Incubation is when a bird or a hen keeps its eggs until the young come out. This can be done from when the egg is laid until it hatches in the incubator. It is the main process for developing and hatching chicken eggs. The incubation of chicken eggs can be affected by turning, humidity, temperature, and ventilation.
The period of incubating chicken eggs ranges between two and four weeks for the process to be successful. The incubator will help the chicken eggs to turn and control temperature and humidity. For an egg to be incubated, it should have been at least 6–10 days old after being laid.
You need to note some factors when incubating chicken eggs, including the number of eggs, temperature, humidity, and ventilation. You must also be able to distinguish between fertile and infertile chicken eggs.
Can You Incubate Dirty Eggs?
Yes. You can incubate dirty eggs separately from clean eggs to avoid contamination of the clean eggs and chicks when the dirty eggs hatch. It is not advisable to wash your eggs because it will reduce the quality of their freshness and allow bacteria to penetrate them.
Washing chicken eggs removes the eggshell’s natural defenses, allowing some bacteria to enter the small eggshell’s pores. The dirty eggs have self-defense mechanisms that protect them from organisms entering the small egg pores.
Although washing chicken eggs is not recommended, you should use warm water to clean them if you are willing. Washing the eggs with warm water will expand the eggshell, helping them to push out the bacteria entering the eggs, but when you use cold water, it will pull the bacteria into the eggs since they will contract the eggshell.
Can You Open Incubator During Hatching?
No. When hatching is in progress, the incubator must not be opened until all chicks have hatched and are ready to be placed in a brooder. When you open the incubator during hatching, you will reduce the temperature and humidity level, causing some chicks to die inside the eggshells and only allowing some eggs to be hatched.
The chicken egg incubation temperature ranges between 85 and 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit with about 60 percent humidity. As the hatching process takes almost three days, this makes it possible for an incubator’s temperature to remain constant for three days, and the incubator temperature for chicken eggs ranges between 30 and 43 0C. This temperature is mostly considered optimal for domestic poultry.
How Long Does It Take for Chicken Eggs to Hatch in an Incubator?
Chicken eggs take around 18–25 days to hatch in the incubator. Some features may help to produce a higher hatch rate in the incubator, such as an automatic egg turner to turn the eggs periodically, a fan for air circulation, and an electronic display for humidity, temperature, and the hatch day countdown.
How Can You Tell If Eggs Are Fertile Before Incubation?
You can tell if chicken eggs are fertile even before incubation by candling, which allows you to observe the development and growth of the embryo in the eggs. Candling uses a bright source of light to provide a clear description.
When you see a small white spot of about 4 mm in width on the egg yolk, then that egg is fertile. The other method to tell if eggs are fertile is cracking them, where you must open the egg and look inside. The egg is fertile when you see a small white spot on the yolk.
How Long Can Fertile Eggs Last Without Incubation?
A fertile egg can stay for about a week without continued incubation. After seven days, you should incubate your fertile eggs for the process to be done.
There are some steps you can take to store your fertile eggs. Below are the best four of them:
1. Keep your nest clean and store your fertile eggs
2. Turn them around two times a day
3. The condition should be cool and dry
4. Incubate your fertile eggs
How Often Should You Check Incubating Eggs?
You should check your incubating eggs every five days for the first two weeks of the incubation process. When hatching is in progress, you should not open the incubator until all chicks are hatched.
To get good results, you should candle eggs in dark rooms or under dim lighting conditions. It would help if you held the candle against the shell of an egg at the larger end, where the air sac is located.
How Long Can You Keep Fertile Eggs Before Incubating?
You can keep your fertile eggs for 6–12 days before incubating. When the fertile eggs stay for more than 23 days, it will reduce the hatchability, so the best thing you can do is develop a regular hatching schedule to avoid the reduction of the hatching process.
The temperature should be at room temperature when storing fertile eggs before incubation. A lower temperature kills the male embryos, and a higher temperature causes the death of female embryos. Due to this, the temperature should be considered carefully for your eggs to be hatched well.
Can Eggs Be Touched in an Incubator?
No. When eggs are in the incubator, you should not touch them because, when you open the incubator, you will reduce the hatchability since the humidity and temperature will decrease.
When you keep your fertile eggs untouched, in required temperature and humidity will lead the embryo to start developing and increase embryo mortality.
Touching the eggs regularly in the incubator may cause problems in the incubator. When you open your incubator, you may encounter incubation issues such as incorrect egg positioning, upside-down positioning, insufficient ventilation, and an unsuitable temperature.
Can Eggs Be Touching in an Incubator?
No. Eggs should not be touching in an incubator. The eggs in the incubator should be kept at a small distance from each other to avoid poor hatching, which is mainly caused by insufficient humidity and improper control of temperature.
When the eggs are touching each other, it will lead to poor ventilation, a low temperature, and contamination, which generally affect the hatching process.
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