Chicks do not need to eat or drink during the first 24 hours as they have had a sufficient amount of nutrition from their egg yolk – this is why day old chicks can be shipped around the country. Be sure no direct sunlight strikes the incubator and that it sits on a level surface. I sometimes add some sheets of kitchen roll folded into a long strip, dangle one end into the water reservoir and let the other hang out. Allow cool eggs to warm slowly to room temperature before placing in the incubator. Northampton & District Poultry Club Spring Show 2016. Check the accuracy before you buy. Abrupt warming from 55 degrees to 100 degrees can cause moisture condensation on the egg shell which can lead to disease and reduced hatches. Setting your eggs Eggs have the best hatch rate when stored for no more than 7 days before beginning to incubate. This is normally achieved by adding water to a second reservoir although getting the humidity high enough can sometimes be difficult to achieve. There is further guidance on the correct incubation humidity here. Make sure to adjust the incubator's thermometer so that it will measure the temperature around where the center of an egg will reach in the incubator. Next, you should check the accuracy of your thermometer. Recommended temperatures vary between the two types of incubators, so do follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. 5% in 37 degrees is a potential error of nearly ±2 degrees! B.L. The recommended temperature within an artificial incubator depends on the type of incubator being used. Ventilation is equally important since the shells are porous and need to breathe. You should turn your eggs an odd number of times each day so that they are on the opposite side for each ‘long night’. You should of course be familiar with your incubator manufacturer’s instructions before you make a start but there are a number of pitfalls to watch out for and subtle differences between different incubators. Most incubators have a small container in which to add water to and this needs topping up usually every second or third day. The early birds that have hatched should stay inside the incubator as they need to dry out fully for several hours before they are moved to your brooder. Try to locate the incubator away from sources of heat and draughts, and limit temperature fluctuations in the room. The video clip above was taken at double normal speed and shows you the last 6 minutes of a hatch (the eggs are Copper Black Marans eggs) using an Rcom King Suro incubator. Adjust the heat source until the temperature reads between 99 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 and 38.9 degrees Celsius). Push “+” or “-“ to adjust to the correct measurement. Depending on the…. The temperature in forced-air incubators should be set to the exact incubation temperature that the eggs require (e.g. The eggs of almost all domestic bird species can be incubated at the same incubation temperature; because of that, eggs of several different bird species can be incubated at the same time within the same incubator. Required fields are marked *. Calibrating the temperature sensor measurement = CA 2. Still air incubators. It is a good idea to move the position of your eggs around inside a still air incubator from time to time as you can get slightly different conditions in different parts of the incubator. How Comfortable Are You with Duck & Goose Down Production? Ideally, turn the radiator off if your heating is on as not only does the heating cause large fluctuations in temperature but also dries the air considerably that will alter the humidity. The incubator should be stable at 100oF (37.8oC) in forced air incubators and 102oF (38.9oC) in a still air incubator. This ensures everything has stabilised. Avianweb / BeautyOfBirds or any of their authors / publishers assume no responsibility for the use or misuse of any of the published material. A. Incubator 1. Home » Incubating and Hatching Eggs » Setting Up Your Incubator. After 6 or 7 days you should be ready to ‘candle’ them. He keeps Cream Legbar chickens, Silver Sebright bantams and hybrid layers for eggs, Abacot Ranger ducks, Brecon Buff geese and some quail. Precise and consistent control of temperature is essential for good hatching results. This period will allow the environment inside of the incubator to stabilize and give you time to make any necessary adjustments before you place the eggs inside to begin the incubation period. Crows: The birds that go fishing with breadcrumbs! Remember the humidity of the air outside of the incubator varies considerably from week to week so it is important to monitor the humidity (inside the incubator) regularly. During incubation, keep an eye on the development of the air sack – which should be seen when candling your eggs at the broad end of the shell and should occupy between a quarter to a third of the egg by the time the youngster hatches. Eggs do need to be turned, mimicking the actions of the mother. Most incubators control the humidity by increasing or decreasing the ventilation that in turn increases and decreases the amount of air change in the incubator. This helps if you forget which ones you have turned.