Do keep us informed as I will be looking for the continuing story!

Good luck.

I will keep the thread updated and thank you to everyone for their input and help

Congratulations, keep them dry vermiculite, it doesn’t need to be wet at all, or they can crack. as Sandy said , have a wide dish in there to provide humidity. If they are fertile , you will se the yoke sink to the bottom, in a few days, then you will see the shell go very white, this is called chalking, it’s usually a good sign. Humidity 75% . Good luck.

I have them on the compost which is pretty dry now. I didn't clean them as was unsure how to do it and was more worried about keeping them in the same position although thinking about it now I don;t think it matters just after they are laid. The soil on them might make it hard to see chalking but the candeller does work pretty well. I have put a tub with water in and hydrometer is reading 70 - 80 %

When they are first hatched , you can move them, for up to 24 hours, and as you said with the mud still on , it can be a bit difficult to candle , and to see any chalking. I would keep the humidity at no less than 75%, and 32c it you want mostly female. In about two weeks hopefully, when you candle them, you will see the ring of life, this is a red ring around a little pink jelly bean.

Thank you. Yes the humidity is at 75% exactly and i have the temp at 31.5c
I am used to incubating bird eggs and have done that many times so not turning is strange for me. I have a proper bird egg candeller with a long bendy stem so I don't have to pick them up. I will keep my fingers crossed to see the ring of life :-)

oooh how exciting ! good luck and threads like this are very good for everyone as we all learn still and others gain knowledge and enjoy ! CB

Sorry I didn't update last year. Eggs sadly were infertile. However, there have been three good mating's I've witnessed this week. How long is the gestation period? Last year she laid on 17th June so wondered when to expect laying

Laying the eggs depends on a suitable place for them to lay (and some are very picky) and of course the right weather. As far as I know (I could be wrong) there is no gestation period, as if the conditions are not correct, females will retain the eggs until its the right for them. And retaining eggs from one year to another can cause problems. Although they will retain eggs from late matings when weather is cold, through hibernation until the Spring. I have two females who are eggy and have been since they woke up.

She laid today. 3 eggs. This time I am more hopeful as I witnessed a few matings over the past few months.
I haven't got them in the incubator yet as im running it first to make sure.
Can I clean them as they are a bit dirty from soil and makes it so hard to candle? I am also going to incubate at 32.5 for female. Is this correct?