4-H hatching project - incubator only registering 95 degrees!

[Portia07]

Hello! Novice Hatcher here and I’m scared we’ve already eliminated any possibility of a successful hatch...

We rented an incubator and received eggs from our 4-H extension office yesterday and got it all set up around 1. All seemed fine (using a styroform cooler type incubator) this morning but my husband thought it best to place a thermometer in the incubator to confirm 100 degrees. I’m glad he did! It registered 95.

I called the extension office and they suggested I come pick up a new top, which I did. They thought we’d be OK, just a day behind. The new one is much nicer with temp at set at 100 and humidity at 79%. What are our chances of having a successful hatch? We have 12 eggs.

Thanks!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

79% is WAY too high and nothing would hatch but probably drown.

Bring your humidity down to around 40% days 1-18. And then 55-65% is good days 18-21.

Move your eggs around to a new location in the bator daily to help ensure even growth as temp variances DO happen even in forced air bators.

Your chances of getting a good hatch are very much still there!

Next time... maybe get your bator up and running for a day or so before setting your eggs.

A great hatching resource... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hatching-eggs-101.64195/

 

[Portia07]

79% is WAY too high and nothing would hatch but probably drown.

Bring your humidity down to around 40% days 1-18. And then 55-65% is good days 18-21.

Move your eggs around to a new location in the bator daily to help ensure even growth as temp variances DO happen even in forced air bators.

Your chances of getting a good hatch are very much still there!

Next time... maybe get your bator up and running for a day or so before setting your eggs.

A great hatching resource... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hatching-eggs-101.64195/

Thanks for your response!

Update: I called the extension office and they didn't have a clue about humidity but I had already determined 79 was way too high. I was also concerned with the horrible stench which seemed to be getting worse. My patience was growing quite thin with what was supposed to be a fun kids science project (I understand why so many have issues with this in the first place now!)

After insisting to talk to someone else, I was finally put in touch with a poultry expert. As far as humidity, I was told to empty the tray of water and pull a plug on the top so fresh air can get in. As far as the smell, he said to clean the bottom of the incubator with bleach and let it dry out. Eggs were out for a total of 15 minutes while I did that. I noticed one of the eggs was "sweating" and it was the source of the smell. I decided something was wrong and cracked it. Bad idea! It was rotten!!! The worst smell I've ever experienced filled the house. Still trying to get it out! Extension office agreed it was rotten and admitted their egg supplier is new and they won't be going back.

This science experience may be a bust!

Have the humidity down to 75 with a dry pan. Don't know what else to do. Ready to give up. A positive - the smell is gone and I can approach the incubator without gagging.

 

[Flamens Farm]

Don't give up, as the incubator warms up with no water in it the humidity will lower. I wish you luck and hope you keep us posted as things progress.

 

[Portia07]

I’ve got the humidity down to 50% with a dry incubator. Whew.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Holy cow... do you know how long it takes an egg to go rotten?! Even after full term incubation, I feed my blanks back to my animals. And once during a chicken math explosion I was getting 2 dozen eggs a day for my family of 3. So some of the eggs got fed back to the animal as old as 60 days at room temp, while slightly thick from evaporation they were not rotten at all.

The whole point is to hatch fresh eggs. The older the eggs the lower the nutrition and viability to the hatching chick. Did you have to pay for this rental and eggs?

15 minutes is nothing, good noticing the sweating. Viable eggs do retain their heat longer than non viable.

If you are using the built in incubator thermometer/hygrometer... it may WELL be pretty far off. And will seriously impact hatch-ability. Get another device and make sure it is calibrated or see if there is a way to calibrate the internal one. One thing about science experiments... calibrated devices and accurate numbers are needed in order to get repeatable results.

I don't see your location... but unless you have SERIOUS humidity in your area... I can assure you that your bator will not run at 50% completely dry. Do you know what your ambient humidity is? 50% is an acceptable level (if reality). What color are the eggs you are incubating?

I wouldn't give up just yet, it can be a very rewarding experiment. Stinks that it's been a rough start for you. What I would do... candle at day 7 to look for veins and see how many embryos are developing. In a darkened room, my cell phone flash light works as good as any other candler I have used.

OR abort this hatch from an obvious poor egg supplier and check your local craigslist (even advertise) for some "better" (fresh) hatching eggs. Since the bator is used and current eggs are from an unknown source, any chances of certain diseases are already there. You might even find a BYC'er with fun eggs willing to ship for cheap to help ya get started. Or check your local "where am I where are you" thread here on BYC. Lot's of ebay egg sellers too. It's great that your extension office offers such a program! I never knew about something like that. Hopefully they get their kinks worked out so many others can enjoy the learning that comes with this type of experience.

Do you already know what you will do with your extra cockerels that are bound to hatch?

 

[Portia07]

Update: day 16 and we have 6 eggs with embryos developing! I consider that a success considering all the problems we've had...another broken incubator and another rotten egg! Ended up using the first incubator with a hook on the top, which allows me to regulate things...now that I'm quite self-taught on the process, I will be a pro next time! SO exciting to see the embryos swim around - that first proof of life was akin to my first ultrasound as a mother (OK...maybe that is going overboard

EggSited4Life: we paid $35 for incubator rental and eggs. Given all the issues we've had, I wouldn't be surprised if they refund us when we return the equipment. I've learned that there's been a lot of turnover at the Omaha (where we live) extension office and they really should not have gone through with the egg hatch program this summer. They bought from a bad supplier (I ended up with TWO rotten eggs!) and the resources left at the office don't have any knowledge about hatching (which is disappointing, since all they need to do is read up on it a bit...I will be expressing my disappointment when this is all over). I was put in contact with a "poultry expert" from a county close by and he has been very helpful. We will be giving the chicks to friends on a farm...and our girls will be able to visit them.

Couple questions:

1. Given the day and a half of low temps, will the hatch be delayed accordingly?

2. Opinions on how long we could keep the chicks indoors before we deliver them to the farm? We'd like to keep them for a week or two...but don't want to adversely affect their development or ease of entry into an existing chicken family (the farm where they will be going has about 30 chickens already)

Thanks for any further advice anyone wants to give me. This has turned out to be a very educational experience!