first hatch a fail

newchickentown

In the Brooder
5 Years
Oct 5, 2014
11
1
24
My first hatch was a fail I had no eggs hatch when I did my eggtopsy there was three that had developed but two were very small still had yolk sac one much larger not sac we have a pro series 4200 which is a circulating air self turner going to set more eggs tomorrow but really want to know what I can do to have a better hatch it was so sad to see the that. Thanks
 
Did you have a known good thermometer or two inside the incubator, that you were using to monitor temps? Did you have a decent humidity gauge in there as well?

That little installed dial thermometer and humidity gauge on the top should not even be there, it's utter JUNK and useless!!! I wish these cheap incubator companies would just stop putting them in they cause more trouble and failures then anything else...

May I suggest you go to Walmart and get these two items...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Culture-Aquarium-Floating-Thermometer-1ct-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/10795052
http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Digital-Humidity-and-Temperature-Monitor/16888914\

When picking out the glass aquarium thermometer look at the ones on the shelf and pick one that is consistent with the others, not the one that is high or low... These cheap ones are actually pretty accurate... Also don't hang this one or try using the suction cup, lay it down across the eggs on the turner...

About $10 later you will have two half way decent thermometers to compare against and a decent humidity gauge as well...
 
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Thank you what about when I take them out of the turner should I put them in an egg carton or just on grate
 
Thank you what about when I take them out of the turner should I put them in an egg carton or just on grate


You can lay them on the grate for the last few days before hatching... May I suggest you hit up a dollar store (or Walmart) for some drawer/shelf liner and put that on the metal grate as it provides a better footing for the new chicks and also helps prevent the eggs from rolling all over the place, also I find it saves on clean up as it catches most of the slop and poop, I simply toss the liner after they hatch and the grate usually just needs a quick wipe off...

http://www.dollartree.com/household...-Liners-5-sq-ft-/500c541c541p312544/index.pro
 
Did you have a known good thermometer or two inside the incubator, that you were using to monitor temps? Did you have a decent humidity gauge in there as well?

That little installed dial thermometer and humidity gauge on the top should not even be there, it's utter JUNK and useless!!! I wish these cheap incubator companies would just stop putting them in they cause more trouble and failures then anything else...

May I suggest you go to Walmart and get these two items...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Culture-Aquarium-Floating-Thermometer-1ct-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/10795052
http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Digital-Humidity-and-Temperature-Monitor/16888914\

When picking out the glass aquarium thermometer look at the ones on the shelf and pick one that is consistent with the others, not the one that is high or low... These cheap ones are actually pretty accurate... Also don't hang this one or try using the suction cup, lay it down across the eggs on the turner...

About $10 later you will have two half way decent thermometers to compare against and a decent humidity gauge as well...

I can't believe how bad the thermometer was on the incubator it was off 10 degrees thank you for you advice
 
Once you get that new thermometer you might want to calibrate it. That takes even more guesswork out of the process.

Rebel’s Thermometer Calibration
http://cmfarm.us/ThermometerCalibration.html

Rebel’s Hygrometer Calibration
http://cmfarm.us/HygrometerCalibration.html

You beat me. When I look at the outdoor thermometers in stores I have seen as much as 9 degrees difference in high to low, never one off by ten degrees itself. If I buy an outdoor thermometer I pick one that is about the average of the ones for sale but I realize it’s not that accurate. It could still be off a couple of degrees, but for seeing if I need a jacket or not, that’s close enough. It is not close enough for an incubator. I do suggest you calibrate whatever you use.

Very nice catch MeepBeep. You sure hit this one dead on.
 
I am homeschooling my first grade son and our first science unit we decided to do Oviparous animals (animals that lay eggs). My sister who raises chickens offered to let me take her forced air incubator and some eggs to attempt a hatch for our project. I decided as long as she was willing to take the chicks after it would be a great experience for my son, (and myself), so I agreed. We started with two dozen eggs of various breed/mostly mixed breeds I believe and set to incubate. I did quite bit of googling and researching (and found myself here at back yard chickens more often than not).

