setting eggs tonight, anyone else?

[Duckles]

I got 5 saddleback pomeranian eggs from Ebay today. I am just about to set them in the incubator. They have been thoroughly washed by the seller so should I keep the humidity higher? (65%+) Ok just getting super nervous because I want them to hatch!! Enough enough enough into the incubator they go...

 

[pete55]

Hi Duckles

Well I am about 3 days ahead of you with some Dewlap eggs and will try to candle tonight. Will also set some more Dewlaps and Rouen eggs in a few more days. You'll be sandwiched in the middle!!!!!!!!!!!

Why 65% humidity???

Regards

Pete

 

[Cattitude]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the goose forum (I've been over in Chicken territory). Mom and Dad have two white Chinese geese and the goose laid a huge nestful of eggs. Last year she hatched three, but something killed every one of them. So this year Mom asked if I could incubate some of her eggs. We stole 10 eggs from her nest on April 16 and put them in the incubator. Next day, one was stinky and leaking, so I took it out. It was liquidized inside. The other nine eggs have no leaks or cracks. I haven't candled them to see how far along they are, and I've marked them X on one side and O on the other, and turn them an odd number of times per day. I'm keeping the humidity in the 30s and the temp at 99 degrees.

Is there anything I've forgotten? I'd love to get some babies out of these! I'm so excited!

 

[pete55]

Cattitude - you've done well and your incubation sounds good to me

Is your incubator forced or still air? Your temp of 99F is fine its a fan assisted incubator.

Keep the humidity down and always turn and odd number of times a day eg 3 times, 5 times etc.

Do let us know how your candling goes

Pete

 

[Duckles]

Hi Pete! I have read on here that for washed eggs you need to increase the humidity?... I have a water wiggler at about 100 degrees, and my thermometer is at 99 degrees but I don't want to increase the temp yet because I set them last night and I want to give the incubator to get back up to temp. I think I will get a more accurate (digital) thermometer. It's a little giant still air incubator. Right now the humidity is at 57%.

Hi Cattitude, keep us posted!

hope you have a good hatch

 

[pete55]

Duckles - you're absolutely correct about washed eggs but I still advocate a dry incubation. By watching the air cells you can always adjust the humidity. I've been washing some of the Dewlap eggs to remove the mucous coat to help lose moisture and still have to incubate at 25% humidity, cool daily from day 5 and have the vents full open. This is an extreme but Dewlaps are difficult, others are not.

There is no single 'cure all' as there are so many variable factors; location, weather, your breed, your feeding regime, individual parent stock etc. All you can do is generalise but treat your eggs individually. You are right to raise the point of washing the eggs may result in too fast a moisture loss. This is where experience and knowledge of your own stock and incubator becomes invaluable

Pete

 

[Cattitude]

Thanks so much! It's a still-air incubator, so I've raised the temp a little bit. I'll watch the humidity too. Our weather here has been wonky, like usual: days of storms, days of sun and wind, days of all of the above plus. I'll keep everyone posted!