2 bodged hatch attempts need advice!

[ronott1]

Thanks for the replies I will try your tips just with my own eggs atm. I had the humidity down to 20-30% at the start but to my inexperienced eyes it looked like the air sacs were growing too quickly so I increased to 40%. We’ve just come off the end of winter so maybe now spring is here I won’t have so much fluctuation in temps...I also had the thermometer sitting next to the eggs during lock down so I’ll try have it level with the top of the eggs next time.

Post here with results! I would love to see you have a great hatch

 

[aliciaplus3]

I have hatched using a cheap model...... possibly the same one?? I am at about 6000 feet above sea level and when I tried the dry hatching method my hatches went from ok to bad.... if the air sacks look to be increasing too fast then you did the right thing by upping the humidity. I have found that at my elevation, especially with porous shells, I get better results with around 50%. I drape a 'cozy' over the top of mine so that the air vent holes are not blocked but the temps stay more stable.

 

[triplepurpose]

Ugghh... I feel your pain.

this is why i will never use a cheap incubator again. When I figure in the wasted time and energy (both personal and electric), the wasted feed to produce the eggs or money spent on hatching eggs, the three hellish weeks of futile stress/anxiety/uncertainty, the frequency of weakened/deformed chicks, and the inhumanity of the suffering/mortality of the chicks, not to mention the lack of durability/warrantee/easy of use of the equipment... I just don't come out ahead.

Bought a brinsea maxi ii advance last year--and sooo glad we did! Now I know how nice it is to use a decently-designed, no-fuss machine! Now incubating is fun again (not to mention humane)...

I respect the skills of the occasional people who are able to hatch well with those cheapies. But in general I am convinced that they prove to be a false economy in the end, in more ways than one...

Sorry if that reads as a rant, but I feel it's worth saying!
i wish you luck, but my best advice would be to upgrade your machine...