Day 12 of incubation... air cell too small....?

[Des R]

1st try at incubating eggs....
I was keeping the humidity in my incubator at and average of 55% and also plotting the average weight of 10 of the eggs to check humidity levels. I created the recommended graph and on day 7 when I candled the air cells were too small and the eggs had not lost enough weight to stay on track. So I started using a smaller trough for water and lowered the humidity to around 47%. Then 2 days ago we had a power outage and I brought the eggs to work with me to plug it back in, and brought it home... creating a total of about 2 hours it was without power. During the drive I suspect the water spilled over into the other troughs because yesterday the humidity was up to 61%!

So here I am... 6 days until lock down and so worried the chicks will not have a large enough air cell to breathe.

Should I let the water run dry until day 18 at this point to try to recover the air cells or just try to get it back to 45%????

Here's a pic I just took, from the diagrams I've found in this site, this is not enough for being on day 12...



Thank you in advance for your help! I love this site!!!!
Des

 

[br0nc0]

Well I don't think it's too far off... I use between 45-50% humidity most of the time and it works fine for me, although the optimum might be different in other climates/seasons etc. My advice would be to keep the humidity anywhere between 35-40% till day 18 and you should be fine, but maybe some of the experts on this site could provide more experienced opinion

 

[chickens really]

@WVduckchick She can help you.....She is fantastic....


Cheers!

 

[WVduckchick]

1st try at incubating eggs....
I was keeping the humidity in my incubator at and average of 55% and also plotting the average weight of 10 of the eggs to check humidity levels. I created the recommended graph and on day 7 when I candled the air cells were too small and the eggs had not lost enough weight to stay on track. So I started using a smaller trough for water and lowered the humidity to around 47%. Then 2 days ago we had a power outage and I brought the eggs to work with me to plug it back in, and brought it home... creating a total of about 2 hours it was without power. During the drive I suspect the water spilled over into the other troughs because yesterday the humidity was up to 61%!

So here I am... 6 days until lock down and so worried the chicks will not have a large enough air cell to breathe.

Should I let the water run dry until day 18 at this point to try to recover the air cells or just try to get it back to 45%????

Here's a pic I just took, from the diagrams I've found in this site, this is not enough for being on day 12...



Thank you in advance for your help! I love this site!!!!
Des

I would definitely let it run dry for several days. Even dry, your humidity inside the incubator will likely be above 25%, I wouldn't let it drop lower than that. I shoot for 30%.

You can even delay locking down until day 19 without hurting anything. What breed are your eggs? Some darker, thicker shells lose moisture slower than porous or light shells.

Also, the few hours without power shouldn't have hurt. Remember, momma hens usually get off of eggs in a nest at least once a day

I would be more concerned about the car ride, than the power outage.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I may be right by you. I am near Salisbury MD on the Eastern Shore. I just hatched out some chicks and I incubated them "dry", the same as I did all last Spring-Fall. This has given me consistently good results, whether its spring/fall and the windows are open or even now when the heat is running so the air is a bit dry.

 

[Des R]

I would definitely let it run dry for several days. Even dry, your humidity inside the incubator will likely be above 25%, I wouldn't let it drop lower than that. I shoot for 30%.

You can even delay locking down until day 19 without hurting anything. What breed are your eggs? Some darker, thicker shells lose moisture slower than porous or light shells.

Also, the few hours without power shouldn't have hurt. Remember, momma hens usually get off of eggs in a nest at least once a day

I would be more concerned about the car ride, than the power outage.

Hmmmmm.... so power was estimated to be out for 8 hours.... in the future should I have left the incubator closed at home for that time? Is it the jostling that I should have avoided? I did find an early quitter that was fine at day 7 (which was before the ride), but had a blood ring this morning. Will I see any damage done by candling again before lock down or not until hatch day?

That's a bummer, I thought I was doing good... so much to learn. I plan to order these alligator clips that you can hook up the incubator to a battery before I do this again, so hopefully it won't be an issue ever again.

Humidity in my house is around 25% when I checked yesterday, so lowering humidity should be easy. Is it true that an average works? In other words if I run at 35% one day, I can run at 25% the next? I'm making myself crazy trying to do everything just right... it's my personality.... both a blessing and a curse.

As far as breeds... 10 are cream legbars (light blue eggs), 10 are cream legbar/welsummer crosses (light olive colored eggs), and 10 are just tan eggs from orpingtons, sex links, barred rocks, golden laced, etc that will be barnyard mixes. I've never considered different shells needing different humidity levels... almost like a second incubator would be wise. See what I did there??? I just rationalized another incubator

@chickens really , @br0nc0 , and @WVduckchick... Thank you ALL for your help. This site and been [chicken] life saver... literally... and I've met the nicest people. Thank you again!

