Incubating Help For Newbie's

[chickenhawk1982]

Hey guy's, I need some big help aswell as others I'm sure do... so I wanted to try and start this thread to get some advice from some of you VET'S out there. I sarted Incubating for my first time on 3-18-12 along with a few others that started a thread on 3/18. This was my first time trying to hatch so I wasn't sure which Incubators to look for but a friend had a HovaBator 1602N and was having about 85-90% hatch rates so I tried it. I went and bought 2 HovaBator 1602N and a auto turner for the one I was going to be Incubating in and the other I plained to hatch in (I don't have fans). So from everything I read it said to Incubate chicken eggs at 100 degrees with 40-50% humidity the first 18 days and then move the humidity up to 60-70% for hatching but keep the temp at 100. Well I set up my Incubator 48hrs prior to putting the eggs in and I had my temp holding strong at 100 degrees and humidity holding at 45% both top red plugs in. I then waited until day 10 and candled the eggs I had 4 that were not developing or "duds" anyway the other 7 looked great...so I then waited until day 18 to candle again and all 7 looked good and growing. I set up the hatcher about 24hrs prior to putting them in the hatcher I had the temp holding at 100 degrees and the humidity set at 65%. I put the eggs in and the on day 21 hatch day I had 2 hatch about 2-3hrs late and 1 hatch almost 24hrs the other 4 didn't hatch? I opened them after waiting 2 extra days and all the chicks were fully developed but dead?

Well for the next hatch someone told me to raise the humidty on day 18 to 70% and try putting the eggs in egg crates and use exrta thermometers to make sure temp and humidty were good. So I did and I put 16 more eggs in to hatch I had the temp at 100 degrees and the humidity at 68-70% with 3 thermometers and the eggs pointy end down in crates. Well this time I had only 3 hatch out of 16 and 2 hatched 12-18hrs late and 1 hatched 24hrs late but died the second day. I opened the other 13 eggs and same thing they were all fully developed but dead?

I had another 4 that were developing good and ready to go in the hatcher this time someone said lower the humidity to 60% and take 1 of the top plugs out. I did what they said removed 1 plug got humidity holding good at 60-63% and temp at 100 degrees put the eggs in none hatched. I opened them after day 23 and all 4 were fully formed but dead?

I can't figure out where I'm going wrong I have both Incubators setup inside my home which stays about 68-70 degrees at all times. Also my thermometers have daily highs and lows and my temps never got below 98 degrees or above 101? I have had several people say neither of those high/lows would hert them but???

Anyways any help would be very very much appreciated

I raise Gold Laced Brahma's and Blue Laced Red Wyandottes aswell as French Blue Copper and Blue Wheaten Marans so I don't have to pay for eggs but I would like to stop killing my Baby Chicks! I collect my eggs every day and turn them 3 times a day before they are Incubated I also never set eggs older than 10 days but I usually set every 7 days. So I know it's not old or mis handled eggs and I don't take the lid off during hatch either. This is why I can't figure it out but obviously I'm deff doing something wrong I thought fan maybe? but others say they have hatched fine without it and live local to me. I know the eggs are doing good in the Incubating one because it's getting the chicks to day 18 just fine but sometime after day 18 there dieing??? Please help I know somebody has has these exact problems before??? Thanks

 

[Old Man With Ax]

Possibly:
A. Besides fertility there are many other factors involved when incubating ones own eggs. I have experienced this very problem back around 1984 or so... and found (in that case anyway) it was the egg producers themselves. After two fails, switched to stolen eggs from a good friends flock as a test - excellent results. (Okay, they weren't stolen, I just told my hens that so they wouldn't feel so bad.)

For whatever explaination the PhD's want to give... sometimes any given flock, of any given bird/breed will produce eggs that have a "high end stage" failiure rate. I read a paper by some pointy headed geek that said it was the strength of the birds, the lack of stamina causing the issue. They tire out easily trying to crack the shell, then they just give up.

