temp flucuations

[Ariesmom]

I am currently incubating my first batch of eggs and I'm on day 8. Last nite got pretty cold outside so I guess it affected the house temp enough that this morning it read 98 degrees instead of 100. It's been anywhere from 101 to now 98...does this affect the development that drastically??? I am so annoyed! It stayed consistent for the first 3 or 4 days and then once in while during the day I noticed it either up or down a bit....stupid incubators!!!! I can't seem to find any good answers on temp anywhere. Plus I put 2 duck eggs in there that seemed cool to the touch after mom decided to leave the nest. Are they any good now either??? Any help would be great!

 

[CorinneP]

Oh How Tricky it can be .. Especially if you don't have A High Quality Incubator so many variables. Some pointers I would add is to keep your incubator away from Windows and extra light .. I usually even keep my windows covered . Make sure its in a room with as consistent temps as you can.. Keep it level .. The more you study the more you will see some different opinions. I have been lucky enough to still have some success even when I have had some real extreme things happening .. such as a previously hatched chick in distress having to open it to help the chick, Having it accidentally un plugged etc.. I Have not tried Duck Eggs and I only have read a few things but I believe beyond their incubation period being longer they need more humidity or something . I know they say if you let your Broody Hen sit on one you need to spritz it with Warm water once a day .. I am not sure if its something you can do at the same time as chick Eggs or not .. Keep asking specific Questions and more experienced Hatchers than I will surly help this is a Great Site ..

 

[Ridgerunner]

It's hard to say how the temperature fluctuations affect the development. You are probably looking at air temperature in there unless you are using a water wiggler. The core of the eggs change temperature a lot slower than the air in there.

The eggs will continue to develop if the temperature is off a bit. Warm is usually worse than a cool, but some variation either way is not fatal. If your average incubationg temperature is a little cool, the eggs can hatch late, maybe by a few days. I've had chicken eggs pipping at lockdown when my incubator ran a little warm.

I don't do duck eggs, just chickens and turkeys. I'd suggest you candle the duck eggs to see how they are developing, then candle again a little later to see if there is any change. You'd be surprised how tough some of those eggs are.

 

[bairo]

your temp swing sounds fine. I think you'll be ok. Good advice from previous poster about incubator location. One of the safest places when your new is on the floor of your closet (not drafty usually, constant temp usually, and not affected by sun coming and going usually)

Dont know about ducks... Im purely a chicken person

 

[Ariesmom]

thanks for the answers...I got discouraged when I read somewhere that even a 1 degree difference can prove fatal....I thought that was a little drastic but not sure. I have the bator in a room away from windows but it tends to warm in the day and cool in the evening as does all of the house really. Unfortunately it got unusually cool last nite so it affected the temp. I did candle the eggs last nite and out of 15 only 4 or 5 seem like duds. I never see veins like your supposed to but I do see a mass with a v shape by the air sac. The ducks are like that too but like I said I pulled them from the nest after mom left it and they were cooler to the touch than usual. I'm worried they could be dead. Any advise on how to tell later on if they died or should I just wait to see if they hatch out? They are a couple days ahead of the chickens so I think the hatch date should be about the same. The duds look to me like a overall yellowish glow...no mass. Is that what a dud looks like??