Everything by the book and low hatch rates

[kissezmychicken]

I have had temps at a consistent 99.5, humidity at 50% and the last 3 hatches have been like 20%. Different local egg supply (off Craigslist) what is wrong??? I'm about to quit hatching for good..the chicks that have hatched are healthy and happy..they do grow, I candle at 7 and 16..they look great. Then virtually nothing..I use a new Little Giant 13100 with egg Turner..no temp spikes..

 

[R2elk]

I have had temps at a consistent 99.5, humidity at 50% and the last 3 hatches have been like 20%. Different local egg supply (off Craigslist) what is wrong??? I'm about to quit hatching for good..the chicks that have hatched are healthy and happy..they do grow, I candle at 7 and 16..they look great. Then virtually nothing..I use a new Little Giant 13100 with egg Turner..no temp spikes..

How about the air supply? I used to have terrible hatch rates just because I didn't have sufficient air flow through the incubator. I was dumb enough to be closing down the air vents to raise the humidity instead of just adding more water (surface area not depth).

I try for approximately 30% humidity during incubation (except for guinea eggs) and 60% - 70% humidity during lockdown. I run my air vents wide open (GQF 1202) at all times and have had up to 100% hatches.

Good luck.

 

[kissezmychicken]

My air vents are open as well..I just don't get it. I'm not leaving anything out..temp, ok..humidity ok..air supply...ok, not over handling them, I'm just giving up at this point..

 

[feedman77]

Have you double checked the temperature with a know to be accurate thermometer?

My LG the humidity gauge would read 40 to 50. Whether there was water in it or not. So it was always off out of the box.

The other issue that could come into play is the heating element is not centered. So there could possibly be cold/hot spots in the corners of up to 6 degrees.

I double checked my temp with a brinsea spot check. I had to set my incubator at 103 to get 99.5 relatively consistant. And how I knew temp variations in the corners.

If temps are stable. And you want to experiment with a batch of eggs. Set them, turn them. But don't add any water til day 18. The fill traps in the bottom with warm water and see if your hatch rate goes up.

I get my best hatch rates with no less than 20 but up to 35 percent humidity.

Lgs are finicky but with time and tweaking it to your situation they can yield decent hatches.

 

[feedman77]

When I tried 50 percent during incubation my chicks would be fully formed but drowned when they pipped.

Don't give up on incubation just yet. I know it can be frustrating and disappointing. I have cooked, drowned, and messed up several batches of eggs.

After a lot of trial and error I found a sequence that worked decent for me.

But when it all comes together it is extremely rewarding.

At least it has been for me.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I agree with the others on the humidity. I too run 30% for incubation raising 70-75% at hatch.
The lg 9300 digital are often wrong on the display as feedman mentioned, so make sure you are using your own thermometers/hygrometers. That could be a big factor. Don't give up, let us help you and give it one more try!
What day did the ones that hatched hatch on? Were they on time, late or early? I'm going to give you 2 links to look at. One is the humidity method I swear by. (Providing you're not in high elevations.) The other is a general hatching guide from hands on perspective. It's not the normal hatching guide your used to. If you would take a look at those and consider giving it one more chance, you might be surprised!
http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity
http://hatching411.weebly.com/
And if you find yourself stuck, feel free to join us on the hands on hatching and help thread

 

[kissezmychicken]

Three hatched on time, one at 23 days one last night at 24 days...this one is dry now but crunchy fluff not fluffy like the rest. Is that from late hatch?

 

[kissezmychicken]

T he chick seems healthy though

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Three hatched on time, one at 23 days one last night at 24 days...this one is dry now but crunchy fluff not fluffy like the rest. Is that from late hatch?

It's from the high humidity. The extra fluid in the shell can be sticky and when they dry it dries like glue on their down feathers. If it is not hindering movement and activity, I'd let it wear off naturally. If it is hindering movement, you can give them a quick warm bath with a little blue dawn, carefully holding them, keep water from getting in their nose and blow drying them after to keep from them getting a chill and adding them back to their heated brooder.

 

[kissezmychicken]

Thank you I am frustrated. Maybe it's that Little Giant incubators are not good. I have bad hatch rates and I just don't think the temps are right. They say they are but I remember they seemed cool when I candle them. But the temp said 99.5