 

[chickens really]

If this helps, I am also an over thinker and do things without thinking first......Your not alone, so do not beat yourself up over this.....I myself cursed my hatch.....So far out of 9 Duck eggs and who knows how many Chicken eggs?......I have one Duckling and two Chicks hatched.......Never give up until the bitter end......Wait and wait some more.....



Cheers!

 

[Des R]

I may be right by you. I am near Salisbury MD on the Eastern Shore. I just hatched out some chicks and I incubated them "dry", the same as I did all last Spring-Fall. This has given me consistently good results, whether its spring/fall and the windows are open or even now when the heat is running so the air is a bit dry.

You're only about an hour and half south of me, so I suspect our humidity levels can't be too far apart. I read a few people's post about this, but they never said where they lived, so I just assumed it was something like Florida. I'll have to try this next time, it sounds so much less stressful. Do you candle for air cells and make adjustments if it doesn't seem right or do you simply let it be? Can we hatch eggs with our humidity levels in the summer here? Or would we even want to hatch to in the summer, since people aren't typically buying chicks in the fall? What do professed "hatch-aholics" do with their winter chicks?

 

[WVduckchick]

Hmmmmm.... so power was estimated to be out for 8 hours.... in the future should I have left the incubator closed at home for that time? Is it the jostling that I should have avoided? I did find an early quitter that was fine at day 7 (which was before the ride), but had a blood ring this morning. Will I see any damage done by candling again before lock down or not until hatch day?

That's a bummer, I thought I was doing good... so much to learn. I plan to order these alligator clips that you can hook up the incubator to a battery before I do this again, so hopefully it won't be an issue ever again.

Humidity in my house is around 25% when I checked yesterday, so lowering humidity should be easy. Is it true that an average works? In other words if I run at 35% one day, I can run at 25% the next? I'm making myself crazy trying to do everything just right... it's my personality.... both a blessing and a curse.

As far as breeds... 10 are cream legbars (light blue eggs), 10 are cream legbar/welsummer crosses (light olive colored eggs), and 10 are just tan eggs from orpingtons, sex links, barred rocks, golden laced, etc that will be barnyard mixes. I've never considered different shells needing different humidity levels... almost like a second incubator would be wise. See what I did there??? I just rationalized another incubator

@chickens really , @br0nc0 , and @WVduckchick... Thank you ALL for your help. This site and been [chicken] life saver... literally... and I've met the nicest people. Thank you again!

I'm in WV, so not too awfully far from you either.

There are different theories on what to do during a power outage, but the warmest you can keep it, obviously the better. Yes, the jostling is what would worry me. The membranes are tough, but still sensitive. But we never know till we try. That's the unfortunate thing about incubation, its a bit of trial and error. Keep in mind that the temperature inside the egg takes much longer to cool down, than the actual incubator may read. Think of one you boil to eat.... how long does it take before those suckers don't burn your mouth?? LOL (ok, maybe not the best analogy, but still) Personally, I think just covering the incubator, in your warmest, most draft-free room, with a blanket during an outage is fine, if its just a few hours. Adding hot water bottles or those little hot-hands and such, can also provide some ambient heat.

Yes and no on the humidity average.... it is, yes... but you also don't want up and down, up and down. Consistency factors in too.

And I love your rationalization of another incubator. You've got the bug for sure!

An extra also comes in handy to use as a hatcher for staggered sets

And yes again, different breeds, egg sizes, shell conditions... those all make slight differences when incubating, and should be considered when setting eggs. I've tried to hatch simple golden comet mutt eggs with several different mixed hatches, and they never seem to finish. Shells too dark and thick, they don't lose as much moisture as the others do.

Anyway, sorry for the book. Hope this helps.

 

[Des R]

If this helps, I am also an over thinker and do things without thinking first......Your not alone, so do not beat yourself up over this.....I myself cursed my hatch.....So far out of 9 Duck eggs and who knows how many Chicken eggs?......I have one Duckling and two Chicks hatched.......Never give up until the bitter end......Wait and wait some more.....



Cheers!

I appreciate you saying this! I feel like I'm messing up left and right and have to remind myself it's a learning process. On day 7 when I candled I had 4 clearly not fertile eggs, and 4 that I couldn't see veins in so I pulled them out, I was so worried about exploding eggs ruining all the others. I cracked them open before getting rid of them to make sure I was right and I was heart broken at the four I was very possibly wrong about, I went back to the internet and learned about the blood ring - which they didn't have - and that some just develop later.

I just may have killed those four. I also read that the exploding thing is very rare and I should have a bad odor before.

I think what I'm learning today is I just need to LET THEM BE. I'm interfering to much with all my over thinking... surprise hahahaha.

What do you do if only 1 chick were to hatch? I always wonder that... since they are supposed to be with others?