Incubator

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The Incubators module manages physical incubators and hatchers from Mis Plumas. It lets you know which eggs are inside each machine, which phase they are in and which tasks are due at any moment.

It is an optional module: you can turn it on only if you work with a mechanical incubator.

Enable the module

  1. Go to Settings → Modules.
  2. Enable Incubators.
  3. Open Incubators from the side menu.

When the module is enabled, the app adds specific shortcuts and actions in clutches and in the calendar. If you disable it, saved data is not deleted: daily incubator management is simply hidden.

Create an incubator or hatcher

Each machine can have its own parameters:

  • name and machine type;
  • egg capacity;
  • target temperature and humidity;
  • hatcher temperature and humidity, if you work with a separate phase;
  • turning interval and the time window in which turns are done;
  • candling days (optional: if you leave it empty, the app calculates them automatically from each egg's species, at about ⅓ and ⅔ of its incubation period);
  • how many days before hatching eggs should move to the hatcher;
  • humidity and water refill reminders;
  • internal notes.

These details are used to calculate tasks, alerts and expected dates for every egg that enters the machine.

Send eggs to the incubator

From the clutch detail you can send one or several eggs to an incubator, or the whole clutch at once: tap the egg icon next to the Eggs title. The list of eggs that can be sent opens, all of them ticked; untick the ones that are staying, tap Continue and choose the machine.

The icon only appears while there is still an egg left to send: the ones already in a machine, the failed ones and the hatched ones are not offered.

Sending the eggs does not start incubation: the date is set separately, in Incubation start. With the whole clutch in the incubator you can set it even if the pair is still incubating another one in its nest.

When you do, the app preserves the biological genealogy of the clutch: the real parents remain the original pair. Only the physical handling of the egg changes.

If an egg had a foster assigned, the app clears that assignment when sending it to the incubator. The same egg cannot be with a foster and inside an incubator at the same time, avoiding contradictory tracking.

On the egg card you will see an incubator indicator and can open the machine detail, remove the egg or move it when needed.

Egg phases in the incubator

The app distinguishes several phases:

  • Incubation: the egg is inside the main incubator.
  • Hatcher: the egg has moved to the final phase before hatching.
  • Hatched or finished: incubator tracking is closed for that egg.

You can also remove or move an egg if it changes machine. Entry, exit, movements and events remain recorded in the history.

In the machine detail, each egg has its own three-dot menu with Move to hatcher, Mark as hatched and Remove from incubator. The three-dot menu at the top gathers what concerns the machine: Edit incubator, Deactivate (or Activate) and Delete incubator.

Reminders and calendar

The module schedules alerts for important tasks:

  • turns;
  • humidity check;
  • water refill;
  • candling;
  • move to hatcher;
  • estimated hatching.

Candling dates come from the machine's candling days if you have filled them in; if the field is empty, they are calculated automatically from each egg's species (at about ⅓ and ⅔ of its incubation period, always before the estimated hatching). So, in the same machine, a canary egg and a hen's egg each get their candlings at the right time.

The main milestones appear in the Calendar. If you have Google Calendar sync turned on with the Incubator category selected, the candling, move to hatcher and estimated hatching events of the eggs in the incubator are also synced to the external calendar.

The app always tries to show the next useful task and avoids filling the day with repeated alerts when many actions are of the same type.

History and statistics

In each incubator detail you can review:

  • active eggs inside the machine;
  • event history;
  • entries, exits and phase changes;
  • turn, candling and incident records;
  • usage statistics.

Statistics summarise incubated eggs, hatched eggs, hatching rate and recorded handling counts. This helps compare a machine's performance or spot temperature, humidity or routine issues.

Incubation days by species

The expected hatching date is calculated from the species' incubation days.

If you need to adjust that value, configure it in Settings → Incubation days by species. The app first uses your custom value, then the reference catalogue and, if there is no specific data, a default value.

From a clutch you can use Recalculate hatching to update expected dates when those days change.

Usage tips

  • Register one incubator for each real physical machine.
  • Review capacity, temperature and humidity before sending eggs.
  • Use the hatcher as a separate phase if you work with lockdown.
  • Record candlings to keep the decision history.
  • If an egg returns to a pair or foster, remove it from the incubator first so tracking remains clear.