staggering

[WickedChicksNH]

Hi all
I decided that I would try and incubate the eggs my Bantam and NH red were laying.. after all rooster mine as well be good for something beside kicking me all the time

I got the still incubator, I forgot the name it is the Styrofoam one with the viewing window, day counter, heat control and humidity sensor

I made sure the incubator kept a stable heat, and the humidity at the time I couldn't get below 75.

I put my first egg in, a bantam about 5 days ago, I since have added 7 more, I turn them all at least twice a day. I have candled the bantam and I see everything is good the veins showing, black area etc.

I have 2 concerns since I put my first egg in the humidity has gone down to 55 to 60 I even added a little bowl of water and the bottom of the incubator has little channels to put water in too which I did. The egg still seems to be thriving.. should I try something else to get the humidity up?
I have the incubator in our spare room on a table. room is about 65 degrees.

my other concern is i know the last couple of days I shouldn't move the egg at all. I thought I read I shouldn't even open the incubator, but if that is true what would happen to the other eggs if i can't get to them to turn them?

Thank you

 

[chuckachucka]

Humidity should be around 40% for the first 18 days, and increased to 60-70% until the end of incubation. Also staggered hatches are difficult for precisely the reasons of turning and humidity differences. Turning is most important in the first two weeks so if you stagger setting eggs by one week or less the turning should not be a problem. Also it is possible to maintain a more steady humidity throughout incubation and not increase for hatch, which allows for staggered hatches. Many pepole have success with constant humidity around 50%

 

[WickedChicksNH]

Thank you so much!! that was really helpful they eggs are just a few days apart from each other, so I hoping turning won't be an issue for the last few days I shouldn't open the incubator