This morning I'm excited to share that I have begun incubating a new batch of chicken eggs. I have had pretty good luck with the Brinsea Octagon Advace over the past year and like the fact that most of the process is completely automated. First you will need to start saving your eggs somewhere like a countertop so you can easily turn them over once or twice a day. Eggs must be turned frequently or the yolk may stick to the shell. A great way to keep track of this is to place an "X" in marker or sharpie on one side of the eggs. You may keep eggs for up to 2 weeks before incubation, but the most viable eggs will be collected the first week. Before going in the incubator they will need to be candled to check for hairline cracks or other abnormalities that may affect your hatching success.
Once you have collected all of your eggs you will need to start prepping the incubator. The temperature should be kept at around 99.6F or 37.5C, and for the first 19 days the humidity should be 45%. You can program these settings into the Brinsea. Also, if you have the autoturn cradle, you won't need to worry about turning the eggs over in the incubator. There is an optional humidity pump also that regulates the relative humidity. These options can be really great for beginners and busy people who like not having to check the incubator several times a day. The only things you really need to check are water levels in the humidity pump and the eggs every week or so for candling. On day 19 you will need to turn the autoturn cradle off , spread the eggs out, and crank the humidity up to 65%. After that it's just a waiting game, and day 21 will be the most fun watching baby chicks break out of their shells.
To keep track of all the important days of the incubation process, you can mark them on your calendar or use an app on your phone. I use the Hatchabatch app which is free. It will keep track of your incubation and give you some cool detailed information about the development of your chicks every day. You can also choose calendar reminders for important days .
I can highly recommend the Brinsea to anyone new to incubating eggs. I'm excited to share our progress and will keep everyone posted! If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.