have an insulated lid, you can mist to add humidity.

place in a warm room, or even in a small space with the coop heater.

Something like this....
the less overhead space you leave, the better it will work. but don't pack it too tight, the eggs need air as well

Change out the water every few hours.

Regardless of what you do, that thermometer tomorrow will help greatly!

 

[VioletLupine]

Thank you everyone! I got the temp right. Now one is hatching, it has pipped through and I can see it's beak. It is peeping! I am misting the inside of the incubator with water every two hours or so. I have plastic tented over the whole thing so I can stick the spray bottle inside without letting out moisture. I don't have a hygrometer so I am just trying to keep it very moist inside and watching the membranes.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Don't let it get too moist. They can still drown if it gets too damp

 

[VioletLupine]

You can also try putting them on a water bed. Asian countries tend to favor it as an incubation method. you would need to double bag up two water tight trash bag and fill with warm body temperature water. When you stick your hand (hand! not finger, the more body parts you can submerge the better, lol) into the water, it should feel like an extension of your body, if in doubt, err on the side of cool.

place that inside an insulated box, secure the opening so that it hangs outside the box. the filled bag should form a flat "water bed" in the box

now place the eggs on top of that... if you've candled them and can tell where the pip is most like to be, put it pip side up.

Cover with a thick towel. you can wet the towel to add some humidity. or if you have an insulated lid, you can mist to add humidity.

place in a warm room, or even in a small space with the coop heater.

Something like this....
the less overhead space you leave, the better it will work. but don't pack it too tight, the eggs need air as well

Change out the water every few hours.

View attachment 2740813

Regardless of what you do, that thermometer tomorrow will help greatly!

This is a really interesting method that I have never seen before, thanks!