Anyone else not hatch 'by the book'??

Just hatched my first batch and had 8 out of 10 make it. One of the ones that didn't was a double yolk and had twins inside. Aargh. Anyway, found these eggs in the bottom of the coop in a corner. Had no idea how long they had been under the hay. Fought the temp in the bator and never had the humidity right from day one. Thank goodness for the terrific people on this site that helped give me tips on raising humidity (warm/wet paper towels, wet sponges). Never could get it to balance but did get it up most of the time. Nice to know I'm not the only one guessing..Currently have 4 more eggs due to go on lockdown Tuesday. Hopefully all will be well since we are not sure exactly what day they went into the bator. Sounds like you are doing ok in spite of it all.

 

Hatching by the book doesn't happen here at all.....my book is written by me and I don't even follow my own book that I have made

 

I do everything wrong all the time just because I can. Just because something worked for whoever wrote the book does not mean its the best way.

 

LOCK-DOWN, SCHMOCK-DOWN! I open the incubator, & tend to business all the time. I have a Sportsman 1502, & am always adding new eggs. I just mist the eggs I'm no longer turning, & close it. My hatch rates for EE's is 80%, Coturnix is 80%, Peachicks is 60%,Turkeys at 90%, & Yokohamas are 100%. I don't figure in my mail-order eggs. My guess on them would be 30- 40%

 

I dont. My humidity is always all over the place, I dont turn eggs as much as I should, durring lockdown I open the bator to remove chicks.....the list goes on. I always have good hatches though. about 70% hatches with duck eggs and always 90-100% sucess with my own chicken eggs.

 

I dont hatch by the book, I will have chicken, duck, guinea, geese, turkey, quail, and pheasant eggs all in the same bator at the same time, ive even had emu eggs in with the above eggs.................all at the same temp and humidity...........

Ive seen people on here say and swear that with water fowl eggs you HAVE to mist them and take em out for a time and so on, I have NEVER done that.

Ive even hatched out eggs that were in the frig for 2 weeks or longer and had really good hatches.

 

I'm not alone!!!!! This is my first time to incubate, and I'm constantly opening, adding eggs, turning, it is our science project, (home school) we don't expect big, but are just excited to try it all together!! We made our incubator , each child had their own set of directions and own doings in it, I do hope it works out for us, my kids would just love it, feel more on the up about it seeing this post. Thank you!!!

 

I usually say, "Screw the books." Our bator has an auto-turner and we just fill the underneath for humidity. Even with this sloppy technique, almost all of our chickens and ducks in a batch hatch in there.

 

I am so glad that others do this too....it is also nice that you have come out of the dark with the rest of us....thanks