How to Set Eggs in an Incubator

Select your eggs. Jesse J. Lyons of the University of Missouri Extension recommends choosing eggs that are normal in size, shape, color and shell texture. Eggs that are excessively small or large are often infertile and will not hatch.

Keep eggs cool. If you are not incubating your eggs right away, keep them stored at a temperature of 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but not in the refrigerator, which is much too cold for fertile eggs. It is best to set eggs within three to four days after laying.

Place the incubator against an inside wall near an electrical source. Keep the incubator away from drafts, and make sure the room has a constant temperature of no less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit (but closer to 75 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit).

Clean the incubator thoroughly prior to setting the eggs. If it has been used for other hatches, be sure to scrub the wire rack thoroughly.

Fill the water pan underneath the incubator with warm water and set the thermometer in place. Keep the water pan full for the first 18 days of incubation and add a large wet sponge to incubator for the last three days of incubation. This will raise the humidity level to 60 to 65 percent for hatching.

Allow the incubator to calibrate (allow the temperature and humidity to reach equilibrium) overnight. The temperature in the incubator should be 100 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity level of 50 to 55 percent for the first 17 days of incubation.

Wash your hands and anything else that might come in contact with the eggs before handling them.

Allow eggs to come to room temperature (if they have been in a cool temperature) before placing them in the incubator. Eggs that are rapidly introduced to higher temperatures will sweat, and this can lead to bacteria development, which can kill the embryos.

Gently place eggs in the incubator on their side with the small end pointed slightly down. The chick̵7;s head is located at the large end of the egg, and a downward-facing chick will not survive.

Avoid uneven heating. Keep eggs away from the sides of the incubator and don̵7;t let them get too close to the heat source.

Turn eggs at least three times per day, but turning them even seven to nine times a day is okay. Always turn them an odd number of times. Mark one side of the egg with an X and one with an O so you can tell when you̵7;ve turned them. Avoid turning the eggs a full circle and only turn them through Day 17 of incubation. Do not touch the eggs at all for the last three days of incubation, as the eggs are getting ready to hatch. Rotate eggs once a day, bringing the outside eggs to the inside and the inside to the outside.

Gradually open the vents above and below the eggs until they are fully open for the final three days of incubation. Oxygen exchange is vital to incubating eggs and hatching healthy chicks.

Keep records. Record each time you turn the egg, as well as the temperature of the incubator. Write down anything you might to do alter temperature or humidity. If some eggs do not hatch--or if you have any unhealthy chicks--these records will help you understand where you went wrong in the incubation process. Keep in mind that most problems are the result of temperature or humidity.