How do i set the eggs.

[chichi56788]

Even though it was extreamly helpful, arcticals confuse me.

 

[chichi56788]

Does setting the eggs count as day 1?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm sorry. I think my last response was rude. I was aggravated at something else and I took it out on you. I should not do that.

If you think you get confused by articles, wait for this one. It does not have to be confusing but somehow it can be. Some people talk about day 1 being the day you put an egg in the incubator. Some people talk about day 1 as being the day after you put the eggs in the incubator. No wonder it is confusing. Bear with me a bit. I think I can explain it.

An egg does not get 24 hours of development the second you put it in the incubator. It takes 24 hours of development for an egg to get a days worth of development. If you are candling eggs, a picture of what the embryo looks like at day 10 is after 10 full days of development, not 9 days and 1 second of development. So if you don't worry about whether it is day 9 or day 10, but think about it as full days of development, it get easier.

Let's say you put your eggs in the incubator at 7:00 p.m. on Monday May 10. Ten full days of development would be at 7:00 p.m.on Thursday, May 20th. If you candle your eggs at 7:00 p.m. on my 20th, I'd look to compare to the photos of 10 days of development. If you candle your eggs the morning of May 20th, I'd look at the photos of day 9 of development. As long as you are in the ballpark, you are doing fine.

More importantly, if you set your eggs on Monday, May 10th at 7:00 p.m., lockdown would be after 18 full days of development, or on Friday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m. It is not an exact science and a few hours either way is not a big deal, but the theoretically correct time is at 7:00 p.m. on the 18th.

If you set your eggs on Monday, May 10th at 7:00 p.m., your theoretical hatch date is Monday May 31 at 7:00 p.m. Hatching is not an instantaneous process. The egg rocks and rolls as the chick positions itself for the hatch. It zips. The chick rests, usually for a long time. The chick zips. That is hard work. The chick rests a bit, but usually not for a long time. It pushed the shell apart and comes out. It is wet and very tired. It lays there, looking quite pitiful. But before you know it, it is up and running around, knocking the other unhatched eggs all over the place. And pretty soon, you have had a successful hatch.

If your average incubating temperature is a bit low, your hatch can be a day or even two days late. If it is high, it can be a day or two early. My incubation temperatures were a bit high and mine hatched about a day and a half early. I'll adjust my thermostat a bit lower next time, but I still had a good hatch. The point I'm trying to make is to not overstress yourself. I know you want to get it as close as you can, and so do I, but you don't have to be absolutely perfect to get a good hatch. It really is not an exact science.

Good luck!

 

[chichi56788]

Thank you so much for explaining! It was super helpful. I just set my eggs and im so excited!