Little Giant Incubation Experiment - Day 21 - Hatch Day!

[Silkie-Feet]

Feel free to skip the background info if needed:
For the past 10 years, I have been using a Little Giant 9200 incubator from TSC. I used incubating as a hobby then, as I do now. When I first began, I made mistakes without even knowing. From depending on the stock glass thermometer to keeping the Incubator full of water (with all plugs closed) the entire incubation, if you can think of a way to devastate a hatch I've had it happen. From my 25% hatch rates, I began to search the Internet and found this site full of wonderful and wise chicken experts. With time and learning the basics, my hatch rate got into the 70% range; I couldn't have been more pleased. However, the past few years I've been stuck around a 80% hatch rate, attempting each time to get a 100% hatch as others have achieved.
Recently, I made the conclusion that my practices were solid, yet the wide temperature swings of my now 10 year old stryo-bater were to blame. This spring, in the midst of a strange chicken fever, I managed to gather too many eggs for my old LG to handle. Unable to bare eating the extra eggs, I went on the prowl for another incubator. I discovered little giant has made improvements, and bought the LG 9300 with turner. The digital temperature control appeared to be the cure for my current hassle of maintaining temperature. Once I got home, I saw all of the rancid reviews for this incubator. I set it up despite the reviews, and it holds a perfect, true temperature.

The Experiment
My goal is to not only test the accuracy of the reviews, yet determine if the 9300 produces better hatches. I gathered 72 eggs, (kinda overboard ) 24 of the eggs are Rhode Island Red while the rest are Gold/Silver Laced Wyandotte. both incubators had been running for a week, each holding a steady temperature of 101.5. During this week, I was surprised by the performance of the LG 9300. Although there were slight temperature fluctuations in the room, the 9300 never altered more than +- .2 of a degree; while the LG 9200 dropped to 97 one night. Both incubators are using a turner, and in the same room. I am using a dry incubation, until the egg cells appear too large and then I will add humidity to both. I set the eggs on March 7th, and the eggs are due to hatch March 28th. I put 12 Rhode Island Red eggs in each incubator and filled each incubator with the rest.

Side Notes
The 9300 really helps with my temperature paranoia, I'm not even worried that it will experience temperature swings as it adjust itself accordingly.
Day 6- I removed 10 infertile eggs - 7 from the 9300 and 3 from the 9200. I candled the eggs tonight, and they appear to be on track both in development and egg cell size, any feedback?
Day 7- I can easily see movement in eggs in both incubators. Haven't had any temperature swings in either incubator and both are still incubating dry.


Pictures

LG 9300

LG 9200

Both images are a day 6 egg which has a very thin shell. This egg will be my candler due to it's thin shell.

Normal shelled egg and development. (Day 6)

Day 7, thin shelled egg. Difficult to see anything in normal eggs.




I will update as the experiment progresses, feel free to ask any questions not covered and offer any advice you have!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I totally agree with AmyLynn! Excellent explanation.

If I may be so bold, since you say you are working on this for a blog.... its a bit long and wordy, and a reader who wants a quick answer may not read it all. You have excellent points, and I would hate for anyone to miss any of it! Just my opinion, I definitely mean no offense.

No offense taken...lol I'm not aiming for the reader that wants a quick answer, I'm aiming for the reader who wants to understand the process and is willing to take the time to learn to improve their hatches. I have read and read and read since I started hatching because I want to be accurate and improve not only my hatches but my knowledge of it as well. I feel that if you are going to undertake something as delicate as bringing life into this world then you should devote a decent amount of time to research how to properly do it with the best results and you don't get that by quick answers and you don't get the understanding of why by someone throwing out a number.
I personally hate reading blog posts (and I like reading) that are not informative enough- that doesn't explain why they are telling me to do something or why we do it that way. I want to understand the process not just the results, and that is the type of reader/hatcher I am writing for. I personally don't feel that someone who can't take the time to get informed should be dallying in hatching.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

T
That was my first attempt at incubating, and the results were so horrific that I didn't try again until I could afford a Brinsea. The few that did hatch were late, and had curled toes, splayed legs, and unabsorbed yolk sacs. Had to cull 3 of 5. After watching a fully automatic incubator, I think I know what my mistakes were. Temperature dips and spikes were some of it, but I think my biggest mistake was not buying a hygrometer. I was excited to use it, and had my own endless supply of eggs. I just filled up the water channels and put them in. Temperature would vary from 95 to 103, and I work long hours, so I couldn't babysit that, but I am certain that my humidity was way too high for the first 18 days. Fully developed chicks that never pipped. I never measured humidity, and I am certain that it was too high with all of the channels full. I think a lot of first timers do the same thing. I think I could do better if I tried again, but with a full time job the Brinsea was worth the money for me

