First time hatching question!

[fchan3]

Hi there!

This is my first time hatching as well as raising chickens. I had 6 eggs shipped. Of the 6, 5 fertilize, but one had an early death as it ha the blood ring. Today is day 8 and I just candled (quite addicting!!) the 4 brabanter eggs I have and one looked like it has 2 air sac?? Just wondering what you guys think.. Is it normal Or is it just me... Below is a pic but the quality isn't that great..


Thanks!!

 

[WalnutHill]

Looks normal to me. The air cell is the bright white area at the top.

 

[fchan3]

Thanks!!

 

[DeeX]

Looks good to me, good luck with the hatch

 

[fchan3]

Looks good to me, good luck with the hatch

Thanks!! Can't wait!!

 

[Rhodey]

I hope you get some awesome and cute chickens!!! Good luck!!

 

[kuchchicks]

That looks great! 5 out of 6 is great with shipped eggs. I hope it continues to go well and they all hatch. Are you using force or still air? What is your humidity at?

 

[fchan3]

That looks great!  5 out of 6 is great with shipped eggs.  I hope it continues to go well and they all hatch.  Are you using force or still air?  What is your humidity at?

Thanks! I am using forced air. And I am trying to keep it in the 40s.. But everytime I add water it goes up into the 50s I only add 5ml each time.. And by he time I get off work (12hr shift) or I wake up the next day, it is in the 30s... I hope this will not ruin the eggs!!

 

[kuchchicks]

No actually that is probably great. A couple of things to remember... when you add water, the water spreads out. Humidity is based on the surface area. So if it can only go so far it wont matter if you add 5ml or 25ml if the surface area is the same, the humidity will also be the same. If you are adding it to a trough in your incubator it can only go so far and will spread out all of the way. The other thing to remember is that while 50s seems high and then 30s is a little lower than you are aiming for, the average will get you where you want to be. You are aiming to lose so much in moisture from your egg to develop the air cell. While the humidity is in the 50s you are not losing as much from the egg. But when your humidity drops then you will lose more. In the end it all averages out and you will probably end up where you need to be. Mine is very much the same way. I add about 40ml once every other day. When I first add it my humidity shoots up to around 40%. By the time it dries out and I need to add more water the humidity is usually down to 27%. I try to get my humidity around 35%. That is where I get my best results. However the only way I have been able to get it right at 35% and keep it there is to add tiny amounts of water several times a day. Honestly I don't have time to do that. So by adding a little more and then letting it dry out, I get where I need to on average. Keep an eye on your air cells. Those are really the best indicator of where you need to be. If they are too small, add less water. If they are too large, add more water. Right now I am hatching quail. Because of the spots on the shells and how small they are it is near impossible for me to see the air cells - other than if they are there or not. So I am having to trust past results and keep my humidity where it worked for me before. Keeping records is a good idea. I keep records with each one of my hatches. I make notes if I had any temp issues even if they seem small. I keep track of my highs and lows in humidity. I keep track of where I got eggs from if they were not from my own barn. I also keep track of where I lost eggs during incubation and what my hatch rate was. That way if there was a problem or if my hatch rate is not as high as I was hoping I can look back and try to figure out why. If the problem was related to something I did or did not do then I know I can change it with my next hatch. If it was something beyond my control (like lack of fertility or shipped eggs that never developed) then I know that the low hatch rate was beyond my control. If you are using eggs from your own barn you will also be able to tell how good of a job your roo is doing to find if he is getting those eggs fertilized or if maybe it's time to get a new roo. Lots to learn from record keeping!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thanks! I am using forced air. And I am trying to keep it in the 40s.. But everytime I add water it goes up into the 50s I only add 5ml each time.. And by he time I get off work (12hr shift) or I wake up the next day, it is in the 30s...

I hope this will not ruin the eggs!!

I incubate at 30-35% for the first 17 days (highly recommended for styro bators-not so muchfor Brinseas). I use this method: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity. I run with no water in the wells and use a sponge in the bator to add humidity if running completely dry is too low.