First hatch that is not going good.

[patnjess]

This hatch is not going good, I have like 95% rate on my hatches, but now I have some fancy shmansy new thermometer/hygrometer and I'm blaming it! It is the only thing that is different.


They weren't suppose to hatch till tonight, the first one hatched Friday, and 9 others friday night/saturday morning. Since then nothing not even a pip!
And 2 of the ones that hatched didn't do well, There umbilical area was not healed, and the others started picking them to death while in the bator, and they were bleeding out and leaking yolk everywhere, they were so weak they couldn't hold their heads up, so I culled them.

So do you think these others are ok or is it done. Never had a hatch stagger like this. I did open up the bator, but I did it outside, and other florida people can agree its 95 and about 90% humidity, its soup! BLAH!

It was so hot that the others that I pulled when I put the heat lamp at the other side, they ran far away and were still panting like they were terribly hot. Its awful out, anyway...what do you think, still hope.

 

[chickenlittle32]

Jess, what type of thermometer/hygrometer is it...and did you calibrate it?

 

[patnjess]

No I didn't calibrate it. I didn't even think about it since I have been hatching for 2 years with great results. I just bit the bullet and candled, and all but one look like the died a while back

and that means the eggs that I bought from someone else (local) 5 eggs, only 2 made it. The other ones were from my old stock and all but 3 out of 11 made it. I have a much better hatch from my own. Wonder what that means?
My thermometer is a Taylor. I'm not loving it. Its temps were all over the place. So how do I calibrate, there were no directions for that with it.

Quote:

 

[NYRIR]

sorry I can't help you with that but wanted to say I'm sorry about your chicks

 

[chickenlittle32]

Place your hygrometer inside the zip lock bag along with the dish of water and salt and seal it up. Let that set undisturbed for about 12 hours. Your hygrometer should read 75%. If it doesn't, if it reads, say 70%, then it's off by 5%. Therefore, any reading you have on it, you'll know to add 5 to the figure to get an accurate reading. Same holds true if it's showing 80% - just subtract the extra 5 in that case.

 

[abooth]

Also sometimes an early hatch indicates too high temps during incubation.