My first eggs are incubating!!!

[birdnoob]

I picked up 12 Jumbo coturnix eggs yesterday afternoon and put them in the incubator (brinsea mini II EX) this morning. The eggs have come up to temp and the incubator keeps them at 99.5 surprisingly consistently for it being small, as long as I set the incubator to 1.9-2 degrees higher. The only thing worrying me right now is that the humidity is really high, around 50%(the incubator is set at 30%), though I'm guessing that's just from the eggs, as I haven't seen the incubator add any, and will come down over the next couple of days. Am I doing this right?

 

[Nabiki]

Do you have calibrated thermometers inside the incubator and a salt tested hygrometer? Never trust the readings on your incubator.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coturnix-incubation-tips.76184/

 

[birdnoob]

There's no room in the incubator to fit a thermometer or probe without interfering with the egg turning function, that's why I incubated several thermo/hygros for several days, which showed me that the incubator will consistently hold 1.9 degrees less than what I set it for, +/- 0.3 degrees. I have it set for 101.4, and I did check with my most accurate probed thermo/hygrometer snuck in and out between 2 turns that it was holding at 99.5 and 56%, roughly an hour and a half later did it again and it was 99.6 and 51%.

 

[birdnoob]

Checked the eggs again and they're at 99.6 and 31%, I'll probably check them once more tonight after dinner.

 

[birdnoob]

Just checked them, 99.8 and 29%.

 

[birdnoob]

Uh oh, we got a cold snap last night and apparently it was too much for the incubator. I came out as soon as I woke up to the temperature alarm going off. I turned on my brooder's lamp which is set up next to the incubator and angled it at the incubator then snuck the temperature probe in. The probe leveled off at 95.2 and 25%, but given how long it took to drop and how quickly it was going up afterwards, I'd guess the temp was around 94.8-95.0 degrees when I walked in. Are the eggs still viable?

 

[birdnoob]

About half an hour later and they're at 97.5 and rising. I think they'll be ok?

 

[Nabiki]

You may have lost some, but I wouldn't give up.

 

[shrimpsilkies]

When I used the Brinsea mini I had it set to include a cooling period, I’m not sure exactly how cool they got during the set time but I’m pretty sure that the most of your eggs are still viable. Had a great hatch with it too, 11/12 hatched healthy.

 

[birdnoob]

Well I have had an interesting day. First, some backstory: Before I found eggs on craigslist, I ordered eggs online, and cancelled them when once I confirmed things with the cl seller, or so I thought. Today I got out of the shower to find a voicemail from the post office saying my hatching eggs have arrived. I freaked out a little (I had completely forgotten about that order I cancelled), dropped the eggs off at home, and went to tsc in the hopes that they had incubators (they did). So now I have 12 eggs incubating (no interesting news, im feeling the need to check it less and less), an incubator warming up next to that, and 18 eggs resting on the counter that I'll set once I've got the new incubator dialed in.