instructions for incubators .....

[Akane]

If you are going to do an experiment and raise the temp I'd suggest also running one incubator so that you lower the temp instead. That's really the only thing I question in these directions. As the chick grows the temp naturally increases and a few studies found that lowering the incubator temp increased hatches. There was a discussion on here about it. I'm wondering if people saw the natural increase in temp and thought that's what should happen. I'm also betting the hen accounts for the embryos producing more of their own heat by not sitting as tight so the temp stays the same unlike in a cheap incubator.

 

[SteveH]

I can't do anything but speculate about the instructions and why they're written as they are , but wonder if people had monitored the temperature under a broody hen and how often she left the nest and temperature drop during that time throughout the incubating cycle . I know the flock of " banties " we had when I was a child became very close to feral . The only replacements came from those successfully hatched by the hens . A broody hen had to wander quite a distance from the coop to eat and drink but they managed to increase the size of the flock over the few years we had them . I also noticed that they never hatched all the eggs on the same day , but over a two or three day period they would finally decide to give up on an occasional egg and bring their new chicks outside . Also , when one went back to her nest after taking a break the eggs were inspected and rolled around and occassionally one was rolled out of the nest and left to the side . I thought out of carelessness back then . However from personal experience I can tell you those rejected eggs were little hand grenades of stinking rotten egg to be handled with great care untill you could find a good place to throw them