Incubation- Please check if this is okay?? Chick and Quail

[Mrs MIA]

I saw on the news this morning that the humidity was 10%... you guys are having the late Santa Ana winds and fire season again (I grew up in San Diego, parents still there, I watch the area like a hawk!) So you will want to keep a little water in the incubators at all times. A humidifier in the room/closet will help. But don't worry if the temps in the closet go below 75°F. I keep my incubators in a room that stays at 60°F, give or take, with no problems. The issue there is just keeping it at a constant temp. You don't want to put the incubator on a table in front of a window so that the temps swing from the sun hitting it. Or near a door where there's a draft every time someone comes in or goes out.

I tip my cartons end for end... it doesn't really matter as long as they are tipped at least 30°, enough to keep the embryo from sticking to the egg in one spot. Turn an odd # of times per day.

It is so refreshing to see someone actually do their homework before their eggs arrive!

The main thing is to relax, and don't worry. Remember, a momma hen gets off the nest several times a day until the last few days, so the eggs can breathe and cool down a little. So some fluctuations won't hurt them. The object is to keep the conditions optimal, but I think it's safe to say that everyone has had power fluctuations/outages during incubation with little or no effect. Heck, I had one broody kicked off the nest when it was 45°F in the coop, the eggs were COLD... they all hatched.

I'm sure you're going to do just fine. But definitely get the incubators up and running soon so you can at least get them into range. After you set the eggs, wait 12-24 hours before tweaking the temps... the eggs will cool the incubator temporarily until they come up to temp.

Good luck!!!

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

I saw on the news this morning that the humidity was 10%... you guys are having the late Santa Ana winds and fire season again (I grew up in San Diego, parents still there, I watch the area like a hawk!) So you will want to keep a little water in the incubators at all times. A humidifier in the room/closet will help. But don't worry if the temps in the closet go below 75°F. I keep my incubators in a room that stays at 60°F, give or take, with no problems. The issue there is just keeping it at a constant temp. You don't want to put the incubator on a table in front of a window so that the temps swing from the sun hitting it. Or near a door where there's a draft every time someone comes in or goes out.

I tip my cartons end for end... it doesn't really matter as long as they are tipped at least 30°, enough to keep the embryo from sticking to the egg in one spot. Turn an odd # of times per day.

It is so refreshing to see someone actually do their homework before their eggs arrive!

The main thing is to relax, and don't worry. Remember, a momma hen gets off the nest several times a day until the last few days, so the eggs can breathe and cool down a little. So some fluctuations won't hurt them. The object is to keep the conditions optimal, but I think it's safe to say that everyone has had power fluctuations/outages during incubation with little or no effect. Heck, I had one broody kicked off the nest when it was 45°F in the coop, the eggs were COLD... they all hatched.

I'm sure you're going to do just fine. But definitely get the incubators up and running soon so you can at least get them into range. After you set the eggs, wait 12-24 hours before tweaking the temps... the eggs will cool the incubator temporarily until they come up to temp.

Good luck!!!

awsome!! Thanks

your the best, cant wait for your button eggs to arrive!!

 

[deerman]

yes just lay them on their side. With still air incubator, the temp. will be different at all level . Closer to top , hotter the temp.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
That is a good point... I forgot that you were putting the buttons in the still-air... besides the temperature differences, there isn't much space for raising up a carton, so the sides is your best bet. Thanks Deerman!

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

Thanks deerman and Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain

Oh i was thinking about putting a computer fan in the bator, but I dont know yet

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

my friend just gave me 120 coturnix quail eggs oh gosh

I think i need another incubator.........

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:

Welcome to the addiction... coturnix are GREAT!! LOL! (yes, you need a third incubator.)

 

[Akane]

Button eggs would do fine in a carton. They aren't really big enough and the cartons aren't high enough to be effected by the temp difference in a still air. I am only doing buttons that way after trying to turn those tiny little eggs by hand. I can't count how many I dropped or nearly dropped and cracked a few. I even have very steady hands and small fingers. Good luck candling them.

I doubt you'll find anyone who's accomplished it except with the lightest colored eggs.

Why would the humidity inside the incubator be lower than the room? If you make the room 50% I would think the incubator would be slightly above it. The eggs will give off moisture. It's also unnecessary to make the room higher humidity than the incubator since you can just add water to the incubator. I would raise the room to 30-40% and then fill the water trays in the bottom of the incubators to bring it up the rest of the way to 45-50%. Buttons are harder to get the humidity up and I personally found they do better at slightly higher humidity so I would run them at 50% and the chicks closer to the 45%. I think it's because they have less extra moisture and space in the egg so they don't need to lose as much as the chick grows.

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

Quote:
Yah room 50% I was thinking why too haha I'm so weird, I guess I figured since its so dry here I need the extra humiditiy

Thanks for the tip *goes and change the first post*

 

[Bleenstar]

Other then you asking the questions, this looks like a good guide to me