Step 3 - Set Eggs
Today is the day the eggs will be placed inside the incubator for the incubation period. Candling is optional at this time.
WITH THE EGG CARTON BESIDE THE OPEN INCUBATOR
Place the eggs on the rotating tray
The tray should hold 12 eggs - place them tips pointing inward
Gently place each egg into the rotating tray with the tips pointing inward towards the center column. Egg shape impacts how eggs shift when they move - the natural shape of the eggs when placed with the tips pointing inward allows the eggs to rotate inward with the tray. Once the eggs are inside the rotating tray close the dome using the methods to ensure it is properly sealed from Step 2 when you tested the incubator.
Note: If you want to candle the eggs before incubation do so either before or as you place the eggs into the incubator. Candling, at this stage, is only useful for looking for small cracks in the eggs that may have occurred during transport or handling. Students sometimes like to see the "before" stages to contrast with the following candle stages where you can visibly see development within the egg. Prior to incubation all that is visible is a clear yolk inside of the eggshell. This can be difficult during daytime, with sunlight polluting the visibility of the inside of the egg.
The eggs will need humidity to properly incubate, and though the simple incubators provided do not have automated injection controlled by a humidistat, it has been engineered so that one bottle attached to the incubator will raise the humidity inside of the dome to a reasonably optimal level. You will notice that the incubator has two ports that the bottles provided fit into, and they are labelled 1 and 2. Determine which bottle top fits best into Port 1 and fill the bottle with water. If your water has a lot of solids (high PPM leading to hard water) a source of better water, such as bottled drinking water, may be more appropriate. In most circumstances tap-supplied water will be sufficient. Place the bottle into the slot upside-down and it will begin to drain into the incubator base. During the process of incubation you will need to refill the bottle intermittently - be sure to top it off before the weekend and it should last until Monday morning.
Unless you chose the secondary step below, the incubator should remained closed for the duration of the incubation period until the hatching stage.
FOLLOWUP CANDLING IN 7 DAYS (OPTIONAL)
In 7 Days you should see development
Close the curtains, cut the lights, and grab your flashlight
If you chose to candle the eggs for your students you will be able to observe development within the egg after one week. Remove the water bottle from Port 1. Unplug the incubator by removing the cord from the incubator itself (it can remain plugged into the receptacle) and remove the incubator dome. The incubator itself has a candle light but it is often insufficient even under the best circumstances. Cup an egg in your hand and place a flashlight underneath it so the light shines through the bottom round-end of the egg. If the egg is developing you may see veins where the yolk is - don't be too concerned if veins are not visible on all eggs as they can sometimes be difficult to see. Once you have completed candling set the dome back onto the incubator base, ensuring it is closed properly once again, and return the water bottle back to Port 1. Plug the cord into the incubator and it will return by default to 38°C.
For the remainder of the incubation period, until the hatching stage, leave the dome fitted to the base.