Part of the problem as well is that new people go by the manufacture's instructions for hatching and they are useless. A person needs to understand what humidity is all about and why we control it -not told to "fill 2/3 of your wells until lockdown..." One person can fill that much and get 70% humidity while this other person is in a very dry climate, and uses the same instructions and ends up with maybe 20%. I hate those instructions. I wish they'd read, "For best results research hatching well and talk to local hatchers before attempting." On top of that, most of the still air incubator instructions still recommend 99.5F in these machines that should be 101-102. I'm trying to start a chicken blog and one of my posts I intend to name 'Throw out those incubator instructions'. (Not really advising them to throw them out, but to use other areas of research for the actual methods of hatching.) I don't have all that much experience, I'm fairly new myself, but I research and perfect ad naseum. I have a pretty good learning curve and I'm very opinionated...lol I believe if you figure out the why you can figure out the how. Most people don't care about the why as long as they can figure out a how.

It's understandable though. As a newbie you expect the product instructions to guide you. I think they make it worse for beginners, not better.

 

[mswendeu]

Here's a couple pics of it in its temporary state.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I've seen some eggs wiggling and heard some tapping, but nothing else to report. Day 19 is today.

 

[lazy gardener]

Barnyard mix: EE roo over: SLW, Dominique = BSL, walnut comb green egg layers. EE roo over: Pioneer, BSL pea comb green egg layer, home bred BSL, EE, RIR, Rose comb brown leghorns. So, all of the chicks will be either pea or walnut comb, pullets will be either green or blue egg layers. I'm doing a bit of an experiment, if you're interested in following along: The title of the thread is: Nutrition and gender, and inducing broodiness.

 

[scflock]

If it ain't broke you don't fix it, my boy. It's working so I'm doing it!! lol

 

[WVduckchick]

Two poults out now, humidity was the key.  One more pipping, but a whole lot of quiet eggs when there should be a lot of activity.  Needless to say, I'm stressing more than a bit.  I need to see more than 2 poults out of 29 eggs (26 if you count those I left in as "wishful thinking").

Wow, glad you got it straightened out and some action going. Best of luck!!

I think mine are done. Nine beautiful babies. (8 lavender, 1 black). One died while zipping. (will do another thread with pics of the eggtopsy) have 4 still in the bater but I think they are gone. Just wanted to give them one more day to be sure. I candled and think I saw movement in one, but will see what happens by tomorrow. I might actually get some sleep tonite! Yeah!

 

[scflock]

   lol

Oh Aaaaaammmmyyyyy
Well you came and you gave your humidity
But I sent you away...

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Day 24... one fav chick was dead in the shell - yoke sack about 1/4 left.. head was tucked down into wing. - The next chic was malpositioned and when I did a remove a small bit off the top I could see about 1/4 egg yoke at the top. Put back in bator and covered with wet paper towel... found not moving in the shell this morning.

Last egg had the best chance.. When I did a small pip hole I could see the beak.. but it had not broke through the membrane yet. I made a small opening.. just enough for the beak to move... about 3 hours later the beak was 1/3 out of the membrane and although I did not hear it cheep.. I could see it opening and closing it's beak for air.

This morning... the beak was completely out of the membrane.. but no movement... I opened up the shell and the yoke sack was fully absorbed- no malformations...

so sad to have lost these three chicks... they were going to be my olive eggers... I just don't know what I keep doing wrong... I gave them an extra 3 days- because I believed that the low temp could be the problem.. Maybe I should of tried to make a pip hole sooner for egg number 3... maybe he got too big for the shell to even get himself out?? THe cell was good size... he was not wet- or shrinkwrapped. - and everything looked okay.

I average about three in each hatch that doesn't make it out. It doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong. Eggs are like individual people. Each one has it's own set of needs and we can not fullfill those needs with 100% of the eggs most of the time. Egg A might be more porous and loose moisture faster and need higher humidity, egg b might be less porous and would need lower humidity. Egg c might be sitting in an unknown cool spot in the incubator and not be getting the full amount of heat that it really needs. The variables are just to great for us in our little table top (some of us cheapo styrofoam) bators. A good share of the time it's hard to tell why it didn't hatch. You can't second guess yourself in hatching. If the majority of your hatch was good then you know that you did good, if it was just ok, then you know that you are on the right track, and maybe need to tweak a couple things, but you're getting there.