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IDEAL TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY FOR THE INCUBATION OF HEN EGGS
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I breed dwarf PEKIN chickens. Could you please give me advice on the temperature and humidity levels to improve the hatching rate with your ET incubator?
ET incubators are designed to meet the needs of any breeder by adapting to different environments.
For example, some breeds require slightly different temperatures or humidity, and sometimes even between strains of the same breed there can be different requirements.
Also the area where the incubation takes place can influence the results: it is one thing to incubate Pekin eggs in Northern Italy (humid area) and another to incubate them in the South (dry environment).
This is how we recommend to proceed. For the first 18 days the temperature should be kept at 37.7 Celsius degrees, with a humidity of 57%.
On the last three days of the 21 days, when the hatching phase begins, the temperature should be lowered to around 36.9 degrees, while the humidity should be raised to around 70%.
From the fifth to the eighth day, test the eggs germs: if the percentage of dead germs is high, check how the eggs were stored before incubation.
At the 18th day, test again the eggs germs: if the percentage of dead germs is high, adjust the temperature of the incubator (up or down).
Then evaluate the hatching of the remaining eggs: if the percentage is low and the chicks do not manage to break the shell, increase the humidity; if the chicks won’t completely absorb the yolk sac, decrease the humidity.
It should be noted that the indications described above are based on healthy, well-fed and non-inbreeding animals.
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