Dead chick in egg? Please help!

[AliciaOrpington]

I work on a special farm and we have built an incubator a few weeks ago. On Monday this week, one of the eggs was about to hatch and I saw the chick moving but the next day it looked like it died. I've candled a couple of the other eggs and I didn't see anything move.


This video shows the incubator we made. It's our first time doing this.

Please give me some tips about this. Thanks.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I work on a special farm and we have built an incubator a few weeks ago. On Monday this week, one of the eggs was about to hatch and I saw the chick moving but the next day it looked like it died. I've candled a couple of the other eggs and I didn't see anything move.


This video shows the incubator we made. It's our first time doing this.


Please give me some tips about this. Thanks.

Did this builder post How good his hatch rate was with this???

Listen I know for a fact a lady hatched a egg in her bathroom inside a clay pot with a lamp shinning down on the wrapped, humid egg----so I am Not going to say he can not hatch in this $20 incubator-----I am just going to say there is more to hatching than getting the temp between 95 and 100+ degree's. I would not even put a egg in that thing---95+% chance one built like "THAT" will not work. I would want to start out with better odds if I was going to hatch. People will post anything. I feel sure I can build a incubator out of a cooler like that and it have a decent hatch ---but Why?? I have bought factory styrofoam incubators for $5 and up that WILL hatch and are some-what properly built. I have bought several off craigslist for $15 to $20 that looked almost new. I guess it boils down to----a person can do what they want to do----I just wish they would Show the "truthful" proven results before allowing people to waste 3 weeks of their life with junk like this. Sorry

That's My Tip!!

 

[Pyxis]

I work on a special farm and we have built an incubator a few weeks ago. On Monday this week, one of the eggs was about to hatch and I saw the chick moving but the next day it looked like it died. I've candled a couple of the other eggs and I didn't see anything move. This video shows the incubator we made. It's our first time doing this. Please give me some tips about this. Thanks.

I used to have a DIY incubator just like this, and it worked fantastically, except, and this is a big except, mine had a thermostat. That is very important. You need to be able to regulate the temperature or it's not going to work. I don't see a fan in this one, so you would want to be running it at still air temperatures, aka 101.5 degrees with the temperature measured at the top of the egg. Without a thermostat, there's no way to control that. You can very easily pick up an inexpensive thermostat to run this and then it would actually work for you. Add a computer fan too and you'll do even better because forced air is easier to run than still air temperature wise. If you make those changes you could easily have great hatches in this. Mine was fantastic and worked much better than a styrofoam one you could buy premade, and was still cheaper. I only got rid of it because the thermostat quit and I moved on to my Brinseas from there. As to your current hatch, a temp spike might have ruined it. With no way to control the temperature, there's no way to prevent that from happening. What day did you set them? What day is their hatch day supposed to be?

 

[PD-Riverman]

except, and this is a big except, mine had a thermostat. That is very important. You need to be able to regulate the temperature or it's not going to work. I don't see a fan in this one, so you would want to be running it at still air temperatures, aka 101.5 degrees with the temperature measured at the top of the egg. Without a thermostat, there's no way to control that.

You can very easily pick up an inexpensive thermostat to run this and then it would actually work for you. Add a computer fan too and you'll do even better because forced air is easier to run than still air temperature wise. If you make those changes you could easily have great hatches in this. Mine was fantastic and worked much better than a styrofoam one you could buy premade, and was still cheaper. I only got rid of it because the thermostat quit and I moved on to my Brinseas from there.

As to your current hatch, a temp spike might have ruined it. With no way to control the temperature, there's no way to prevent that from happening.

What day did you set them? What day is their hatch day supposed to be?

Exactly!!! A good Thermostat makes a difference. Not going to say Cheaper in every case, because I have bought factory Styrofoam for $5 that worked---could put a better thermostat in one of them and be good. Yep a fan---makes a difference in the hatch %----Better hatch!!

 

[rookhomestead]

AliciaOrpington. You can certainly go with what you've got, but make sure you have a few vent holes. Its clear you'll be manually turning but during lockdown they'll need fresh air so 85th out opening it. Also, you should make a barrier of sort for the bulb so you don't cook the front side of the eggs, say aluminum foil. And you may have to play with different watt bulbs. Mine is small so I use 6 or 7 watt. Get a mercury thermometer(check its accurate) and lay it on top of the eggs for your 101* reading. The digital is good to check humidity, assuming it's accurate. Most important is the air sac size throughout incubating. It will tell you how to adjust humidity. Try to stay 40-50% Consult a chart and don't candle too often. My peep hole is in the front, thats why my therm is sideways with the mercury at top egg level.

 

[rookhomestead]

It's not a foolproof but homemade bators work with enough effort.

 

[AliciaOrpington]

Oh thank you so much. All your tips were so helpful, even the thermostat tip.


By the way, we had three chicks hatch naturally in a small doghouse in the garden.

 

[rookhomestead]

That's cool. I had 2 of my bators going. One had 2 muscovy. (1hatched) the other got flipped wrong when zipping and died. The other hatched 3 chicks of 7 eggs. 2 got cooked with the temp spikes from our wonderful weather. The other 2 had really thick shells and tiny air cells, so I'm assuming they drowned. I've got one going again. 1inch air holes all over to be able to open up when the temp goes up, since we don't use a/c in the house. There's 11 eggs in it and they're all looking good. Got 2 again that aren't losing moisture like they should, so I'm going to sponge them 2x a day and hope it gets them right.

 

[rookhomestead]

Oooh, and I didn't mention a heat sink... Put a jar of water or water bottles. Once they reach temp, it helps keep the temp from fluctuating a lot.