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04-19-2018, 09:20 AM

I use a deeper egg box, like those clear plastic salad containers. I do not take the eggs apart- they are stuck together for a reason. If you have a huge mountain of eggs, I'd make sure you can get about an inch of the incubating medium under them, then fill in around the pile. I like to end up with the top layer of eggs slightly exposed. All the lower layers can be buried. Then I put a thick layer of moss over the eggs. I will often use the moss from the lay box. You want it to be dampened so it is soft, and then wrung out as much as possible. If you think it's too dry, it's probably just right. The moss shields the eggs from light, and protects them from drips of condensation on the lid. You want the humidity in the interior to be such that a fine mist of droplets forms on the walls of the egg box. I open the lid once a week, lift the moss, inspect the eggs, and gently fan them for a minute, then replace the moss. When I put the egg box back in the incubator, I rotate it half a turn. Also, if you have shelves, I rotate all the egg boxes position in the incubator, from upper to lower. I don't put holes in the egg box. You want nearly 100% humidity. Holes also let in flies. Flies LOVE eggs, and become problematic especially after the eggs pip. When you near the expected hatching date, start checking for pips daily, by removing the container and lifting the moss. Often, you can smell when the eggs are about to pip. (Green peppery??) Also, you can feel the eggs when they are first laid (with VERY clean hands!!!) by just gently stroking the egg surface. Again, when hatching is close, you will notice that the shells thin out and become very soft. This thinning happens about a week before hatching. When I see the first slit, I'll take most of the moss out, leaving a little bit in the corners for babies to hide in. I remove hatchlings after they've been out for a bit- to keep them from trashing the place and burying babies that are emerging. Once the first egg pips, I check for babies at least three times a day to remove them.

04-19-2018, 09:20 AM	#28
Nanci	I use a deeper egg box, like those clear plastic salad containers. I do not take the eggs apart- they are stuck together for a reason. If you have a huge mountain of eggs, I'd make sure you can get about an inch of the incubating medium under them, then fill in around the pile. I like to end up with the top layer of eggs slightly exposed. All the lower layers can be buried. Then I put a thick layer of moss over the eggs. I will often use the moss from the lay box. You want it to be dampened so it is soft, and then wrung out as much as possible. If you think it's too dry, it's probably just right. The moss shields the eggs from light, and protects them from drips of condensation on the lid. You want the humidity in the interior to be such that a fine mist of droplets forms on the walls of the egg box. I open the lid once a week, lift the moss, inspect the eggs, and gently fan them for a minute, then replace the moss. When I put the egg box back in the incubator, I rotate it half a turn. Also, if you have shelves, I rotate all the egg boxes position in the incubator, from upper to lower. I don't put holes in the egg box. You want nearly 100% humidity. Holes also let in flies. Flies LOVE eggs, and become problematic especially after the eggs pip. When you near the expected hatching date, start checking for pips daily, by removing the container and lifting the moss. Often, you can smell when the eggs are about to pip. (Green peppery??) Also, you can feel the eggs when they are first laid (with VERY clean hands!!!) by just gently stroking the egg surface. Again, when hatching is close, you will notice that the shells thin out and become very soft. This thinning happens about a week before hatching. When I see the first slit, I'll take most of the moss out, leaving a little bit in the corners for babies to hide in. I remove hatchlings after they've been out for a bit- to keep them from trashing the place and burying babies that are emerging. Once the first egg pips, I check for babies at least three times a day to remove them.