Biggest Incubation Mistakes

[Kiki]

I helped too soon.

The chick or duckling died.

It could not be fixed.

Learned when assisting, chicks & ducklings that are malpositioned like these two that they need an extra day or two before helping more.

I thought for sure this one had already quit so I was opening it to see what happened. It moved.


At this time (years ago) I wasn't sure what I was seeing when candling.
I learned to be patient and 100% sure before opening a quitter.

 

[Kiki]

Water don't use water till day 18 with any Styrofoam incubator

I too believe people incubate with too high humidity.

 

[casportpony]

I too believe people incubate with too high humidity.

I've been running my styro without water for months, even for hatching.

 

[casportpony]

1 - What did you do?

My humidity was too high. When I first started hatching, peafowl I took the advice of a peafowl breeder and set my humidity to 49%.

2 - What were the consequences?

Several of the eggs did not lose enough moisture and the chicks died.

3 - Did you fix it? How?

It could not be fixed.

4 - What did you learn?

I learned that with my incubators my peachicks have a better chance of hatching when they lose 15-18%, and for that to happen, humidity needs to be no higher than 40%.

Here is a great article by @WVduckchick:
Incubation Humidity

 

[Kiki]

I've been running my styro without water for months, even for hatching.

Welcome to my world.

 

[BantyChooks]

I used a still air incubator for my first attempted hatch. I placed the thermometers about 1/3 of the way up the upright egg... measured there, it read 101.5*F. Measured near the top of the egg, where it's supposed to be measured, it read 104. I lost my entire first hatch. Once I adjusted my temp, I got a 90% hatch rate on my second batch over ten eggs.

 

[casportpony]

I thought for sure this one had already quit so I was opening it to see what happened. It moved.


At this time (years ago) I wasn't sure what I was seeing when candling.
I learned to be patient and 100% sure before opening a quitter.

Poor thing, looks like it was upsidedown.

 

[MysteryChicken]

We learn from our mistakes, right? Even pros and experts make mistakes. I was wondering what your biggest incubation mistakes were. Maybe newbies could find this thread and learn from it.

1. What did you do?
2. What were the consequences?
3. Did you fix it? How?
4. What did you learn?

Please remember, we all make mistakes. Please do not belittle or bully ANYONE for their mistakes.

Check out some of BYC's excellent incubation articles:

• The Beginner's Guide to Incubation
• Incubation Humidity
• Candling Pics Progression Through Incubation Of Chicken Eggs
• Development of a Chicken Embryo Day by Day
• Guide to Assisted Hatching for All Poultry
• Egg failure to hatch - Diagnosing incubation problems

Years ago at the very beginning when I started using an incubator instead of broody hens, or brooder box, I didn't know that the Built in Thermometer, & Hygrometer wasn't accurate at the time, despite getting some good hatch rates. My Turkey hatch was the worst one, only 1 Bourbon Red poult hatched out of the 12, & the last one I was waiting on died in shell.

Now that I'm actually using Separate calibrated thermometers, & Hygrometers I know where the cold spots are in my (Old)incubator, so I can avoid them if I decide to use it again.

 

[casportpony]

1 - What did you do?

Dropped an egg while candling. This was a pea egg that had been shipped from Pennsylvania to California and was on day 25 or 26. I was in the bathroom candling the eggs and it rolled of the counter.

2 - What were the consequences?

When it hit the floor it cracked and blood started seeping through the cracks.

3 - Did you fix it? How?

I placed tape on the cracks and put it back in the incubator. I got very lucky and it hatched.

4 - What did you learn?

I learned to be extra careful when handling eggs.

 

[casportpony]

1 - What did you do?

Other - Did not assist soon enough. In these cases, these were peachicks that had pipped and started turning in the shell, but were not "zipping". Once they turned past a certain point, they no longer had air and they suffocated.

2 - What were the consequences?

The chicks died.

3 - Did you fix it? How?

It could not be fixed.

4 - What did you learn?

I learned that with my more valuable peachick eggs that I need to watch them very closely after they pip externally.