Hatching at high altitude

[lgc1970]

Well, like I thought we have 13 new chicks in the brooder now. They are the roundest most active chicks we've hatched, save for 1. That 1 more seems a bit concerning, but I am doing what I can with ensuring that it gets sugar water every few hours. So, we will see, but I do not want to try too hard either.

I have been thinking about the humidity levels for quite a bit and I actually think it may need to be kept high until Day 20 then dropped. Anyone think that sounds crazy? I am wondering if increasing the ventilation would work. I would have to make new holes somewhere / somehow, but ... Well anyway, it's just a passing thought.

Pozees, I thought about that too, but then thought about the increase in oxygen from the soda lime. I wonder if this somehow accounts for the higher embryonic O2 demands. The chicks are super active and healthy, plus most hatched virtually in unison. Haven't seen that here or in a while. Plus they all hatched on Day 21.

I just don't know ... It worked pretty well, so this is going to be my basis for future sets.

Almost done for summer. Candling tomorrow, and I think I am going to leave them in the bator for hatch since there are no more after this until August / September.

 

[bumpercarr]

Are you guys still out there? I've been looking at all of the options this summer and still have some ideas that I need to flesh out before I begin hatching in January. Trying to decide on the incubator issue, Sportsman 1502 or stick with the Hovabator and get the humidikit for it (actually for 3 of them). I'm a little worried that having a tube in the air hole for the hovabator may reduce the amount of oxygen available, but when it is pumping in moisture it would also be pumping in air, which is good. The humidity control for the 1502 is just designed to add water. Maybe I could use the humidikit (or design my own) for the sportsman?

Another thought if I go to a cabinet incubator.....would the humidity levels be different at different levels of the cabinet, in other words, would the more humid air be heavier and settle at the bottom of the bator, so the bottom levels would be humid and the top levels not humid? Thoughts are appreciated.

 

[bumpercarr]

I don't know if anyone is still out there or not. I'll post here one more time to see if anyone answers.

So, got the cabinet incubator for Christmas. Really nice and so much easier to control humidity in. Lots and lots of air flow. Put the first eggs in it on New Years Eve (fourteen of them). They were my own eggs, so good for a first try at hatching in it. Out of the 14, 12 were non starters, guess the cock bird I have in there isn't doing his job. I had very little hope for the two that remained, usually when I only have a few eggs that make it to lock down, I'll hatch one if I'm lucky. If I hatch more than one it will be staggered hatch over 3 days.

But, went to check yesterday afternoon and I had two lovely chicks. 100% made it through lock down! I am so excited. I'll order some eggs soon and let you know how the sea level eggs do in the bator as well. I'm thinking that because the incubator is so big (holds 244 eggs) and I'm only putting in a little over a dozen that the oxygen levels stay high enough to hatch. I'll never hatch as many as 244, but it will be interesting to see what happens to the hatch rate as I increase the number of eggs that I put into the bator.

Anyway, hope everyone is well!

 

[R2elk]

I don't know if anyone is still out there or not. I'll post here one more time to see if anyone answers.

So, got the cabinet incubator for Christmas. Really nice and so much easier to control humidity in. Lots and lots of air flow. Put the first eggs in it on New Years Eve (fourteen of them). They were my own eggs, so good for a first try at hatching in it. Out of the 14, 12 were non starters, guess the cock bird I have in there isn't doing his job. I had very little hope for the two that remained, usually when I only have a few eggs that make it to lock down, I'll hatch one if I'm lucky. If I hatch more than one it will be staggered hatch over 3 days.

But, went to check yesterday afternoon and I had two lovely chicks. 100% made it through lock down! I am so excited. I'll order some eggs soon and let you know how the sea level eggs do in the bator as well. I'm thinking that because the incubator is so big (holds 244 eggs) and I'm only putting in a little over a dozen that the oxygen levels stay high enough to hatch. I'll never hatch as many as 244, but it will be interesting to see what happens to the hatch rate as I increase the number of eggs that I put into the bator.

Anyway, hope everyone is well!

