Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.
ALL TOOK AT RUFFORD COUNTRY PARK NEAR WORKSOP LAST WEEKEND. LYNNE
Twelve Geese eggs were put in the incubator this evening. Ten that we purchased from a local breeder and two that our new Geese have layed.
The first night that the incubator has been working with eggs in it, all is working as it should be. The temperature is exactly right and the humidity is fluctuating one per cent either way. The incubator has a warning alarm if the heat rises or falls above or below the correct temperature. If the temperature of the incubator rises it will quickly kill the embryo. If it falls it is not such a disaster. As long as it is corrected within four or five hours the eggs will be OK. The other important part is to keep turning the eggs otherwise the embryo will stick to.
When incubating an egg it will need to loose 13% of it weight, so weighing the eggs periodically whilst incubating is a good way of telling if the egg will hatch correctly. The weight loss helps the membrane that you can see when you open a boiled egg needs to shrink, leaving a gap between the shell and the membrane that makes an air pocket. The air pocket allows the hatching Chick to breath whilst it is breaking through the shell. Controlling the humidity correctly allows the air pocket to get larger through the incubating period.
Whilst the Embryo is forming into a Chick it needs oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. The forming Embryo also needs food and feeds on the eggs yolk through blood vessels. The hatched Chick will also feed on the yolk for a day or so after hatching. Incubating eggs is very interesting, but it can be a worry. When we were incubating Ostriches we were very successful. Ostrich eggs are meant to be the most difficult to hatch, so hopefully we will get it correct when incubating Turkey and Geese.