Third attempt at incubating.

[Orpingtons Mom]

Well, I invested in a new incubator ...a Nurture Right 360...bought some lavender English Orpington eggs, on eBay, and am now testing the incubator to confirm temp and humidity accuracy (eggs arrive next week.)

I have also put a space heater in the room to keep the temp at 65... the rest of the house is too cold.

Initial result of test: my independent thermometer was .2 degrees warmer, which is not significant. The humidity, shown on the incubator is 4%. The independent hygrometer said 14%.

hmmmm.

Having said THAT, I did not put any water in the cups. So the 4% seems more likely.

Thoughts?

 

[nchls school]

Arrgh! Eggs were supposed to be delivered today and of course. They are still sitting in Florida. Poor little munchkins.

Contacted the seller. Laid mostly on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Sent on Wednesday.

What do you experts think? Ok if they arrive on Monday?

A three day difference will not make a difference as long as the eggs are handled correctly. Rough handling is the biggest reason for poor hatches of shipped eggs.

 

[spartacus_63]

I wouldn't worry about humidity that much until lock down. I start mine out between 45%-54% and refill the water channels when it gets down to 30% or when it starts adversely affecting the temperature. In lock down I am happy anywhere between 55%-65% but do not get concerned if it is higher.

Controlling the humidity during 1-18 regulates the moisture loss in the egg, allowing the air cell to develop. That is what you want to regulate your humidity on. What RH I use here in the midwest may not work in the southwest or the northeast. A lot has to do with the ambient RH.

Good luck on your hatch.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

OH MY! One of my eggs is wiggling back and forth!! Something is alive!

NO, I'm not touching it, I'm just sharing. I am looking at the egg.

 

[nchls school]

Temperature: The eggs need to be kept at 99.5 degrees at all times; just one degree higher or lower for a few hours can terminate the embryo. Humidity: 40 to 50 percent humidity must be maintained for the first 18 days; 65 to 75 percent humidity is needed for the final days before hatching.

VA-Are you sure your reading the hygrometer right?

Good luck with your third attempt.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I incubate my eggs right around 100°F. Embryo doesn't die until its been at 103° F for an extended period of time.

 

[aart]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

 

[nchls school]

MOST IMPORTANT: no candling before day 13.

I came in late on this. Please explain the above. I do the first candling on the fourth thru sixth day. The veining is quite visible on day 6. I like to candle as soon as possible to eliminate eggs that are not developing to avoid spoilage.

 

[nchls school]

Hey, don't look at me. I am a complete novice and I have never successfully hatched any eggs.

The last 6 eggs I bought (ebay) were hatched by a friend as I am hopeless. I bought 6 new ones, plus a brand new incubator. THEY were successful by not touching the eggs before about day 13. That doesn't mean it's right. It just means that I'm not touching the eggs until day 13...because they were successful, and I haven't been.

I'm sure others will say differently...heck, if you've been successful candling on day 4-6, GO FOR IT. Remember: I have never successfully hatched anything!!

Candling in and of itself does no harm-I candle weekly-but what is on your hands might. Be sure to wash your hands before candling.

I usually let broody hens do the hatching, but my wife just got me a new incubator so I put in some cochin and serama bantam eggs just to try it out.

 

[ronott1]

Thank you. I heard a still air incubator should be at 100 degrees... is it .5 below and above that?

The temperature at the middle of the egg should be 99.5

Still air incubators are smaller and air flow is harder to manage. Set still-air incubators at 100 to 101°F at egg height. This is important since the air stratifies in these incubators. There can be as much as a 5° difference in temperature from the top to the bottom of some of the still-air incubators.