eggs that are soft and partly sucked in

What is the cause of eggs to be very soft and some of the tops of the eggs to be indented. Is there too much moisture in the incubator?

Also can you touch the eggs with your fingers to arrange them in the medium when you take them out of the dirt they were layed in?
Thanks Richard

Are the eggs white or yellowish in color??? If they are not a nice full white, it's possible that they are infertile eggs. Infertile eggs will collapse and go bad quickly in an incubator. Also, too much moisture in the incubator will cause the eggs to mold and rot within a couple days. You want to make sure that the incubation medium is moist but not wet.

And yes, you can touch the eggs with your hands without hurting them.

eggs

The eggs vary in color from white to pink. Some of the eggs you can see where the shell has absorbed moisture so 3/4 of the eggs are a darker white where the top of the eggs are white. The one sort of colasped egg when I opened it was full of a yellow liquid. They have been in the incubator about 10 days. There is no mold yet but I am thinking of taking the tops off the containers for a few days and maybe taking the water out of the bottom of the incubator. If it would help I can take some digital images of the eggs and post them on here. Thank you for your help...Richard

ps next time I am going to buy Hatchrite...

Take the water out of the bottom of the incubator!!!

The only water you need is in the incubation medium. I use vermiculite and it is moistened to the point, that if squeezed, it just barely drips water. It should be moist but not wet. The medium is placed in a Tupperware container and the eggs are put in buried about 1/2 way. I put a couple 1/4 holes in the Tupperware lid and cover the eggs. About once a week I check the moisture level in the container and add water if needed. You want to keep it moist but not to the point water drops form on the lid and drip down onto the eggs.

Richard,

It works opposite of what one would think... fertile eggs that are becoming indented are not absorbing enough water from the medium. Check to be sure they are buried 1/2 - 2/3 into the vermiculite. If not, just wet some more vermiculite with warm water, sprinkle a little across the top and scoot it between the eggs.

Go ahead and remove the water at the bottom of the incubator. With the lids on- the water in the bottom of the incubator isn't really doing anything anyway. You can add a little warm water to the individual containers with the eggs and watch the lid for condensation. It should be somewhat covered, but not drippy.
If it becomes drippy - knock the excess off or wipe with a paper towel.
If there's no condensation - there's not enough water.

Bad eggs will turn yellowish and deflate. (Remove these immediately) Good eggs will absorb some of the water and actually inflate a small amount through incubation.

Another consideration is the kind of vermiculite you purchased... Make sure it is not the one with Miracle Grow on the bag...

Hatchrite is a great medium for incubation - but keep in mind that it feels dry to touch. Don't add water - even though it seems like you need to.

Vickie

Thanks for your help. I took a few pictures but have to figure out how to put them on here. About 5 of the eggs are now yellow and soft. I guess they are no good. The rest are still white. Thanks Again. I hate to call you too much so I figured I would try this forum...Richard