How long do you cool eggs?

My BCM eggs are going to be in the incubator one week tomorrow. Since they have an automatic turner, I don't have to open them to turn them so wondering how long I should cool them for. I cooled them only about 10 minutes yesterday but wondering if it should be longer.

The only time my eggs get cooled is when they are candled and I don't really consider that cooling because it never takes me that long to do.
I have had good results just letting them roll on!

My incubator is set to cool for 60 minutes once every 24 hours. I do it for chicken and waterfowl. I'm not sure how cool it gets as I always seem to miss the cooling cycle

Same as Coopslave, I only cool when I candle.

Ditto - apart from waterfowl....

Thanks for the replies! I don't have the brinsea with the automatic cooling but the info talks of cooling the eggs up to 3 hrs a day. I couldn't quite see doing that much cooling myself! Sounds like you are doing fine letting them "roll on" so I won't concern myself with a prolonged cooling period. I'm just particularly nervous about this hatch because they are my "shipped in" marans eggs and they are beautiful - darker than my own and I REALLY want some to hatch to get that blood line going here. (Biting my nails!!!   )

I recall reading a post about cooling eggs, that was some time ago. I do not cool at all, except unless the power goes out (which can happen on rare occasion) and when candling. Never have, never would bother, don't know if it is any use. Think of a broody hen. I have had broodies in the past that will leave the eggs for sometime, to take a dust bath, eat, bop around, whatever. Mostly though, when I have a broody, they are hunkered down, flat on the nest. I NEVER see them get off. I know they do, cause their food and water diminishes. And now and then, and I mean, really, now and then, during 21 days, I see a big, enormous broody poop, I iimagine it is the broody hen   , not another one. So ya, I don't' think broodies get off the nest to cool the eggs each day, especially for long periods of time. So yep, I would never in a million years bother to do that. Why? The broody does not get off her nest intentionally to cool eggs, why should we? I dunno, just thoughts here I guess. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Only cool while candling...

If you read the brinsea literature they are finding that cooling for waterfowl and poultry eggs seems to be beneficial. Most of the new incubators are being fitted with that feature. Mine has time choices from 60 to 180 minutes of cooling. Not sure why but it seems to work. My broodies seem to get off everyday for a short period so maybe there is something to it?

I didn't cool at all during my last hatch (except for candling), and I hatched 21/22 eggs. The last one quit after lockdown. I am no expert, though, I have only done two hatches total.

I see my Brinsea 190 has cooling options but I wonder how much the eggs would cool in the incubator - it is in a warm room, the eggs are protected from cooling in the incubator, how much effect would the "cooling" function have unless it blew cool air at the eggs? And is there a schedule for how often and how long chicken eggs should be cooled?

I've done fairly well with my hatching rates so wonder if I should be messing with something that works already.

A week into hatching this last batch of silkies I inadvertently unplugged the incubator for about 4 hours. They live on and are due to hatch this Wednesday.

Hens still have a higher hatching success rate than incubators. The only big difference between the two (apart from, perhaps, the chooky noises) seems to be that 20 minutes to an hour that mum leaves the nest for. I think that it's a reasonable to think that birds have evolved with that taken into account. There is a ton of anecdotal evidence out there to show that having an incubator switched off, even for hours, doesn't seem to adversely affect hatch rate.

The 190 cools once every 24 hours for what ever length of time you set for. As I said i am not sure how cool it cools as I keep missing it!

My brinsea isn't equipped with the cooling function but I have read their literature also. I'd like to experiment a bit on different hatches but don't want to do anything too extreme with these eggs. Think I'll continue with a short cooling period each day and hope for the best. I've seen setting hens leave the eggs until they feel cool to the touch and yet have an excellent hatch. Other broodies hardly ever seem to leave, at least not while I'm watching LOL.

I still sit on the fence with the cooling thing. Buff orpingtons and cochins at my place rarely get off the nest. To defecate and eat I am sure. But really? I have never actually seen them off the nest, and boy, I spend alot of time down with the chooks. alot of time. I do not have any faith in bothering to cool eggs, my hatches are always good with the broodies. Not messin' with how I perceive eggs are incubated. also, incubation in my incubators is good too, I do not cool eggs. If you have an auto cooler, sure why not, but ain't goin' there myself to take time to figure out how long to cool eggs. Too much bother, and I have a simple life, smiling. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

It is well known that waterfowl eggs should be cooled. There are several differences between natural ( broody hens) incubation and artificial. The three ones that I will be focusing research and experimentation with in the coming years in poultry are:

Randomized Egg turning (because let's face it hens don't look at a clock and go "time to roll my eggs" every hour)

Cooling

And one that I have worked with in the past but still need to do more work with - Pre Incubation of hatching eggs to increase storage time and hatchability(with the test I have done there is some plausibility - though this was a rather small sample size).

I personally think there is something to cooling eggs. And if it effects any thing IMO it would have to do with the membrane of the egg and not the embryo itself. Eggs once heated act like heat syncs the internal temperature can be ideal while external temperature can be cold. I have no evidence that cooling the eggs does effect the membrane or development of the embryo but this is why I love experimentation and science - And also why I have a microscope and slides available at all times