Storing Fertile eggs

[Yorkshire Coop]

My incubator does not show humidity temp. How can I check it. I filled half the side up with water like the manual said.

. I would use a hygrometer for humidity % before I got my Brinsea I purchased a small lizard/reptile one from the pet shop. It was quite cheap about £3 here in UK. They are small enough to fit into the incubator so should not disturb your eggs.

 

[Joshw]

If you want the easiest way, the digital thermometer hygrometers are the way to go, When I first started hatching, I thought that digital was the way to go, After trying several different brands of the cheap digital hygrometers, I learned that they are just not accurate enough for me. I have 3 incubators, so I bought 3 digital thermometer/hygrometers and I would get different readings from all 3. And with the cheaper ones there is no way to calibrate them. With my old fashioned dial thermometers, I can move them from incubator to incubator, and I get the same reading from all of them.

 

[romeoz13]

I will be getting a thermometer after work...I put them in last night and we took pics of candeling them to see the process. I hope that I did it right..I put the small end of the egg towards the outside...they seem to turn better with the bigger end towards the inside. but there does not seem to be much of an angle of the egg..they seem to sit almost flat in the machine...its also setup to auto turn the eggs every 60 minutes......anything I should be worried about? Thanks

 

[Joshw]

The eggs can lay flat, as long as they are turned regularly. What you are trying to do is mimic what a hen would do in the nest. And they lay flat in the nest. The reason most incubators keep them standing up is just ease of operation. Be sure and turn off the auto turner at 18 days assuming you are hatching chicken eggs. Other than that, if your temp and humidity is correct you should be fine. Too late now, but it is better to get your temp and humidity worked out before you put eggs in. I like to run my incubator for a few days before I put eggs in, just to
work out the fine details. Good Luck!

 

[romeoz13]

I let it run for about 4 hrs and it maintained the 99.5 temp...didnt kow about the humidity until last night after I started the process...I know I should not touch the eggs to much but would it really hurt anything if I candeled them tonight just to see if I see the veins...we wanted to get pictures of the entire process but I dont want to harm the chicks at the same time. I will defiently let it run for a few days next time before the next hatch...thanks for the help

 

[Joshw]

The main thing is to wash your hands good before handling them

 

[Joshw]

You won't hurt them as long as you don't leave them out too long. But you probably won't see anything for about 3 days.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

No it shouldn't damage the embryos Joshw is right though you won't see very much I never candle until day 7 though I feel the first days are crucial for good initial development of the embryo. Also on day 7 you should see much more defined development which I think makes it easier to spot any clears or quitters.

 

[Joshw]

I remember my first few hatches, I couldn't wait to candle eggs, now it is just another chore. I generally candle on day 7 and day 18.

 

[romeoz13]

Well it's day 5 and we candled them and 5 of 7 are fertile. We see spider veins and it's really cool. I was looking at one egg and it broke cause I dropped it...I'm just fortunate it was a non fertile egg. There is one left that has no signs of being fertile but I left it in there. When should I remove it if it continues to look like this? Thanks