Incubators, Incubating & Egg Storage...101

[moxeeguy]

Incubators should be used inside rooms where the temperatures do not
fluctuate. They are not designed to withstand natures whims and
outside temp changes. Incubator temps fluctuate close to what the
temperature surrounding them does. Keep the ambient room temperatures
steady. Eggs are laid outside in the early Spring...OFTEN it gets too
cold for eggs to withstand near freezing temperatures at night in the
Springtime. If we hope for eggs to be viable when they're set in an
incubator or under a broody hen we have to take the correct steps from
the beginning. The most helpful thing we can do is to pick up the
eggs daily and bring them into our homes immediately....away from the
freezing night temperatures, store them in a place and position where
they can be turned every couple days. Store the eggs for no more than
2 weeks...any longer and they begin to die....real simple. We all
want high hatch rate %'s. If we get our "ducks in a row"...we'll get
high hatch rates....poultry pun intended.

Much of my blurb above is often BOLDLY WRITTEN on most every
instructional booklet included with incubators which far too often are
not read and followed by those who buy them. Chickens have an equally
difficult time brooding eggs in a place where the air temps change
radically at night. Where I live...we get extreme night-day temp
changes (terrific for grapes) ....but its really tough for hens to
keep their eggs viable in March and April...ESPECIALLY guinea fowl
eggs. Goose and duck eggs are a "whole nuther thing". I TOO OFTEN
forget to think about where guineas come from. We must ask
consider...how many 40f degree nights or colder do Guinea Fowl eggs
endure on the ground (unprotected) in the Serengeti Plains of South
Africa...answer ? ZERO ! I've just been hit over the head with these
facts...I got 1 keet out of 40 eggs....and its ALL my fault due to
unrealistic expectations and as a result...poor implementation. I
thought I'd share my misery with friends who care. Thanks for being
there.

--
a Message from "Guinea Fowl Assn of America" your personal guinea friends group

[T. Sihler]

My best hatches have taken place when I've placed the incubator (and I had only a still-air one at the time) in our basement.  I do believe it's due to temps which fluctuate less down there plus more humid conditions.  

Teresa

[moxeeguy]

Teresa,

As we KNOW....incubator temperture fluctuations...KILL the eggs. The
consensus is "play it safe and keep your incubators in rooms that are
least likely to have temperature fluctuations."

Kelly

[T. Sihler]

yep, just pretty much verifying what you'd said you KNEW   :o)