Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
incubators for sale in different sizes and shapes. Some are high tech, and some are basic. You
also can purchase egg turners from this site.
Turning eggs
Eggs must be turned every day, and using an automated egg turner is an easy way to ensure
this is taken care of. If you decide not to purchase an egg turner, you can turn the eggs manu-
ally. Mark one side of the egg with an X and the other side with an O, and rotate the egg 180
degrees, which is a half-turn, five times a day. Be gentle; you are the egg's parent.
Rotating the eggs an odd number of times per day helps ensure the embryo is receiving the
correct amount of rotation. The chick's head is in the large end of the egg so you are turning
the chick when you rotate the egg. Turn eggs each day until day 18. After that, the chick is
preparing to hatch and should not be moved. Chicks will begin to hatch around day 21, and it
should take about 24 hours for all of the eggs to hatch.
Incubator settings
Have your incubator set up 24 hours before receiving your chicks with the temperature
between 99 and 100 degrees F and humidity adjusted correctly. When you put the eggs inside
for the first time, the temperature will drop because you will have let some of the warm air
out by opening the incubator and because the temperature of the eggs is cooler from transport.
The temperature should stabilize and remain constant before you put the eggs in, which could
take up to four hours. This is a critical step in caring for your eggs; even a minor adjustment
either way could kill your embryos. Humidity should be 58 percent to 60 percent on days one
through 18 in the incubator. After that, gradually increase it to 65 percent. As your eggs age,
they need more humidity to make the adjustment easier for the birds.
The incubator will have a water pan, or if you are using a homemade model, you can add a
water-soaked sponge inside with the eggs. Humidity can vary slightly, as it is difficult to get
the perfect setting. Make sure you monitor the humidity because low humidity will cause the
shells to stick to the chicks or may produce small chicks or chicks with rough navels; high hu-
midity will cause an unabsorbed yolk sac that will smear on the baby bird.
High-tech incubators are self-sufficient, which makes the process easier because it does all of
the work. If you are using a basic incubator, such as one made of Styrofoam, check on the
eggs all day long. These types of incubators work well but require a lot of manual monitoring.
Probe thermometers will help determine the temperature.
