Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Chicken Eggs for incubation and hatching

[MissBroodyHen]

Sorry but I need some help! I got to get an incubator up and running and I'm stuck on something. I've got this hova-bator with an auto turner! It didn't have any instructions with it. When I've googled I have found conflicting statements. Some same to set to 100.5 others say a lot lower. HELP!!

Forgot to say NO FAN! (Going to install one at some point!)

 

[ozexpat]

Sorry but I need some help! I got to get an incubator up and running and I'm stuck on something. I've got this hova-bator with an auto turner! It didn't have any instructions with it. When I've googled I have found conflicting statements. Some same to set to 100.5 others say a lot lower. HELP!!

Forgot to say NO FAN! (Going to install one at some point!)

see the hatching 101 link by sally that is in my signature for a wealth of info.

 

[ozexpat]

****, sally got post 11111. I wanted that one

 

[Sally Sunshine]

WHY DO I FEEL THIS CHAOS WAS ALL SET UP TODAY?

Well, the hatching is done as of Tuesday evening.

Had to assist 4 that had ext. pipped but were too weak to zip, also too big! There was no room for them to move. Two are doing great, one I had to put boots on, thanks BYC for how to do this!! and she is standing and walking pretty good today. One is struggling and will drink from an eyedropper but won't eat. Here is what I've done, is there anything else to try or just wait and see?

Pro-Vi-Sol no iron 3 drops/day
Water by dropper every two hours or whenever I think of it.
Added a little honey to water and dropper feeding as of today
Feeding raw egg yolk by dropper. Aargghh, worried that it will intro. bacteria but the baby was so weak it seemed like it couldn't hurt.
Just got Grow-gel over-nighted and it won't touch it, even if I try and introduce it with a toothpick end.

Don't know what else to do. Also, it barely opens it's little eyes, they seem to not be able to open all the way. It does not smell bad. Vent is clean. Navel is healed up fine. It's in a 95 deg. brooder with the others. I think this is the one that had gunky sticky stuff all over it when I opened the shell, and I did give it a warm bath and made sure it was warm and dried off fast by holding it under the lamp. (No, I didn't bake it)

awww I am so sorry you have to go through all this! she may just be a weak chick the poor thing! I hope they all perk up like my last two did!

We had State Farm come about 6 months ago but they only did an outside inspection and they didn't say anything about my duck coop or the kiddie pool I have too. Our yard is completely fenced, you can't see the coop (5 1/2 feet x 3 1/2 feet & about 5 1/2 feet at the highest pointed the roof) from the road though, we have a no trespassing sign on the gate, no electrical cords either and I only have the one coop with no run.

they can see everything here! lol

Quote: I answered just before this set of quotes... see above set... so happy for you too! your home now I take it? lol

GAHHH I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THIS THREAD! IT GROWS TOO FAST!!! I came home from school and there were over 10 pages!!!! BBQJAJDJKSAKHEBTNDKAOWIWKJWHEBFJKSLAKWJEHHRJFJDKEKIEURIEKAKSNDNNSKSKAKWKEJJDHEHDJEK
I guess that's good for the thread, but I can't read it all! LOL!!!

AGAIN SPARKY where did you go!

you can certainly help out with some of this stuff now

Chick is about to peep, air cell is on the side of the egg. chicks bill is at the other side in hatching position, day 18 pekin bantam. Any chance he will make it without the air cell oxygen supply??

so no external pip your saying? you can make one for it, TINY TINY don't hit the chick!

QUESTION!

I left the house on Sunday after an emergency phone call and am now just getting home today Friday my daughter turned my eggs for me but can somebody post a pic of a 7-8 day candle? I just don't know what im looking for. i'm seeing dark blobs and there was movement in one....maybe im too stressed to see anything?

I left sunday and returned today with a malnourished 7 week old baby...so I haven't settled in enough to focus on these little eggs in my incubator....


Anybody?

oh no! I am so sorry about the baby! awwwww here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

CANDLE EGGS
DAY 7
​

When you Candle on day 7 there should be a red dot about the size of a match head with faint blood vessels surrounding it and you may see the embryo move. This is an exciting time to candle! Eggs without any indications of fertility should be re-candled at 10 days and 14 days. If your not sure and it doesn’t smell leave it! If your egg is colored or a brown egg, it is harder to see through the shell, you may want to wait a few days and try again. Or find a better candler. If an egg has not been fertilized, it will be completely translucent inside the shell and you won't be able to see anything but perhaps yolk.


​

CANDLING & WEIGHING EGGS​

​

Understanding the Air Cell​

The average chicken egg has thousands of pores running through the shell allowing the embryo to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Water is also lost through these pores. Soon after an egg is laid, a small air bubble or “air cell” forms in the large end of the egg from this water loss. Humidity levels in the incubator determine moisture evaporation during the 21 days of incubation and hatching. The air cell is crucial for the chick to break out of the egg shell at the end of the incubation period. The chick can drown if the air cell is too small or the chick may be retarded in growth if the air cell is too large. This is why maintaining the proper humidity is crucial. Slightly lower humidity levels are more likely to be less disastrous than slightly higher humidity levels.

