Ideas for Mad Scientist hatch-along projects?

[Susan Skylark]

Anybody have some aspect of incubation you’ve always wondered if it is really a hard and fast rule (like steady temp) or more like guidelines or something that’s more of tradition (turning, egg storage, humidity)? I’ve been playing with various parameters with my cheap incubator and little quail flock and so far have explored: fridge egg hatchability, no turning during storage, 80 percent humidity, and currently running a 15 percent humidity hatch. Next I’d like to do 21 days in storage (68 degrees and turned) preincubation and after that a no turn hatch. Could also do washed eggs (remove bloom) and maybe put them in a shipping box and see just how much tossing around is too much. After that I’m currently out of ideas, anything you’ve always wanted to try but never got the chance? And let’s not play with temp, that’s been pretty well explored in the literature. These are small batches (not statistically significantly) and quail, results may vary by species.

 

[Debbie292d]

Cooling. Never done it. Option is on these incubators to do it, and some swear by it even for chicken eggs. I figure they get cooled down the two times I'm candling them.

I guess I'm afraid to rock the boat. When things work, why change?

 

[Susan Skylark]

How does that work, how long and how cool? To simulate hen leaving nest? I have to agree, I’m a bit of a candling nut and sometimes leave the incubator open for a bit days 3-10, so maybe already doing this by accident. Curious!

 

[Cheekychook11]

I was always curious about using yourself like a broody hen, I know it’s not really practical to have an egg in your armpit or something for a few weeks but just curious, if human body temp is warm enough

 

[Susan Skylark]

Depends on the human, average is 98.6F, ideal egg temp is 99.5, I’m apparently dyslexic and run 96.8! But that also means some people run 99.8 as a rule. I would think it would work (and be incredibly annoying) but your hatch rates would be much lower (accidentally crushing eggs, all that vibration from moving through your day), incubation would be longer (lower ambient temp) and your relationships might suffer (sorry honey, I’m incubating an emu for the next two months!) but a curious concept. I did try sitting on a commercial chicken egg when I was a kid, grandma wouldn’t let me hatch it, not that it was fertile!

 

[Susan Skylark]

I also wonder if opening the incubator and flooding it with fresh air is helpful, my hatch rates don’t suffer even though I tend to candle daily day 3-10 or so, even with 30 eggs to go through. Maybe put that on the list: hatch with no turning and no fresh air (mine doesn’t even have an air vent). I was going to do a no turn hatch, I guess I could (maybe) survive a no touchy at all hatch, lockdown from day 0!