INCUBATION TIPS & INSIGHTS

Have you ever wondered what’s going on inside the egg as you incubate? What is the developmental rate once you set? What are the DO'S and DON'TS of incubating? Well the avian egg is a miracle and here are a few tips to aid along the way.

Collecting to Set

Remember collecting and gathering of eggs on a routine basis is important prior to setting. Do not leave eggs for long spans subject to the elements. High and low weather conditions can affect the viability of the egg. All eggs should be clean of debris, and never set an egg showing pinholes or cracks. You may even prefer to candle eggs prior to setting. Dark shelled eggs may at times have a hairline crack not visible to the naked eye. You may also find that air cell quality is poor or misaligned and may have been damaged in the nest. The percentage of chicks hatched from damaged eggs in this manner is very low. Some even prefer not set odd or mishapened eggs. Store eggs waiting to be set in a safe place so as not to be bumped or hit which could accidently cause damage. Do not stack eggs, and keep at room temperature until you decide to set. Develop a system of marking your eggs and keeping a calender that shows your hatch dates. Only mark your eggs with a pencil and state the date of hatch. This will enable you to know when to candle and when you have multiple hatches.

There are several methods of candling, from pin flashlights to bulb boxes. Prior to setting if you choose to candle you are looking into an egg from the round end. Evidence of shell quality will be visible by illumination. The shell should appear even in color and texture. A poor egg will show thin patches, unevenness in texture and possibly tiny pin holes or fine cracks. Many times you may even see small scratches where the outer protective film has been affected. This can be from improper gathering to mishandling. Most often your damage will arise from a community nest. The air cell and yolk will be made visible and should appear set, not moving or floating as you turn the egg. A watery appearance may be evidence that the air cell has been damaged thus resulting in absence of an air pocket for a hatching chick. The air cell should be at the top of the round end, evenly placed across egg. The size of the air cell will tell you signs of evaporation rate prior to setting and during the hatch. Prior it should be moderately small increasing in size and angle position during incubation process. Candling in advance to setting can eliminate disappointment at what was expected to be a viable egg.

It takes 21 days for a chicken and 28 days for most waterfowl to hatch. It is advisable to candle within the first 6 to 10 days of setting. Fertility will show if you view what appears to be "spider veins" running along the walls of the eggs. Those that show no evidence of fertility should be removed at this time. The wonder of our modern incubators is that they allow for multiple settings. If you have collected more to be setm this is the time to do a multiple setting. Notice the air cell is at a slight angle, this will increase as time goes by during incubation. If during midway through your incubation period you notice the air cell rather large and at a great incline you may want to check and watch your temperatures. What the air cell is telling you is that you are rapidly loosing moisture from the egg at too fast of a rate.

 Check your temperature, even the slightest rise in degrees can cause faster evaporation to the egg.

Preparing The Incubator

Always start with a clean disinfected incubator and equipment.

Prior to setting, run your incubator following manufacturers specifications. Environmental temperatures and levels of humidity in the room affect incubators. Running prior to setting will afford you to make adjustments to the incubator. Running an incubator 24-36 hours in advance of a setting will allow heat  and moisture to be dispersed evenly. The different materials they are made from will hold moisture and heat differently. Some larger incubators may even have what we call "cold or hot spots". A good monitoring system is kept by placing a thermometer at different levels in your incubator. Bottled water is suggested for use thus eliminating calcium deposits on metal components during incubation which could result in inaccurate readings. Placement of the incubator in a room is a determining factor for proper temperature and humidity levels. Never place your incubator near a heat source, or in a drafty area. You may need to monitor the temperature and humidity levels of the room you are incubating, in making adjustments accordingly. Temperature should be no lower then 99.5 degrees; higher readings of 100 to 103 can result in early hatches to embryo deaths. An incubator running at lower levels other than at the proper setting of 99.5 will result in slow developmental rates and late hatches. Remember, day and night temperatres of the environment also fluctuate, so take this into consideration. Humidity levels should always be monitored. The environmental humidity level is a major consideration. Dry geographical areas may require larger water surface for an incubator where as a humid geographical location less. Yet keep in mind a realative amount of humidity regardless of geographical location will offset the moisture loss from the egg during incubation and allow for a better hatch. The evaporation rate can be evident by the progression of the air cell size and angle. Running at too high of temperatures can cause rapid evaporation from within the egg.  

During Incubation

How can I tell what’s going on? What do I see? What am I to look for? All life has different stages of development. The miracle of an egg that is laid is that we are able to watch this miracle and view it at different developmental stages. By candling we can, on different days , witness the developmental rates and monitor heat and moisture loss  through the egg. By the 4-7th day evidence of fertilization will be evident. Small tiny like spider veins will be visible, appearing to be spreading along the walls of the shell. If it's clear, it means fertilization did not take place and the eggs should be discarded. You may also see cloudy or dead germs, these too should be discarded. Factors that can create these events can range from, fluctuations in incubator settings, improper nutrition of hen during breeding, ratio of hens to rooster, genetics to mishandling and improper storage prior to setting. Remember in candling removal of eggs from incubator  will cause cooling of the incubator and to the egg. Eggs hold the heat also and cold eggs added will effect the temperature of the incubator ever so slightly but must be considered. Try to develop a good system  that limits the chilling of the egg and the possibility of damage. Monitor the incubator once you have returned the eggs to make sure proper temperature level has returned.

The "LABOR" of Hatching

Three days prior to hatch lay eggs flat in the hatching tray. As you transfer eggs to the hatching tray use a pin flashlight to candle eggs. I prefer pin lights for candling due to the excessive amounts of heat a larger bulb emits. At this time you may find some did not develop and wish to remove those. You may also take note of the air cell. During the next 3 days the chick will turn itself and prepare to pip through to the air cell. Now you are waiting for the first "Pip" through the shell. Monitor temperature and humidity levels. The incubator should be kept closed at all times during hatching, opening and closing the door for viewing will  cause great fluctuations in temperature and humidity levels with hazardous results to the emerging chicks. Fluctuations and too low of temperatures can cause for slow hatches. Do not set eggs during these 3 days as your aim is to not have any fluctuations. Do not close off all air vents and incoming oxygen to the chicks in an effort to increase the humidity. To do so will elevate your temperature. You may try adding a larger water surface. Keep in mind, Patience is a virtue.

More Tips Regarding Eggs & Hatching & Trouble Shooting Your Incubator

Or would you like to read about Brooding Chicks

Written for Chicken Chronicles

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by Chicken Chronicles