Before beginning the incubating of eggs, you will first need to test your incubator in order to ensure a constant temperature environment. Doing this will help guarantee proper temperatures are maintained.
Candle your eggs is also important - this technique uses bright lights to reveal what lies within an egg.
Use either a flashlight or make your own candling box by placing an egg inside an opaque box with an opening for it.
Explore the Fundamentals
Incubating eggs can be a delicate process that requires close monitoring. Temperature, humidity, and turning should all be carefully managed for optimum success. While various tools and techniques exist to aid this process, for beginners a good quality incubator is often best. Be sure to read its user instructions thoroughly, placing it in an environment with consistent temperatures away from direct sunlight for best results.
Before placing eggs into an incubator, it is crucial that they are thoroughly examined for hairline cracks or deformities such as cracks. A candler may help reveal any flaws; dark areas or holes indicate dead or infertile eggs; otherwise chorio-allantoic membrane should have grown enough to protect air cells.
Once an egg is in an incubator, you should turn it daily in order to prevent its embryo from adhering solely to one side and creating malformations, while simultaneously encouraging its chorio-allantoic development. A high-quality rotating egg tray may assist you with this task and for beginners it would also be wise to invest in a combination thermometer/hygrometer which monitors temperature and humidity without needing to open your incubator door; these units make calibration much simpler than separate devices.
Before hatching bird eggs, it's advisable to familiarize yourself with the appropriate incubation techniques for that specific bird species. Each species requires its own particular setup - for instance, some birds require forced air systems while others do better with still air incubation methods - this is particularly essential when hatching reptile or amphibian eggs which prefer still air environments.
As an effective method for testing humidity levels in a DIY egg incubator, adding food coloring to its water channels is a fantastic way to measure humidity levels more easily. When humidity levels decrease, its color changes accordingly allowing you to easily identify when there's not enough water present and indicating there may be water still present in some channels.
Essential Tools
Home incubating requires several key tools. You will require a hygrometer (to measure humidity) and thermometer, ideally digital since this will provide information if water needs replenishing in your incubator.
Before setting eggs in your incubator, it is crucial that the temperature and hygrometer reading are correct. Once that has been established, place the eggs with their small end down. Also, mark each egg with an "X" or "0" using a non-toxic pencil. This helps you keep track of which side has been turned over manually.
At first, your eggs must be turned two to three times daily in the beginning stages. Be sure to wash your hands prior to touching or turning any eggs for best results; germs can damage embryos if touched without washing hands first! After three days have passed without touching or turning eggs at all.
If you plan to incubate more than just a few eggs, invest in a fully functional incubator. They provide more accurate temperatures than homemade incubators and allow embryos to develop optimally - saving both time and effort while increasing hatch rates.
If you can't afford an incubator, consider finding a broody hen to sit on your eggs and hatch them out for you. But be wary of their low success rate, and keep in mind they cannot incubate all types of eggs (quail, turkey, chicken, or duck eggs for instance). An incubator can range in price from $20 up to over $200; good models should include features such as fans, automatic egg turners, humidity gauges, and temperature sensors as well as clear tops so that all sides of the eggs can be observed from every side!
Essential Techniques
Once you have your clean fertile eggs and incubator in place, there are a few final tasks left before they hatch. One such step should be testing the incubator; setting temperature and humidity settings and making any necessary adjustments that create an ideal incubation environment for incubating eggs. It is crucial that this step be completed prior to placing any of them inside; even minor jostling during transport could crack or crush them while even one degree too high or low can destroy an embryo.
Another essential step is candling the eggs. This involves holding an egg against a bright light in a dark room and peeking inside to observe any signs of development or change. A candling device may be available, though small flashlights often suffice. When candling an egg, be sure to hold it with its blunt end facing higher up than its pointy end - this is where its air cell lies, providing insight into embryo development as time progresses.
Once your candles are lit, mark each egg for easy identification. This will make keeping track of which eggs are growing easier, especially with multiple batches. Outlining air cells may help determine humidity levels within an egg as they show where moisture may be entering from within it.
Always make sure that you keep in mind when opening and closing an incubator too often that doing so could lower the humidity level inside, as this can decrease humidity levels inside. The temperature should remain stable at 99.5 degrees for the entirety of the incubation process while humidity needs to range between 40-50 percent during the initial 18 days and 65-75% on the final four days before eggs hatch.
Once the eggs have been placed into an incubator, it is advisable to set your countdown timer for 21 days - this allows you to keep an eye on daily progress, as well as entertain kids who help incubate the eggs!