incubator - hatching tips

If you have ordered eggs set up your incubator 24 hours ahead of time to make sure you get the temp correct and steady. Your tempaturefor the Styrofoam incubators should be range between 99.5 and 101.5 When you receive your eggs open them carefully get a cookie sheet with sides and place a towel on the bottom so you will have a soft place to rest the eggs before putting them into the incubator. Lay the eggs on their sides in a natural position, this is a good time to mark your eggs with a date/day on top and a X on one side and a O on the other side for easier hand turning later. Once you have your eggs all layed out put them in a safe place where they will not get bumped/played with. Let them set like this undisturbed at room tempeture out of direct sun lite for 8-24 hours. Then put them into your prepared incubator. ? When you first are putting the eggs in the incubator are you adding water at that time and if so how much ? There are many things to consider with moisture even what part of the country you live in. It depends on the incubator and what you are hatching. I hatch mostly Silkie eggs, I only put in a 1/2 cup of water to begin with. I do not add any more water until I candle them on day 7 and throw out any that are not developing, at that time I only add a half a cup of warm water to the bottom slot, then on day 14 I add another half a cup, and when I am getting them ready for the hatch on day 18 I take them out of the turner and I add a 1 1/2 cups warm water and do not open the lid again. I also place a new sponge directly under one of the red plugs in the lid and if the humidity is to low or off I pour warm water in the hole onto the sponge to get it back up where it belongs. I have a turner so the lid stays shut most of the time not letting out the moisture. I do NOT have a fan though and I under stand that it contributes to a lower moisture level.
This is what works best for me with my Hovabator and environment.
Always read your incubators Instructions.