Styrofoam Incubators Club

[feedman77]

I came across a 1588 genesis used for a good price.

Plugged it up heated a constant temp across the incubator.

So my lg 10300 which has been giving me fits is no longer getting used.

Don't know whether to toss it.

Try to redesign it with its parts.

Would feel bad if I sold it to someone else. Cause I have a feeling it could cause someone to have a bad hatching experience.

 

[Courthamilton]

I have a duckling still in the shell, he was shrink wrapped at 7am this morning. It is now 10pm and hes made no improvement in trying to hatch completely. I done a little looking and he's also GLUED. Breathing well. I just need to know what to do.

 

[SpinningJenny]

Okay. I have a still air 9300. I have literally had HELL with humidity. When i went into lockdown I had 14 LIVE eggs. I ended with only 6 and ALL six were SHRINK WRAPPED. I done eggtopsies on all the 'goners' every single one had internally peeped but was so shrink wrapped it couldn't externally pip. PLEASE tell me with hydrometers you suggest and what thermometers! All of mine read differently.

Sincerely,
Struggling in Arkansas

P.S.- I don't know if it makes any difference but I got the eggs from a friend of the family. I didnt know when any of them were laid and I dont have any idea how much or what she feeds her ducks. I read that if you want a healthy reproduction/hatch you need to feed your layers right. Would this play a factor in my epic failure?!

Oh wow, SO sorry to hear this. I feel with you. I'm hatching a mere dozen eggs and for some reason they are all quitting in me! I'm down to 7 tonight that are still alive an dkicking. Humidity is good, air cells look good, my temp was a little low at 100 but constant and I've been turning them at LEAST 3 times a day. No idea what's causing them to die (Three quit at 10/11 days, and one I think must've quit yesterday or today (day 15/16).

Hoping your next hatch goes smoother! Love!

 

[SpinningJenny]

I have a duckling still in the shell, he was shrink wrapped at 7am this morning. It is now 10pm and hes made no improvement in trying to hatch completely. I done a little looking and he's also GLUED. Breathing well. I just need to know what to do.

Here's a thread about shrink wrapped and "sticky (glued) chicks and how to help them if possible! I'm combing the thread for good bits now, and will post them for you here! Hope you can save the little guy!

• https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491421/shrink-wrap-vs-sticky-chick#post_6242987

 

[SpinningJenny]

I am about to head into day 18 this week, and I'm looking for all your tips and tricks with humidity and such when using a Hova Bator 1620 still air incubator.

Out of the 12 eggs I set, 7 are still going. Four have quit, one I suspect infertile. Some quit on day 10/11ish and one more on day 15 or 16. Should I crack these open sooner than later to eggtopsy them? I don't think I'll leave them in there during hatch.

I'm nervous about the air cells and "shrink wrapping". They seem big enough, but I want to make sure they aren't TOO big. Can I add a little humidity now, just to make sure?

Should I do anything with the vent hole plugs? I read somewhere that they need to be open during lockdown/hatch. What do you think?

How about temp? I assume I just leave it consistent as it was, around 100-101 thru incubation. Does it require any adusting? I assume it might need a little lowering as the chicks heat up in there.

Lockdown: I've read about it from both views, the religious NEVER OPEN THE INCUBATOR folks to the meh, do whatever folks.. I might be able to leave them for 2-3 days without losing my mind, but is it ok to check on them with some candling if they haven't started hatching on day 21? I'm just nervous about these last 7 having issues. Now that I've lost so many mid-way, these guys are kind of precious!

Also, links to any threads that can help me figure out why these 5 quit on me would be great.(I'm going to assume they were all roosters so I feel better about it.) I suspect bacteria. Some of them were dirty, and some had shiny spots on them like a greasy finger print in the bloom. I wonder if that wasn't a farmer with dirty hands... (I purchased these from the feed store)

 

[MeepBeep]

I'm nervous about the air cells and "shrink wrapping". They seem big enough, but I want to make sure they aren't TOO big. Can I add a little humidity now, just to make sure?

Sure increase the humidity now if yo want, it does help them hatch easier... But don't expect the air cell to shrink, it's far too late to compensate for that at day 18+, you need to make those adjustments the 2nd week...

Should I do anything with the vent hole plugs? I read somewhere that they need to be open during lockdown/hatch. What do you think?

