Hi,

I was a confirmed vermiculite user throughout the 90's, but a couple of innappropriate water/vermic mixes on my part caused some losses. On a whim, I switched to perlite, not even really knowing how it worked. I knew that it was added to my planting mixes, like vermic, so it must be similar. I have had great success using perlite ever since. The reason why I like it is that the water is not absorbed by the perlite as it is with vermiculite. Therfore, It cannot take water from my eggs in dry conditions and it cannot saturate my eggs in wet conditions. With perlite, the water settles below the eggs and they are bathed in the humidity created by the incubator's warm conditions, as they should be. I know that these SIM and other new incubation techniques rely on keeping the eggs above the water, however, that is what perlite does anyway. Basically any medium will work, as I've cooked eggs with coco-peat, dirt, peat, spagnum, sand and paper towels, in addition to perlite and vermic. however, perlite has proven, to me anyway, to be the safest medium out there. Good luck.

Will

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