First hatch chicks flipped over pipped eggs, not looking good

[Rose Quartz]

One thing to add about humidity: its different at differt parts of the year. Im in a high humidity climate too. February is the easiest time of year to set eggs for me. I usually run at 15% for the first 18 days the only time i add water is if it drops down to 12% but usually just lifting the lid a little bit (or if youre turning by hand) will be enough to bring it back up. I dont have the aircell growth i want to see unless i do that. With the hovabator i needed the smallest and largest well to get my humidity to 65% during a really dry spell this summer. Local humidity was at about 50% . when the chicks started hatching the humidity in the incubator was going up to 82% and i was lifting the lid to try to bring it down. I ended up taking the not fully dry chicks out and putting them under my MHP(heating pad) setup to dry.

If the local humidity was at normal 80% - 90% i would probably only have to put water in the smallest well. But that's why i test just before setting eggs its so that i know how it will act with the current weather.

 

[Kris5902]

Thank you... I did not know that the humidity was affected by the surface area of the water and followed the instructions that came with my incubator and several online sources. I was afraid of the slippery surface of its plastic mesh causeing splayed legs... again my first time here, please don’t judge me too harshly. I had the incubator up and running for a week before setting the eggs, my humidity was great until lockdown. The temperature... I have two different and calibrated thermometers I was using as well as the digital readout.

Now understanding that the surface area, not depth of the water, causes humidity I will put in a rubber shelf liner with the tiny holes in it for hatch next time, the paper towels I used under the eggs when I set them for lockdown managed to wick the moisture along them causing my humidity issue. There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet, the instructions that came with the incubator were sparse on actual info on hatching, but told me all about how wonderful it is to clean it.

Apologies for my shortness, but I was hoping for information and help, not being told in red font only what I’ve done wrong, which was basically already established. I’m a little exhausted because In addition to all the regular farm work I’m doing, I’m checking the incubator hourly over the night for the past two days, and was up for 20 hours the night before watching the hatch.

On a positive note: I have 13 very healthy active chicks, one with an injured leg I’m seeking advice on from a Facebook friend because he saved a similar chick from a hatchery batch, and the last one to hatch which is looking better now she’s under the brooder heat. Two are pipping now in the incubator, and my humidity is up to58% and I’m hoping that’s high enough. Beginning of day 23 and there are still 20 eggs that might hatch.

I’m wishing I hadn’t spent so much on these little giant incubators (they are fairly pricy here... cost me $300 CAD each with the turners, and I was given extra eggs and had to pick up a second on the way home or risk 5 viable eggs not going in) and had put it into a proper large Brinsea cabinet incubator instead, but they look to run from $2000-$6000 and I wasn’t sure that the investment was warranted for a first time project.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Thank you... I did not know that the humidity was affected by the surface area of the water and followed the instructions that came with my incubator and several online sources. I was afraid of the slippery surface of its plastic mesh causeing splayed legs... again my first time here, please don’t judge me too harshly. I had the incubator up and running for a week before setting the eggs, my humidity was great until lockdown. The temperature... I have two different and calibrated thermometers I was using as well as the digital readout.

Now understanding that the surface area, not depth of the water, causes humidity I will put in a rubber shelf liner with the tiny holes in it for hatch next time, the paper towels I used under the eggs when I set them for lockdown managed to wick the moisture along them causing my humidity issue. There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet, the instructions that came with the incubator were sparse on actual info on hatching, but told me all about how wonderful it is to clean it.

Apologies for my shortness, but I was hoping for information and help, not being told in red font only what I’ve done wrong, which was basically already established. I’m a little exhausted because In addition to all the regular farm work I’m doing, I’m checking the incubator hourly over the night for the past two days, and was up for 20 hours the night before watching the hatch.

On a positive note: I have 13 very healthy active chicks, one with an injured leg I’m seeking advice on from a Facebook friend because he saved a similar chick from a hatchery batch, and the last one to hatch which is looking better now she’s under the brooder heat. Two are pipping now in the incubator, and my humidity is up to58% and I’m hoping that’s high enough. Beginning of day 23 and there are still 20 eggs that might hatch.

I’m wishing I hadn’t spent so much on these little giant incubators (they are fairly pricy here... cost me $300 CAD each with the turners, and I was given extra eggs and had to pick up a second on the way home or risk 5 viable eggs not going in) and had put it into a proper large Brinsea cabinet incubator instead, but they look to run from $2000-$6000 and I wasn’t sure that the investment was warranted for a first time project.

Yeah the hovabator runs about the same price. Incubators are a bit cheaper online but still. My first go at incubating i spent the whole 21 days with no more than 3 hours sleep at a time. It was a 20 year old homemade incubator that my parents had. The temperature swings were crazy and i had to be on top of it constantly. After that i made my own which worked way better.

This was my first year with a store bought one. i had bought a turner and couldnt figure out how to set it up in my home made incu.

Having a secondary incu is worth it. There are always going to be chicks that need a little extra attention. Being able to put one into its own incu that needs help instead of opening and closing the one with all your eggs and risking nneeding to assit them all is worth it if you intend to continue hatching your own chicks.

Brinsea is my dream incu. But ill probably never get one just because of the cost.

 

[Kris5902]

Brinsea is my dream incu. But ill probably never get one just because of the cost.

Yes, very pricy... I did order their EcoGlow heaters which are working beautifully. I also can’t get many things delivered to my location from amazon. I’m not sure if our post office won’t accept them or if there are limits on what can be shipped to it because of all the ferries... my EcoGlow 20’s were ok, but I had to get the 50 shipped to my Aunt-in-law. My propane heater was ok (for my current living situation, not chickens) but the regulator and hose was a no-no for some reason.

My poor aunt-in-law just dropped off my latest purchase, 4 solar panels... I’m just picturing her receiving a package the size of a small fridge and getting cut off from the “can I use your house as an alternate shipping location, pretty please” list

 

[chuckachucka]

Yay for your thirteen hatchlings so far! i hope the one with the leg problem makes a full recovery!