incubator
incubator on Alektorophobia: a running collection of 5 stories we have gathered and hand-picked because they are worth your time. Every post here touches on incubator in some way — the news, the analysis, the deep dives, and the occasional surprise find. Chickens. Everything there is to know about chickens and the fear of them. New stories are added to this page as we find them, so check back if you want to keep up with what is happening around incubator, or subscribe to the RSS feed to get them as soon as they are published. Browse the collection below, or head back to the homepage to see everything Alektorophobia is covering right now.
Incubating eggs, air cell vanished?
## Decoding Early Chick Deaths & Vanished Air Cells: A Cluck-tastic Conundrum Losing eggs during incubation is a heart-wrenching experience, and /u/Barefootcactus is facing just that. They’ve experienced several early deaths (days 6-9) and discovered an egg with a completely vanished air cell, despite the developing chick appearing otherwise normal. Maintaining consistent temperature (99°F) and humidity (45-55%) is crucial, but fluctuating humidity, potentially exacerbated by external temperature swings, could be a key factor. Relying solely on the incubator's built-in readings, without independent verification via a separate thermometer/hygrometer, introduces another potential variable. This situation highlights the delicate balance required for successful incubation. For those dealing with similar chicken care challenges, you might find our article, "Need help immediately!!!
Update- we have life!
Life update! Following a chilly night, we sadly lost one of Franky’s chicks, a stark reminder of the challenges of raising feathered friends. However, the remaining chick is thriving and adorable, and the three eggs under Franky are progressing nicely – a week or so until they’re ready to hatch! We’ve had a bit of a relocation saga, but after a rather unconventional “airlift” maneuver (yes, we literally moved Franky and her nest!), she’s happily settled into a new, cozy pen. This experience highlights the unpredictable joys of chicken keeping! If you've ever encountered similar challenges, check out our article, "Hens with poop on their butt," for insights into common chicken care issues.
TJ laid an egg, straight into the incubator it goes
## TJ's Big Moment: A Straight-From-the-Hen Egg! Cluck-tastic news, folks! TJ, one of our feathered friends, has delivered a beautiful, straight egg – and it’s headed directly into the incubator! A perfect egg is always egg-citing, and we’re eagerly anticipating the potential for some new additions to the flock. A huge thanks to /u/SatanikRaccoon for sharing this delightful moment with us. Want to learn more about what makes our chickens so special? Check out our "Compilation of my favorite Peewee clips and explanation why his tail is pink :) (sound!)" for a deeper dive into our flock's personalities. Stay tuned for updates as this little egg’s journey unfolds!
I put shelf liner down in my incubator and now my eggs have weird marks on them
Oh dear, those lumpy egg impressions are a bit unsettling, aren't they? It sounds like you stumbled into a bit of *fowl play* with that shelf liner! While seemingly a clever way to prevent egg-rolling, certain shelf liner materials can react with the eggs, leaving those marks—and potentially impacting humidity levels critical for proper development. It’s best to ditch the liner; manually turning the eggs, though a bit trickier, is the safer route. Don't chickening out on the manual turning! It's a small price to pay for healthy chicks. Speaking of chicken behavior, if you're also dealing with a feathered friend who enjoys blocking doorways, you might find some relatable insights in our article, “Ginger, the Great Door Blocker.”
Incubation: I'm hand turning. Would it be best to turn 3x a day instead of 5x since I'll have to be opening the incubator each time?
## Hand-Turning Incubation: Finding the Sweet Spot So, you're hand-turning your eggs – cluck-tastic effort! It’s a common conundrum when your egg turner can’t handle the whole clutch. Our community member /u/Kitchen_Possible_159 is wrestling with exactly that, questioning whether 3 turns a day is better than 5, given the temperature and humidity fluctuations from repeated incubator openings. With 18 eggs and a turner for only 12, they're considering culling non-fertile eggs to match capacity – a tough decision! The key takeaway here is balancing consistent turning with minimizing environmental disruption. For more insights into flock dynamics, check out our recent discussion on "Weird behavior" and introducing a rooster. Let's hear your hand-turning tips and experiences – share your egg-citing successes (and challenges) in the comments!