Acceptable hatch rates ....

[twigg]

For my own part, I candle at Day 7 and remove clears. The rest I expect to hatch. Period.

That would be 100%. Now I am realistic enough to know that this will not always happen, for a bunch of reasons outwith our control. But less than 90% and I am looking hard for the reasons. Either I did something wrong, or the stock was poor, or poorly handled before I got it ... or, or or.

I confess to being a little surprised when I read that 7 out of 10, or 25 out of 30 hatched, and folk are satisfied. Hatcheries get around 95% or higher, and I expect the same

Maybe it's just me. What do you think?

 

[Buster]

I candle on day 18 and put the rest in the hatcher. I get 82% consistently now and I'm not sure how I would go about improving it anymore.

I don't generally mess around and try to help a bunch of them either though.

 

[Farm Frenzy]

I am the same way. If I get below a 90%, I'm mad a myself. I have done pretty good so far, my first hatch though, only three hatched out of 10, and all the babies were developing normally. I later found out from my daughter (the chief of the tattle tale police) that my very beloved one and only son opened the incubator on day 19!!! So there was the reason for the poor hatch rate, and now the bator has been relocated to a not so in reach position.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
I would venture that 82% isn't bad. It certainly confirms that most everything is working right, and minor improvements, one at a time would be all I was looking for.

Sometimes, the equipment we are using just might not be able to get above 82%

 

[Buster]

Quote:
I would venture that 82% isn't bad. It certainly confirms that most everything is working right, and minor improvements, one at a time would be all I was looking for.

Sometimes, the equipment we are using just might not be able to get above 82%

That's pretty well what I'm doing now, just looking for little things. I incubate in a Sportsman 1502 and hatch in a HB 1588. I feel comfortable enough now to feel good about the 8 or 9 dozen eggs I have coming in March from various BYC breeders.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
I would venture that 82% isn't bad. It certainly confirms that most everything is working right, and minor improvements, one at a time would be all I was looking for.

Sometimes, the equipment we are using just might not be able to get above 82%

That's pretty well what I'm doing now, just looking for little things. I incubate in a Sportsman 1502 and hatch in a HB 1588. I feel comfortable enough now to feel good about the 8 or 9 dozen eggs I have coming in March from various BYC breeders.

lol ... my thoughts would be along these lines .....

If I am selling the chicks, or pullets, then improving by 10% is all straight into my pocket ... all the work has been done

 

[Buster]

Quote:
That's pretty well what I'm doing now, just looking for little things. I incubate in a Sportsman 1502 and hatch in a HB 1588. I feel comfortable enough now to feel good about the 8 or 9 dozen eggs I have coming in March from various BYC breeders.

lol ... my thoughts would be along these lines .....

If I am selling the chicks, or pullets, then improving by 10% is all straight into my pocket ... all the work has been done

These are actually all birds going into my flock. I'm expanding. I am continuing to work on my hatch rates all the time but I NEED to get these birds on the ground to be ready to go full blast for next spring.

Yes, 10% would all be profit- I continue to improve.

 

[horsejody]

When you read posts where somebody is happy with 7 out of 10 eggs hatched, they may be talking about shipped eggs. Shipped eggs have a lower hatch rate. Many people also figure all eggs into the equation and count the eggs that they tossed as clears on day 7.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Shipping is one of the factors I would consider first. I am not saying that anyone SHOULD get a specific hatch rate, just promoting a discussion on the subject so we all can learn.

Counting clears is bad practise. For a start, it would lead you in the wrong direction when thinking about improvements. We need to NOT count clears, they couldn't have hatched whatever we do.

I hope lots of folk read this thread. I do not seek to criticize, just inform each other on what constitutes good practise.

 

[Buster]

The 82% is the hatch rate I've been getting off my own eggs, not including clears. When my shipped eggs hatch, I'm not expecting anything near those results, although it would be nice.

I have 35 chicken eggs hatching right now. I have 9 chicks and at least 18 more pips right now. That's 77% now if all those that pipped hatch, and it's just started. I need 31 or 32 to hatch for 90%. I think I'm well on my way.