Day 20, No activity.....Is this normal? Chicken mom freaking out! :)

[PD-Riverman]

I have calibrated it, I only have one thermometer.. I'm starting 5 new eggs tomorrow so hopefully I'll have a better hatch! So I think this time I will monitor the incubator a little more closely and I probably won't candle as often as I did IF at all, because I think I killed the embryo by candling it

Try this, Make sure you are counting 24 hours after setting as day 1(not the day you set them as day 1) keep the water and temp correct, candle on day 12 and remove any clear eggs---on day 18 stop turning(remove turner) candle again and remove any bad eggs. Lock down, add water by using a straw, or turkey injector type long needle---Make sure the water trays are full on day 20---tape up the windows on day 20--(so you can not see in and want to help--LOL)---open about mid day on day 22----Surprise!!! Let us know what happens!!!! VERY, VERY Good Luck To You!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have calibrated it, I only have one thermometer.. I'm starting 5 new eggs tomorrow so hopefully I'll have a better hatch! So I think this time I will monitor the incubator a little more closely and I probably won't candle as often as I did IF at all, because I think I killed the embryo by candling it

Unless you are handling the eggs with dirty hands, being rough with them, candling multiple times a day or for extrememly long periods of time, candling shouldn't compromise your eggs. I'm a candler. Even if I tell myself leave them alone, I find myself candling before I go to bed, even if it's just a few. lol.
Just remember, yes, day one starts 24 hours after you set them. Eggs don't always hatch at or in 21 days. Keeping the average of the temp consistant is a big deal. Humidity is important too, the best way to know if the eggs are loosing the right amount of moisture is by checking the air cells to make sure they are growing at the right rate. If you haven't checked out the dry incubation method, I'd recommend reading about it. I used this for my last hatch and it worked great, there was less stress of trying to maintain a certain number for humidity and I will definitely be using this method from now on.
Good luck!

 

[HamonyFarmHens]

Thank you all for the advice! Would you mind explaining the dry incubation a little more? I've read about it but don't really understand it... No humidity AT ALL or it doesn't matter whether it's 10% or 60%?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thank you all for the advice! Would you mind explaining the dry incubation a little more? I've read about it but don't really understand it... No humidity AT ALL or it doesn't matter whether it's 10% or 60%?

I believe they say there needs to be at least 15%. When I did mine, my hygrometer read 40-50 average w/o a drop of water in the bator. I have never calibrated my hygrometer to see the accuracy, but outside the bator it runs close to the percentage that we supposedly had. (Even at a 20% discrepancy I'd be w/in the proper range.) I also kept a very good eye (seeing as how I like to candle) on my air cells to make sure they were loosing enough moisture, but not too much. I did not fill my water wells during the first 17 days. At lockdown, you do everything normally, including raising the humidity 65% +. 60% (in my opinion) is too high for the first 17 days no matter what method you use. I do intend to get a new hygrometer before my next hatch and if the two aren't close in readings will calibrate both, but I rely more on keeping an eye on the air cells. They will basically tell you what you need to do for humidity during the first 17 days. (Some people also do the weighing the eggs to check.)

 

[Aphrael]

I would definitely candle at least twice. If a quitter goes unnoticed for long periods of time, bacteria will grow inside it creating pressure. These eggs have the potential to explode, contaminating your remaining eggs. I failed to candle my last batch, I had a rather unpleasant surprise in my incubator at 2 weeks....

I've never had one blow in the bator. but did have one explode under a first time broody hen.

There are no words for that particular stench.

Try this, Make sure you are counting 24 hours after setting as day 1(not the day you set them as day 1) keep the water and temp correct, candle on day 12 and remove any clear eggs---on day 18 stop turning(remove turner) candle again and remove any bad eggs. Lock down, add water by using a straw, or turkey injector type long needle---Make sure the water trays are full on day 20---tape up the windows on day 20--(so you can not see in and want to help--LOL)---open about mid day on day 22----Surprise!!! Let us know what happens!!!! VERY, VERY Good Luck To You!!

If I covered the windows and couldn't see in, I'd have a nervous breakdown!

Thank you all for the advice! Would you mind explaining the dry incubation a little more? I've read about it but don't really understand it... No humidity AT ALL or it doesn't matter whether it's 10% or 60%?

Dry incubation doesn't actually mean no humidity. Typically, you don't want the humidity to drop below 20%, and I think most "dry" hatchers shoot for 30-35%. (That's where I aim.) The required humidity isn't a hard and fast number you can take as gospel. Many factors can affect what amount of humidity is needed. The key is either watching the air cell growth or weighing the eggs. What you are shooting for with the regulation of the humidity is for the eggs to lose just enough moisture that the chicks have a nice air space for learning to breathe, but not such a huge cell that it leaves them without enough room to grow properly. I believe a dry hatch is considered to be anything under 50% humidity the first 18 days (which is the traditionally recommended humidity level). I found that with 50% humidity, my eggs didn't lose nearly enough moisture, and many of the chicks in my first hatch suffocated in their shell.
I know this was rambling, but I hope I at least didn't increase your confusion.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Info from dry hatch articles and blogs: ... for the first 18-19 days, add NO water. Easy enough. Make note of what the humidity reads, though. Usually the incubator will read anywhere from 15-30% during incubation, and that's just fine.
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2014/05/DryIncubation.html

Regardless of how you get there, the incubator's goal humidity is 30% to 40% if you're a dry hatcher or 40% to 50% if you're a conventional hatcher.
http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Dry_incubation/

With the dry hatch method, humidity is maintained at 20-35% throughout incubation and raised to 55-65% or higher during lockdown
http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/day-18-lockdown/

You see, it all depends on the person...lol Basically anything lower than 50% but higher than 15%

The important thing is to monitor the air cells or the weight to make sure they are loosing enough of their moisture.

 

[HamonyFarmHens]

Thank you for the quick response! I think I'll try the dry incubation method, it seems logical and safer (and easier!)

 

[HumbleHen207]

I can do dry incubation without adding next to any water here in Maine during the spring. We have such a humid climate that there is enough humidity in the air to supplement my incubator. As soon as things dry out though I need to add a little water to the pan each day. I have had much better results with dry incubation, stronger chicks, and fewer open navals. Doesnt work terribly well for waterfowl however.

 

[HamonyFarmHens]

Hello,
It's day 21 again!! I have 5 eggs, day 18 I candled and two I'm not so sure about but the rest of them were so full that I couldn't see anything but the air. What time do chicks usually hatch on day 21? Early in the morning or at night..?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hello,
It's day 21 again!! I have 5 eggs, day 18 I candled and two I'm not so sure about but the rest of them were so full that I couldn't see anything but the air. What time do chicks usually hatch on day 21? Early in the morning or at night..?

Honestly, when they are ready. Chicks don't have an internal clock that tells them it's time to hatch. They don't neccessarily hatch on day 21 either. On average day 21 is hatch day, but sometimes they are ready on day 20 to pop out. Sometimes they are not ready until day 22 or 23. Nature follows no set timetables. There is no average as to wether chicks that actually hatch on day 21 hatch early on 21 or late on 21.