Sorry about your infertile eggs but congratulations on you two little chicks. I have a GQF 1200 cabinet incubator. Last year I put a CO2 monitor in it and at my elevation of 5280', the carbon dioxide levels never reached the stated danger levels.

Good luck with your new incubator!

 

[Peep_Show]

I found switching to a circulated air incubator improved the hatches considerably at 5200 ft. My Brinsea Octo 20 Advance performs at its best without a full load in it. However, I just hatched 26 laid-at-sea-level Trader Joe's eggs in a Hovabator Genesis 1588. I've found that white eggs do best. Marans eggs do worst. The theory I have on the failure on the Marans eggs is that the extra layer of color inhibits free flow of air into the eggs...like a film constricting the pores.

 

[R2elk]

I found switching to a circulated air incubator improved the hatches considerably at 5200 ft. My Brinsea Octo 20 Advance performs at its best without a full load in it. However, I just hatched 26 laid-at-sea-level Trader Joe's eggs in a Hovabator Genesis 1588. I've found that white eggs do best. Marans eggs do worst. The theory I have on the failure on the Marans eggs is that the extra layer of color inhibits free flow of air into the eggs...like a film constricting the pores.

I only have experience hatching one batch of shipped Maran's eggs. I got a 75% hatch rate from that group of eggs while the Welsummer eggs that were also shipped with them only had a 50% hatch rate. It is my belief that the Maran;s eggs were fresher than the Welsummer eggs which is why they hatched better. By far the absolute worst shipped eggs that I have dealt with are the Swedish Flower Hen eggs. The best hatch rate I have had on them is 30% and the worst hatch rate has been 0% many times.

 

[lgc1970]

Wow! I guess I need a cabinet incubator... But that may need to wait until next year. I'll be setting some of my own eggs in about 2 - 3 months. Still have 3 roos to cull this weekend.

 

[R2elk]

Wow! I guess I need a cabinet incubator... But that may need to wait until next year. I'll be setting some of my own eggs in about 2 - 3 months. Still have 3 roos to cull this weekend.

Here is Sally Sunshine's home made version of a cabinet incubator that she made for about $135.00.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...bator-how-we-did-it-and-test-run-ready-set-go

 

[uzisuzuki]

So, I'm super new to chickens and am *hoping* to do my first incubation in a few weeks. I have a couple questions I hope someone can help me with (& I apologize if any of them have already been answered & I missed it during my skim of the thread):

I'm supposed to be getting 6 phoenix bantam eggs shipped from GA (around 220 altitude) that I had planned on incubating in the Brinsea Mini Advance I got over the holidays. I was going to put a couple of my current flock's eggs (around 4,500 altitude) in with the shipped eggs to fill out the incubator, but now I'm wondering if it's better to hatch eggs from different altitudes separately instead of together? Also, is it a must to use the soda lime in the incubator? The BAM is tiny & I'm not sure I'll be able to fit eggs and a container for soda lime in it.

 

[bumpercarr]

So, I'm super new to chickens and am *hoping* to do my first incubation in a few weeks. I have a couple questions I hope someone can help me with (& I apologize if any of them have already been answered & I missed it during my skim of the thread):

I'm supposed to be getting 6 phoenix bantam eggs shipped from GA (around 220 altitude) that I had planned on incubating in the Brinsea Mini Advance I got over the holidays. I was going to put a couple of my current flock's eggs (around 4,500 altitude) in with the shipped eggs to fill out the incubator, but now I'm wondering if it's better to hatch eggs from different altitudes separately instead of together? Also, is it a must to use the soda lime in the incubator? The BAM is tiny & I'm not sure I'll be able to fit eggs and a container for soda lime in it.

I don't think it makes very much difference whether you hatch the shipped eggs alone or with some from your flock. You don't have to use soda lime, but it does help improve the hatch, especially with eggs shipped from sea level.

Since it is Easter time (or soon anyway) you may be able to find one of those plastic eggs that come apart and fill 1/2 with the soda lime and then just put it in one of the eggs spots that are empty. If you have a sewing machine, you can make a small bag for the soda lime. Either way will work. Hope that answers your questions.