Amateur hatcher question: low temp incubation

[TW1Kell]

I bought a little 3 egg 'bator on a whim. $12 so what could it hurt? I pulled 3 eggs from my daily egg gathering and put them in the 'bator after it had sat 24 hours at 100 degrees. That was on 23 Sep. The temp has constantly stayed in the 90 to 98 degree range, since I put the eggs in. I have turned them 3-4 times, daily, as instructed. There is no smell from the bator, so I don't think they're rotten, but the low temp gives me little hope. Is there a possibility of hatching from these eggs? 11 Oct was the stop turning day, so I stopped, added a lil more water to the lil reservoir, and am just wondering if the lil gang has a chance? Do ya'all see any point in my warming up the brooder? It takes a day for the brooder to get warm, and Sunday is hatching day, if they have a chance. How many of you would go ahead and warm up the brooder on saturday? Am I just being a hopeful idiot? Oh, I know absolutely nothing about candling, and have considered trying it with a flashlight, but didn't want the eggs any colder than they already are. I apologize for my totally inexperienced question, but I just had to ask. I like the idea of helping give life, and am probably worrying about this, probably a bit much. haha!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not familair with that incubator, but you really need to calibrate a thermometer and see what your temperature really is. I'm not sure you really know what temperature you are dealing with. There should be a way to adjust that temperature to get it right.

Rebel’s Thermometer Calibration
http://cmfarm.us/ThermometerCalibration.html

Chicks don't have to stay on exactly 99.5 for a forced air incubator or 101.5 degrees measured at the top of the eggs in a still air. They are pretty tough, But the temperature does need to be fairly close. It''s the average incubating temperature that counts, not an instantaneous air temperature. The air will heat up and cool down a lot faster than the dense egg.

Egss don't necessarily hatch exactly 21 days after you start incubating. A lot or different thngs can affect that like humidity, heredity, how and how long they were stored before they went into the incubator, size of the egg, and who knows what else. The big one though is average incubating temperature. I've had eggs pip and hatch three days early because my incubator was too warm. Some people have eggs hatch that much late if the average incubating temperature is too cool. I really don't know the actual temperatures you had, but maybe yours have a chance. Maybe.

Whether the egg is fertile or not or whether it has started developing has absolutely nothing to do with it rotting and turning stinky. If bacteria gets inside any egg will turn stinky. If bacteria does not get inside, it won't.

When a chick hatches, it can live for three days without food or water since it absorbs the yolk. There is no reason to take it out of the incubator immediately. if you get a chick to hatch, you will have plenty of time to fire up your brooder.

 

[sumi]

The temperature is a bit low, which means you'll probably have a delayed hatch. If they developed. Have a look here:

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_temp.html

Personally I think you should candle them and check to see what's going on in them.

 

[Chicken boi 30]

Hope its not a chick bater. If it is all ur going to get is disappointed. That was my frist also lost many berry expensive eggs but good luck keep updating

 

[TW1Kell]

Thanks for the responses. The 'bator is a little, tabletop, school project type that is round and holds 3 eggs. Still air, simple, runs from a 7 watt bulb, and has lil depressions (the legs) that you put water in. Not much to it. The eggs were from that day's egg gathering, not stored any amount of time, at all. My lil Game Hen that I use as a setter had 5 chicks with her, or I would have just let her do another clutch, but...I wanted to see what the lil 'bator did. I got the eggs from the same group of girls that the Gamey has hatched 7 of, already this year, so I assume fertility is as good a chance as any that I've had. Gamey has raised every chick that has hatched alive, so she's a pretty good bet. I wish I had 10 more just like her!

Anyway, my next project will be buying a regular 'bator from the TSC. The manager lady has offered me a pretty good deal on this year's left over 'bator and turner. I plan to let the eggs go an extra week, if they don't hatch. I hate to not give the lil farts a chance, ya know?