General Tips About Egg Incubation - WilTec 50036 User Manual

As seasons change, so goes humidity. When you are incubating eggs in January and February
it will be very difficult to maintain a humidity that is as high as you like. That's because the
outside humidity is so low. (Depending on where you live). By the same token, when you are
incubating in June and July the outside humidity is usually much greater and the humidity in
your incubator will most likely get much higher than you would like. Hatching problems will
change as the season progresses. If you are doing things the same way in July as you were in
January, you have to expect different results. All we are trying to say here is that your incuba-
tor humidity changes directly according to the outside humidity. Low outside, low in the in-
cubator. High outside, high in the incubator. To adjust for these problems, you need to change
the surface area of water in your incubator.
7. What is surface area?
Surface area is "the amount of surface of water exposed to air in your incubator". The depth
of water has absolutely no bearing on the humidity in the incubator (unless the depth is zero).
If the humidity is too low in your incubator, add surface area. Place another pan of water in
the incubator, or some small, wet sponges. This will help. Alternatively you can spray the
eggs with a fine mist. To decrease the humidity, remove surface area. Use smaller containers
of water, or
undo some of the things you've added.
8. How long will it take to incubate chicken eggs?
The incubation period for chicken eggs is 21 days. You should turn your eggs at least three
times a day for the first 18 days, and stop turning after the 18th day (or use a hatcher if you
have eggs from different days in the same machine). This allows the chick time to orient itself
inside the egg before piping.
After day 18, KEEP THE INCUBATOR CLOSED except to add water. This will help bring
the humidity up to help the chicks hatch. I know it will kill you not to open the incubator 1000
times when it's this close to hatch time, but it's not good for the chicks. If you haven't bought
an incubator yet, invest the extra couple bucks in the picture window model. Then you can
"see it all" without causing harm to your hatch.

General Tips About Egg Incubation

Correct incubation conditions are important for development and hatching of eggs. The re-
quired conditions vary considerably between species, and some species appear more exacting
in their requirements than others. Minor deviations in correct temperature may lead to a
slightly shortened or lengthened incubation period, while greater variation may cause failure
to develop or hatch, or result in weak chicks. Incorrect incubation conditions have also been
implicated in some developmental problems of neonatal birds.
In general, correct incubation conditions are most crucial early in incubation, with small var-
iations being tolerated better by the embryo later in development. For this reason, eggs are
sometimes left with the parents initially for seven to ten days until they have been "set" and
transferred to an artificial incubator after this most crucial period, in the hope that the birds
will then lay again. Alternatively, eggs are placed under a broody hen initially, before being
placed in an artificial incubator. Both procedures may improve hatching success compared to
complete artificial incubation.
Egg cleanliness is of vital importance; it has been shown that poor hygiene and dirty eggs
may significantly reduce the percentage of eggs hatching successfully. It is important that the
laying sites are clean as well as conditions following egg collection. Eggs cool down once
laid, therefore the contents shrink and air is drawn into the egg: bacteria may be drawn in at
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