So recently I've been asked and questioned on why I think it's better to have the incubator in a dark secluded place. Usually the first answer I give is, it's natural for the eggs since when a hen, duck, goose etc. Sits on the eggs it is dark and secluded. But I'm looking for other opinions and why you think that the incubator should be placed where you have it.
I keep mine where I walk by it all the time, but secure so no one can knock it. It's semi dark. I think the only thing that shouldn't be done is to place it in DIRECT sunlight. I don't know if the hatch rate would increase or not in a dark place. Maybe you could do a test! Hatch one batch in a normal lit area and the other in a pitch black area and see if there's a difference!
I have never had mine in a "dark" place. It sits on my school room dresser in our "school room"/playroom, away from windows. The pro to having it in a darker area is you don't have to worry as much, (especially with styros)of the flunctuation of temps with the turning on/off of the room lights and the rising sun in the room having a bigger effect of room temp changes. And yes, those things do and will affect the temps, especially if you do not have a thermostat controlled bator, (which I don't). With the better bators and better heat control, I really don't see where it would make a difference as to the actual light vs dark. I am an avid candler and my poor littles get light shined on them almost daily when I candle.....lol I have awesome hatch rates, highest being 100% (20/20), but average more around the 90%. I usually don't have more than a couple (local/my own eggs) that don't make it after lockdown. Even with the shipped eggs I did a couple months ago I had 14 make it to lockdown and 12 hatch.
