Also, question for experienced breeders. Here is my understanding of the incubation process.
1: humidity at 45%
2: temperature at 100f
3 : lockdown starts at day 14
4: humidity is at 70%
5: stop turning eggs
6: wait for hatching
Is this right? This is what I’ve picked up from various websites, including this one.
If I do this, as a first time beginner with shipped eggs, should my hatch rate be above 50%?
That's pretty much right in line with what most people do. You should be just fine with that. Here are a few thoughts, for what they're worth...
1. I shoot for 45% and below in humidity. My experience seems to be that it's better to be a little low than a little high.
2. Since my incubator allows me to set the temperature to the 1/10 of a degree and seems to keep it there, I set it to 99.5f, which is what I first read. I've never had an issue at that temp.
3. There are two ways to understand day 14: the beginning of day 14 and after 14 days. I've always understood it to mean after 14 days (so, really, at the beginning of the 15th day). Some of what I've read has been pretty clear on this point. I've never had a problem doing it this way.
4. If you can keep the humidity at 70% during lockdown, that's great! You may not be able to get it quite that high (for a couple of different potential reasons). If you can't, just keep it as high as possible.
5. Yes, stop turning the eggs during lockdown. I have an automatic turner, and even before lockdown I have it at its lowest setting, which is every three hours. I would actually prefer that it was less than that. I think once or twice a day would be plenty.
6. Yes! Wait. Don't do anything. Don't open the incubator if you can help it!
That's my understanding of what I've read tweaked a little by my own experience.
As to hatch rate for shipped eggs. It depends so much on things outside of your control (and even outside of your awareness). I don't think you can realistically have any specific expectation when it comes to hatch rate.
I
hoped to get 50% the one time I used shipped eggs. I was
relieved when the first egg hatched. I was
thrilled when hatchrate passed 50%. I was
ecstatic to get 77%.
