Topic of the Week - Incubating eggs

[TippsiRabbit]

I got this HD .my first hatch was 48 eggs shipped eggs and 13 hatched 3 died still in the incubator.
Second hatch was 10 Eggs from a friend 7 died and not fertilized 3chickes hatched .
Third run 16 eggs bought local .8 not fertilized 2 died ,blood ring, the rest is since 5 days in lock down and not peep I think they are dead .humidity first 18 days was between 50 to 53%.after that We pushed it to 70 % but here is a dry climate so top is 68% what it reaches .
Last hatch is a school project. I worked with the teacher from the local school together on that.
I think the next hatching will be made by one of my hens .

 

[CreveChris]

We're getting into that time of the year when many of us start setting eggs for spring chicks, so this week I would like to like to hear you all's thoughts on incubation. (I'm going to talk about hatching and afterwards next week). Please give me your thoughts and tips on:

- Good incubator recommendations, especially for new hatchers.
- Homemade incubators.
- Selecting eggs for incubating.
- Humidity during incubation - "dry" incubation, what humidity do you incubate at, etc.
- How to handle power outages, temp spikes and other incubation mishaps, like cracked eggs, etc.

Anything you'd like to add.

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

I use the Harris Farms Nurture Right 360
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0793HHZ1L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_lsCd9lWenmUoV
which requires daily filling of the water well but that's about it. It rotates eggs using a removable turner. Also easy to clean after hatching!

75% hatch rate with two out of six eggs hatching, and all eggs developing until day 21 (loss of last two uncertain cause, autopsy revealed no problems). Net: 4 female and 2 male Crevecoeurs.

Video of Lestat hatching:

Lestat at 4 months

 

[Newbie123]

Got the money? Go with a brinsea. They're super reliable, stable, and easy to use. Just make sure to calibrate them. Their only downside is the price, which is about $500. Second choice would likely be a Genesis Hovabator. They're styros, but many people swear by them. I don't recommend the LG models---people swear at them instead of by them.
If you have lots of time to babysit them, you can get decent hatches, they're just a ton more work. Definitely not set-and-forget.

For homemade incubators, one of the best guides I've found yet is Sally Sunshine's cooler incubator. Link available upon request. It is a simple, easy-to-follow pattern that can easily be modified for different bodies or setups. I'm currently working on my 2nd one.

If you're selecting eggs for incubation, make sure they have strong shells, the birds producing them are well fed, and they aren't deformed or odd looking. Candling them beforehand to remove porous eggs is also recommended.

Humidity is a highly variable subject, with some people running as low as 25% and others as high as 50% to get good hatches. It all depends on area, and interestingly enough, incubator. Cabinet incubators seem to require higher humidity than tabletops. In general, 30-35% is a good place to start, and adjust from there by air cells.

A "dry hatch" does not mean run dry. It's just an unfortunately named idea of running humidity at 25-35% instead of 50%. This has increased hatch rates in styros especially. In some places you won't need to add any water, but for me at least, I need to add a little to keep it at about the 25% that gives me the best rate of weight loss. Humidity levels also depend on the egg colour.
At lockdown, increase humidity to at least 65%, closer to 70%, but not enough to get condensation on windows. Some people have luck with keeping humidity at 30% in lockdown and doing a low humidity hatch, but in general raising humidity on day 18 for chooks gives you the best hatch rates.

Always plan ahead for a power outage if you have eggs going. A generator is my preferred method of back up, but some use their car charger or other ways like water bottles heated on a BBQ.

If you find your eggs at a high temp, immediately remove the lid and let the eggs cool off. Watch temp for several hours later to ensure they return to a stable state.

I cover cracks on eggs in new-skin, let dry, and set like normal. I've had 1 out of 2 cracked chook eggs hatch this way. Other one had a rolling AC and didn't make it long.

Incubation temperatures are best set at 99.5-100.5 for forced air (100.5 is only if you have a reliable incubator that won't spike) and 101.5 for still air. In both of these, temperature should be measured at the TOP of the egg. The reason for this discrepancy is that the still air has "layers" of heat—remember, heat rises—so a higher top temp is needed to get on-time hatches.

If you wish to read more on incubation and delve a bit deeper into it, I recommend reading some of the info in the notes article listed below. Good read for a rainy day or seven.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-w-friends-helpful-notes-links-informational-post-links

Well. I am entering a sweepstake to win one. Definitely dont have the money. LOL

 

[Chicken Unboxing]

This is exactly the post I needed! I've recently been thinking about hatching my own chickens and I want to know as much as possible.

 

[rascal66]

I've had the most, and the best experience with a Brinsea Cabinet Incubator. Like many others have already said, it is a very expensive incubator, but so very worth it! (The cabinet style especially if you're finding yourself doing multiple hatches year-round, as we are). I've done the cheap, yellow-top incubator before, and didn't have the greatest experience. Those do need some calibrating to get better results, I think. They do work, but need to stay on top of your temp and humidity.

With humidity, it really does depend on your incubator and your climate. You must candle the eggs and see that the air sac is where it needs to be size-wise. (or weigh them, but I don't weigh my eggs personally, so can't comment on that). Increase humidity if the air sac is becoming too large too early, or decrease if the air sac isn't growing as needed. There are plenty of online charts to help demonstrate how large the air sac should be on certain days. This should help you find your sweet spot as you learn and continue on throughout incubation. For us, we keep humidity at 40%, and 60% at lockdown. But it could be different for anyone else.

 

[Poultry mum]

1) following…
2) would love to know more about hatching ducklings as well as chicks
3) has anyone heard of or used a HHD incubator it looks like this

 

[Egg Snatcher]

We're getting into that time of the year when many of us start setting eggs for spring chicks, so this week I would like to like to hear you all's thoughts on incubation. (I'm going to talk about hatching and afterwards next week). Please give me your thoughts and tips on:

- Good incubator recommendations, especially for new hatchers.
- Homemade incubators.
- Selecting eggs for incubating.
- Humidity during incubation - "dry" incubation, what humidity do you incubate at, etc.
- How to handle power outages, temp spikes and other incubation mishaps, like cracked eggs, etc.

Anything you'd like to add.

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

I like broody hens. Bantams are the best moms. With brodies you don't need power, worry about humidity, or about is the incubator working.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I have hatched them under a 100watt desk lamp on an open countertop. I'd mist with water once a day,and turn them twice a day. If the egg felt warm to my cheek,I figured the heat was right. It worked.

Maybe you've answered, but what was your hatch rate? I figure you must have only hatched a few at a time with this method.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I had read in the Storey's Guide to Raising ducks that author recommends cooling the eggs for about ten minutes each day. It seems to make sense, given that on average my broody's leave their nest for about 7-10 minutes a day once or twice a day. I also notice that they tend to leave the nest for longer periods when it's a hot day. I wonder if anyone has applied this theory to chicken eggs?

I'm on day 19 of incubating chicken eggs in the NR 360. On day 14 and day 16, I moved some eggs under some broodies. I primarily did this because one of the broody's is a new broody so I wanted her to have the stimulation of feeling and hearing the chicks peep under her. I now have six eggs under broodies and 16 left in the incubator. One egg for sure is a blank. Looks like development never began. I am desperately hoping every single one of those eggs hatch. Three are from a barred rock hen that I tragically had to put down. I'm so heartbroken over her loss. Her eggs are so huge we had to remove them from the 'bator to remove the egg turner.

 

[JrJedi]

We hit the jackpot; a friend git tired of her chickens and gave us not only her birds but her incubator!! We’ve got eggs in it right now and are hoping for a doubled flock!!!