Yes, you should have some holes open during hatch to allow fresh air in for the hatching chicks... 

How about temp? I assume I just leave it consistent as it was, around 100-101 thru incubation. Does it require any adusting?

Leave it alone, you can cause more damage by spiking it low or high trying to adjust it, with no benefit... Some people lower it a few degrees or move the eggs to a hatcher that is slightly lower temp but it's not necessary to do so at all...

I assume it might need a little lowering as the chicks heat up in there.

Nope they will be perfectly fine at that temp, when they first hatch their body is not able to properly regulate heat or produce heat reliably, thus they idealy need that 90-100°ish environment initially, until their normal body functions start to kick in in the coming days, their normal body temp at that age is 103°-104°...

NEVER OPEN THE INCUBATOR

Hogwash, Hyperbole, and Paranoia... Open it if you choose whenever, and don't stress over it... If the humidity drops a lot get a spray bottle and fill it with warm water, and every time you open it spray a few mistings in the incubator before you close it back up...

I might be able to leave them for 2-3 days without losing my mind, but is it ok to check on them with some candling if they haven't started hatching on day 21?

Candle or check them any day you like day 1 to day whatever, candling causes no harm as long as you do it with clean hands and take care and don't keep them out of the incubator for hours at a time...

I candle regularly on day 20 and 21 to see when they internally pip...

After the first ones start to zip, I love to take the others out and hold them to my ear and tap a finger nail on the air cell, if they have internally pipped you almost always get a chirp response back...

Also, links to any threads that can help me figure out why these 5 quit on me would be great.(I'm going to assume they were all roosters so I feel better about it.) I suspect bacteria. Some of them were dirty, and some had shiny spots on them like a greasy finger print in the bloom. I wonder if that wasn't a farmer with dirty hands... (I purchased these from the feed store)

There are some threads and sites that cover eggtopsys in detail, Google away but remember that some just were never meant to hatch...

 

[BrieCheese23]

So I ended up with more eggs coming for this next hatch than I planned on. I was going to be sensible, I swear xD I have no idea how I ended up with 50 chicken eggs and 75 quail eggs 0.0 now my use bator number two as a hatcher is a little messed up. Thinking of getting a still air hovabator or using a spare fish tank/Tupperware as a hatcher. Recommendations?

 

[snowy Mtns]

Day 20 started last night. Whoop! Looking good so far. Now that I have had enough coffee I realize it's only day 19. I'm so excited. Can you tell. Ha ha

 

[raisingdaisies]

I bought that EXACT one today. Of course my hatch is over now. But I have a dial read thermometer/humidity reader, the digital one on the incubator AND the one you suggested and everyone reads a different humidity/temp! Luckily, I went with my gut and all 6 ducks that lived I saved! One of the 6 had a severely limp neck and straggle legs. I taped it's legs, offered water with vitamin supplement that included niacin and vitamin b, tried the best I could to support his neck and woke up this morning and he was gone.

That's why I bought 2 of them to go inside. Even though we have a fan, the temp is usually one degree cooler on the far right as opposed to the far left. That's ok, I just make sure the left says 100, the right says 99 and keep the eggs in the middle. lol. The humidity is also usually a couple points lower on that side, too. But it's consistent, and if I switch therms, it's the same so I know it's not the thermometers/hygrometers. I actually have 3 in there, the 3rd being an aquarium thermometer, as a back up. JIC.
I'm sorry about your duck We lost one of our quail on day 2 after hatch, too. I think he choked .

 

[LaPoulet]

...

No wisdom yet. Here to learn. Fairly new! This is my second hatch attempt. The first was a fail. I think I may have drowned them. So im trying for the 30%-35% humidity levels in lockdown and i have added another acurite and a basic thermometor after making sure the all were correct.

No problem! There are so many knowledgeable people on here, there is all the information you need I drowned a hatch last year, then I went with the dry method and got the best hatch I'd ever had. Are you using the acurite "humidity monitor"? I've used that one and it's great. 
If you've incubated at 30-35% a lockdown humidity of 75% is perfectly fine. In fact, it gives you some cushion in case you need to open the incubator. 
Welcome to the club!  
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Would you take a pic of the sci-fi humidity guage. Thanks