Calculating an "honest" hatch rate?

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I consider the "hatch rate" to be the number of chicks that are running around in the brooder when it's all said and done vs the number of eggs set.

For fertility rate I would crack a number of eggs of a period of days and see the numbers of feriltes.

For "development rate" you could candle at the 1/2 way point and get the number of quitters.


Steve in NC

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Im with steve.

 

[Ruditchka]

The only problem with that Steve, is in order to determine the development and/or hatch rates(as per your guidelines), you must have a fertility rate! I'd venture to say that most people on this forum haven't the opportunity(unless hatching their own eggs) to crack open a good amount of, or any, eggs in determing fertility. I purchased some shipped(which were costly), and bought from a local farm for $6 a dozen, so I had no idea what the fertility rates actually were. By day 7-12 when I took out the "clears", it seems it would be difficult to determine fertility rate for those few eggs(especially by those, like me, who do this not too often). I was looking more toward finding "an "after-hatch" determination that could be roughly used for the inexperienced (with some unknown variables always present)as a guideline how to calculate a rate formula all here could use since hatch-rates posted by many vary considerably and I'm sure that its due to some's calculations, as yours, counting every single egg set to incubate(say you put in 10 and 5 hatched=50%), and those who get out-sourced/mailed eggs and put in 10(after just candeling to see all eggs intact)and only 5 hatched and 5 cracked open after a length of time showing no growth.....(dismissed as infertile), calculate hatch-rate at 100%, having assumed all 5 others "were" infertile! But yes, to honestly calculate hatch-rate, your formula provides all the necessary variables needed to do so!

 

[Akane]

With my own eggs I figure in pretty much every egg. I don't count clears toward hatch rate but I do count it toward fertility rate and will divide out the percent both with and without clears. With clears it is a rate of how my chickens are doing and how many eggs it would take to get how many chicks. Without clears it shows my ability to hatch them and any possible mistakes in my incubating. I try for at least 90% counting all eggs and 95% not counting clears. Then I know my flock is laying well and I'm not doing anything wrong.

Shipped eggs are another matter. Many get damaged so that they are fertile or do develop but don't make it past a few days. Adding these in when your trying to figure out whether it's a mistake of yours will render the data invalid. If you want to know how many eggs hatch from shipped eggs and how good a seller is then you would want the number unaltered with not even clears removed. If I want to know how good I am at hatching shipped eggs I want to only count the viable eggs so at least the clears are not counted and often I don't count eggs that quit really early unless I have a bunch quit on the same day which would indicate a problem with my bator on that day. Generally anything that quits in the first week I consider shipping damage unless there appears to be another reason and do not count them toward hatch rate. Most everything that quits after a week I consider my own fault and will include when calculating hatch rate.

Like others have said it depends what your goal is for getting a specific percent or number. It would probably make it clearer if we applied different names to different ways of calculating instead of just saying hatch rate and having it mean so many different things depending what the person is trying for.

 

[Ruditchka]

I guess that it is impossible, unless you got 100% hatch-rate, for anyone w/out the knowledge of their eggs background, to determinan an accurate hatch-rate.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Huh?

Nothing shady about different ways of calculating it. They just express different things. So it depends which particular thing you are interested in, which number you'd want to consult.

No one number is magic.

(e.t.a. - I think the basic premise of the initial post, that hatching is a competitive activity, is just bizarre

)

Pat

 

[Ruditchka]

Quote:
Huh?

Nothing shady about different ways of calculating it. They just express different things. So it depends which particular thing you are interested in, which number you'd want to consult.

No one number is magic.

(e.t.a. - I think the basic premise of the initial post, that hatching is a competitive activity, is just bizarre

)

Pat

Sorry Pat, I didn't mean "you" going to a bowling alley, it should have been "someone"(or myself) I didn't re-read after to catch my mistake. I guess the hatch-rate for those who get imported eggs should be determined by the number that are "clear" not counting, and for those who use their own or have knowledge of the eggs fertility rate should use all eggs as percentage of rate. Does this sound right?

 

[Akane]

It still depends what your after. If you want to know how good your hatching ability is despite infertile or damaged eggs you would never count clears. Rarely does anyone count clears in hatch rate. You can't have done anything to hatch those after you put them in the incubator. Even if they are your own. Lots of clears on your own eggs indicates a problem with the flock or that your just setting eggs from pullets that aren't laying well yet or I set some really early in the year and several got slightly frozen so they did not develop. I also had a lot quit in the first week during that hatch. I don't consider those my fault. They were most likely due to cold damage and there's nothing I could have done to make them hatch except heat my coop or bring my hens in the house.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
Well, I eat quite a bit of my own eggs regularly and I have a roo... right now I can say 100% fertile. I have yet to crack an egg that wasn't. I guess some people only want to hatch their eggs... but they'll be more eggs. Go ahead and crack some open for a week or 2 and eat some omlets... You'll know!

 

[Ruditchka]

I don't have chickens(yet!), to be able to crack open to see if they're fertile. I'm used to eating store bought white eggs but I read they are not fertile mostly, so I don't have a grasp on the difference by looking and can't afford to break open ones I buy for hatching to get an idea. I'll just go with the clears don't count method I guess.