​

MARKING and OBSERVING the size of the air cell is a way of checking for correct weight loss of the egg and is commonly used. However, this can be inaccurate due to the different, types, shapes, and ages of eggs. The protrusion of the embryo into the air cell also may effect observations. Again, it is the most common method for non-commercial hatchers. With experience you can adjust your humidity as needed by visual inspection of air cells. However, Weighing is the MOST accurate.

If the incubation humidity is too low (very dry conditions), the air sac will be larger than normal and the humidity in the incubator should be increased to reduce the rate of water loss. If the air space is smaller than normal then the opposite applies.

Track the air sac with pencil tracings when you candle,
On the 7, 14 & 18th days

​

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Is this seriously a joke? I am frazzled like a frizzle or a sizzle

it would have been a great April fools joke on Sally!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

TEMPERATURE
Never trust the thermometer that comes with the incubator, always check it.
The thermometer that came with my incubator was off by 5 degrees.
That could mean life or death for your babies.
With a Forced Air Incubator (fan model) you can get the best hatch rate by keeping the temperature at 99.5º F. throughout the entire incubation period. HOWEVER, when using a Still Air incubator (no fan) at 102º F. The reason for different temperatures is that with a fan model the circulating air warms all around the egg while still air temperatures are warmer at the top of the egg than at the bottom. Therefore, increasing the temperature at the top of the egg will compensate for the egg's cooler parts. The temperature is measured at the level where the embryos develop (at the top of the egg). Minor fluctuations (less than ½ degree) above or below 100 degrees are tolerated. Temperatures only a degree or two above the recommended temperatures can kill chicks within 15-30 minutes depending on how high the temperature is and the developmental stage of the embryo. A high temperature tends to produce early hatches. A consistently cooler temperature tends to increase incubation times and produce weakened chicks. In both cases the total chicks hatched will be reduced. Prepare your incubator and run it for several days before adding eggs, to be positive you are maintaining correct incubation temperature. NOTE: It is common that when adding eggs the temperature will drop but should come back up to correct temperature within an hour or two. Don’t rest the thermometer's bulb touching the eggs or the incubator. Incorrect readings will result.
Did you know that 10/13 day old embryos begin to produce excess heat in the incubator? Most large commercial incubators will spend more time cooling than heating!


CALIBRATION! YES! It’s IMPORTANT!
Calibrate the thermometer/s you are using for your Incubator. I use 3 thermometers! You need to make sure your thermometer is reading correctly, Even one degree may cause serious problems with your hatch! A simple method without specialized instruments and knowledge is to compare your thermometer/hygrometer with other devices.

CALIBRATION of thermometers:
Freezing point method.
Fill a glass with crushed ice. Add a LITTLE clean water until the glass is full and stir. Wait 3 minutes then insert the thermometer tip into the ice-filled glass so it’s in the water ice mixture. Wait a minute and if the thermometer reads 32 F then it’s accurate, and if it does not, it requires calibration.

Boiling point method.
Boil water in a pot, about 6” deep. When the water is at boiling point, place the thermometer into the water and make sure that the tip stays in the middle of the boiling pot, away from bottom and sides. Wait 30 seconds and check if the thermometer reads correctly at 212 degrees if you are at sea level or below 1,000 feet elevation. The boiling point of water varies for different elevations: sea level at 212 F, 1000 feet at 210 F, 2000 feet at 208 F, 3000 feet at 206.4 F, 5000 feet at 202.75 F, and 8,000 feet at 197.5 F. The thermometer needs calibration if the reading is incorrect.

Calibrate the Digital Thermometer
Adjust the nut of the digital thermometer in order to correct the temperature. This is done by simply turning the adjuster until the correct reading is reached. Digital thermometers do not require any adjustment of a screw or nut. You simply need to locate the reset button. When the freezing point or boiling point of water is achieved, simply push the button and that’s it. Some digital thermometers may require you to push hold the reset button.

More information on Calibrating your thermometer/hygrometer:

How-to-Calibrate-your-hygrometer/

http://cmfarm.us/ThermometerCalibration.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_6672710_calibrate-digital-thermometer.html

http://www.canadacutlery.com/download/calibrate-a-thermometer.pdf

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-calibrate-a-digital-thermometer

VIDEOS SHOWING how to calibrate: http://www.youtube.com/results?sear.....0.0.0.2672.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac.

NOTE: Some incubators, even expensive ones may have "hot spots" or "cool spots" depending on air circulation inside the incubator.​

Sorry but I need some help! I got to get an incubator up and running and I'm stuck on something. I've got this hova-bator with an auto turner! It didn't have any instructions with it. When I've googled I have found conflicting statements. Some same to set to 100.5 others say a lot lower. HELP!!

Forgot to say NO FAN! (Going to install one at some point!)

 

[Sally Sunshine]

****, sally got post 11111. I wanted that one

you coulda had it for sure! guess your up for 12345

gotta run DH screaming he got calzones!

 

[PoultryGirly]

My eggs were just put in the bator (they have wobbly air cells) and the air cells are about the size of a quarter instead of a dime. Is there anything I can do?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: but but but sumi is gone and WE NEED HELP!