TEST = Use eggs from a friends flock "known to hatch well". Do EVERYTHING same as before. If there is a huge difference, you know. And of course, if no difference, Well... at least you know yer seeds is good!!!

B. Sanitation? After reading a book (Ooops, yes.. I can read) about some 300 plus known bird diseases.... I'm amazing any of them exist. POSSIBLY there is a form of "cross contamination" going on.

C. Always lots of talk about egg shell temp.... I simply see it as besides the air, the surface touching the egg has thermal properties also. Make sure whatever the eggs are actually on in the hatcher has very little ability to conduct heat. It's simple, the faster the surface the egg is sitting on conducts heat away/to, the more it effects the egg, both in temp and rate of temp change. Check that Inc. and Hatcher have about same conduction factors.

D. Equipment: Sounds good, maybe send your eggs to known incubator system to cross-test.

E. And... maybe it's "Operator Error", but it doesn't sound like it to me. and ..... Sometimes... ya just never know!

Jed

 

[GVChickenMan]

"pointy headed geek"

Priceless. Made my day. I'm glad I'm not the only one who refers to them in those terms.

 

[chickenhawk1982]

Well I deff can't figure it out...but I know it's not a fertile problem? The eggs have fully developed chicks in them so there deff fertile. Also I had a friend hatch my first couple sets of chicks for me with 85-90% hatch rates using a HovaBator to Incubate and a little giant to hatch.

 

[chickenhawk1982]

Wow. Thanks for all the reply's???

 

[Old Man With Ax]

Well.... there could be so many things causing the issue, and it will almost always be a combination.

I've thought of more. My 108 egg, home built is now hatching. Currently 72 out, and two days left to day 23. (Unless very obvious activity, the 24th day is off and clean it up day for me.) One of the chicks had a bit of a hard time getting some shell off it's back. This made me wonder about your "They tried and failed" peeps.

It's pretty well known the best thermometer for a Brooder... is the behaviour of the chicks themselves. For example: A Thermometer in a black plastic case will read false high under any radiant heat (Red Heat Lamp) due to "Black Body Radiation/Effect".

In an incubator: The best temp. indicator is the results verses start/end hatch time. Let me assure you - instruments lie. (add 6 or 8 thermometers of different types.... watch for a month be amazed.)
Questions I have:
-How exactly are you adding humidity at day 18+?
-CO2 removal? It's almost sounds like they go to sleep, possibly incubator needs better venting. From day 18 in the 108 I use a small fishtank air pump, lightly bubbling in the humidity tray. This works great for me and ensures CO2 removal.
- What is the incubator load? Whatever it is.... cut it by 1/3rd, do normal run.
- I forgot what you said, is this a "wafer - controlled" incubator? If so, be aware that high/low atmospheric pressure swings do effect incubator temps. Spring is fast changing at times. Also wafer age for some reason can be a problem (brittle? - Again, ask the pointy head, I don't know.) Old microswitches can seem to work, but not all 21-24 day stable. I see your confident in "Heredity", so just maybe you have one of those microswitch gremlins that make a temp spike once in a great while. The temp is fine for days, weeks, then just a sticky cycle or two, it's over. Add a cheap, high/low recorder thermometer. OR BETTER. Replace entire control unit. If Wafer, about 25 bucks.
If you are patient... you make three more runs. Do a graph/chart for each run and start one full degree lower than what you last used. Then one over, then for run three adjust (guess) from the results. Be very careful about fast/large changes in humidity for hatching. I do not believe in water spritz on eggs. If due to some chick emergency the incubator must be opened, I will heat and humidify the entire room the incubator is in, then wet down small portion of a wall inside. NO SUDDEN CHANGES OF ANYTHING is KEY.

Good Luck!
Jed

 

[tysie6000]

I have the same incubator, my first hatching was 16 babies and they are over a month old. I listened to someone telling me I didnt have to have my temperature at 100 and I've lost almost all of my babies this time. Keep it at 100 stop turning 3 days prior to hatch date fill the bottom full of water and pull both red plugs, that was the best results for me.