At lockdown on day 18 we had 15 viable eggs. I was positive and looking forward to hatch day. But hatch day came and went without even a pip. We did end up with one hatch on day 24. A fluffy yellow. Her legs seemed to be slightly splayed but she fluffed up nicely and the next morning went to the brooder. On day 25 a little black one hatched, after much trouble but wasn't very active and never quite fluffed up. He died that night.

Our little yellow chick (who's legs are perfectly fine now) is now about 3/4's feathered out, and will be 4 weeks this Tuesday. She is so awesome. I never understood chicks as pets, or thought they had much of a personality, but now I am hooked. We are so bonded to this little (girl I think) that she is a pet. She has this amazing little personality and wants to be with me and out of the cage 24/7.

It was hard to take though that out of two dozen eggs we ended up with only the one. I've gone back and really put some thought into where I went wrong and I think I have a good idea of the contributors. I hadn't planned on trying again as I am not one to take the loss of animal life too easy, but since we decided Peep (trite I know, but she started peeping at us from inside the shell the night before she pipped, so she kinda got labeled with that name) isn't going anywhere since we are way too attached, my son has decided he wants a rooster if Peep is a girl, I agreed to give it one more shot.

We're in the country, we have the room and means and we like farm fresh eggs, so we have decided to give it a go at raising some of our own backyard chickens. I never thought I could get attached to a chicken, but I'm starting to realize they are kind of like tattoos....once you have one, you want another...lol

So plan is, if my sister gets them to me, next week we are going to set up another 3 dozen and see what we get. Hopefully the second try will work out for us both as I know how disappointing it is to have a first hatch fail. So good luck!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, let us know how the second try works!!
 
What went wrong AmyLynn? How could only one of 24 make it? Even with no humidity control whatsoever, and slightly off temps, I thought at least 50% are supposed to make it.
 
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I am homeschooling my first grade son and our first science unit we decided to do Oviparous animals (animals that lay eggs). My sister who raises chickens offered to let me take her forced air incubator and some eggs to attempt a hatch for our project. I decided as long as she was willing to take the chicks after it would be a great experience for my son, (and myself), so I agreed. We started with two dozen eggs of various breed/mostly mixed breeds I believe and set to incubate. I did quite bit of googling and researching (and found myself here at back yard chickens more often than not).

At lockdown on day 18 we had 15 viable eggs. I was positive and looking forward to hatch day. But hatch day came and went without even a pip. We did end up with one hatch on day 24. A fluffy yellow. Her legs seemed to be slightly splayed but she fluffed up nicely and the next morning went to the brooder. On day 25 a little black one hatched, after much trouble but wasn't very active and never quite fluffed up. He died that night.

Our little yellow chick (who's legs are perfectly fine now) is now about 3/4's feathered out, and will be 4 weeks this Tuesday. She is so awesome. I never understood chicks as pets, or thought they had much of a personality, but now I am hooked. We are so bonded to this little (girl I think) that she is a pet. She has this amazing little personality and wants to be with me and out of the cage 24/7.

It was hard to take though that out of two dozen eggs we ended up with only the one. I've gone back and really put some thought into where I went wrong and I think I have a good idea of the contributors. I hadn't planned on trying again as I am not one to take the loss of animal life too easy, but since we decided Peep (trite I know, but she started peeping at us from inside the shell the night before she pipped, so she kinda got labeled with that name) isn't going anywhere since we are way too attached, my son has decided he wants a rooster if Peep is a girl, I agreed to give it one more shot.

We're in the country, we have the room and means and we like farm fresh eggs, so we have decided to give it a go at raising some of our own backyard chickens. I never thought I could get attached to a chicken, but I'm starting to realize they are kind of like tattoos....once you have one, you want another...lol

So plan is, if my sister gets them to me, next week we are going to set up another 3 dozen and see what we get. Hopefully the second try will work out for us both as I know how disappointing it is to have a first hatch fail. So good luck!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, let us know how the second try works!!

I set 23 eggs on Thursday so we will see how it goes
 
AmyLynn, before you start make sure the thermometer is reading correctly. There are a lot of different things that can make eggs hatch early or late but from what you described it sounds like your temperature is really low. Use a thermometer that shows you tenths of a degree, not just whole degrees. Get a really reliable thermometer and check that out. A medical thermometer is already calibrated.
 
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