 

[MissBroodyHen]

S

[SIZE=28pt][COLOR=FF0000]https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101[/COLOR][/SIZE]​

[SIZE=28pt][COLOR=FF0000]TEMPERATURE[/COLOR][/SIZE]​

Never trust the thermometer that comes with the incubator, always check it.​

The thermometer that came with my incubator was off by 5 degrees.​

[COLOR=FF0000]That could mean life or death for your babies.[/COLOR]​

[SIZE=14pt]With a[/SIZE] [SIZE=20pt]Forced Air Incubator[/SIZE] [SIZE=14pt](fan model) you can get the best hatch rate by keeping the temperature at 99.5º F. throughout the entire incubation period. HOWEVER, when using a[/SIZE] [SIZE=20pt]Still Air incubator[/SIZE] [SIZE=14pt](no fan) at 102º F. The reason for different temperatures is that with a fan model the circulating air warms all around the egg while still air temperatures are warmer at the top of the egg than at the bottom. Therefore, increasing the temperature at the top of the egg will compensate for the egg's cooler parts. The temperature is measured at the level where the embryos develop (at the top of the egg). Minor fluctuations (less than ½ degree) above or below 100 degrees are tolerated. Temperatures only a degree or two above the recommended temperatures can kill chicks within 15-30 minutes depending on how high the temperature is and the developmental stage of the embryo. A high temperature tends to produce early hatches. A consistently cooler temperature tends to increase incubation times and produce weakened chicks. In both cases the total chicks hatched will be reduced.  Prepare your incubator and run it for several days before adding eggs, to be positive you are maintaining correct incubation temperature. [/SIZE] [SIZE=11pt][COLOR=003366]NOTE: It is common that when adding eggs the temperature will drop but should come back up to correct temperature within an hour or two. Don’t rest the thermometer's bulb touching the eggs or the incubator. Incorrect readings will result. [/COLOR][/SIZE]​

[SIZE=11pt][COLOR=FF0000]Did you know that 10/13 day old embryos begin to produce excess heat in the incubator? Most large commercial incubators will spend more time cooling than heating![/COLOR][/SIZE]​

 [SIZE=14pt][COLOR=FF0000]CALIBRATION! YES! It’s IMPORTANT![/COLOR][/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt]Calibrate the thermometer/s you are using for your Incubator. I use 3 thermometers! You need to make sure your thermometer is reading correctly, Even one degree may cause serious problems with your hatch! [/SIZE] [SIZE=14pt]A simple method without specialized instruments and knowledge is to compare your thermometer/hygrometer with other devices.[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt] [/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt][SIZE=18pt]CALIBRATION of thermometers:[/SIZE][/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt]Freezing point method.[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt]Fill a glass with crushed ice. Add a LITTLE clean water until the glass is full and stir. Wait 3 minutes then insert the thermometer tip into the ice-filled glass so it’s in the water ice mixture. Wait a minute and if the thermometer reads 32 F then it’s accurate, and if it does not, it requires calibration.[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt]Boiling point method.[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt]Boil water in a pot, about 6” deep. When the water is at boiling point, place the thermometer into the water and make sure that the tip stays in the middle of the boiling pot, away from bottom and sides. Wait 30 seconds and check if the thermometer reads correctly at 212 degrees if you are at sea level or below 1,000 feet elevation. The boiling point of water varies for different elevations: sea level at 212 F, 1000 feet at 210 F, 2000 feet at 208 F, 3000 feet at 206.4 F, 5000 feet at 202.75 F, and 8,000 feet at 197.5 F. The thermometer needs calibration if the reading is incorrect.[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt]Calibrate the Digital Thermometer[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=14pt]Adjust the nut of the digital thermometer in order to correct the temperature. This is done by simply turning the adjuster until the correct reading is reached. Digital thermometers do not require any adjustment of a screw or nut. You simply need to locate the reset button. When the freezing point or boiling point of water is achieved, simply push the button and that’s it. Some digital thermometers may require you to push hold the reset button.[/SIZE]​

More information on Calibrating your thermometer/hygrometer: ​

              ​

[COLOR=0000FF]How-to-Calibrate-your-hygrometer/[/COLOR] ​

                               ​

http://cmfarm.us/ThermometerCalibration.html

 ​

http://www.ehow.com/how_6672710_calibrate-digital-thermometer.html​

http://www.canadacutlery.com/download/calibrate-a-thermometer.pdf​

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-calibrate-a-digital-thermometer​

VIDEOS SHOWING how to calibrate: http://www.youtube.com/results?sear.....0.0.0.2672.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac.​

[COLOR=FF0000][SIZE=14pt]NOTE: Some incubators, even expensive ones may have "hot spots" or "cool spots" depending on air circulation inside the incubator.[/SIZE][/COLOR]​

Ok that's funny cause I read it was meant to be 102. But the incubator states 100!! That's confusing. There is nothing stating about an egg turner tho. Would you say that I should still set it at 102 even with the turner??
And thanks for helping!

I don't know what I would have done. Messed up all my eggs probably. Aaaghhhhhhhh!!