First hatching experience!

[jphendrix]

oh Cool! look at that coloring!!

He is absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: you will have gorgeous chicks!!!

 

[jphendrix]

I sure hope so!

 

[jphendrix]

Day 2 everything seems to be running good! 45% humidity and 100 temp is pretty consistent, except humidity fluctuations but nothing major!!!!!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'm anxious to start our spring hatch too. Your incubator looks like a stir air. One thing with all still air models is to incubate at a higher temperature (101.5F) measuring at the top of eggs. Without a fan there is a large discrepancy of temp from bottom to top of your incubator especially that the heating element is on top. With thermometer at top level of eggs reading 101-102F you can be assured the average egg temp is 99.5F.

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_temp.html

Some folks have major issues with temperature fluctuations and these can fall into several categories. A) They can't keep their hands off the thermostat. B) They open the lid many times and don't have the patients to wait for temp to stabilize again. C) There really is a problem.

If there is a problem the easiest way to correct large temperature swings is to add more thermal mass to your incubator. Not only temperature swings in the room will effect an incubators performance but also if your incubating a small number of eggs. It's simply not enough mass to keep temperatures steady so the thermostat's turning on and off points can have large effect on temperature. Just add some rocks or any other heat conducting mass to the bottom of your incubator. Thin paving stone, broken concrete, stones, ceramic, tupperware with sealed lid filled with water, you name it and you've probably got something lying around your house. Something relatively heavy that retains heat. You'll see your temperature fluctuations smooth out. Folks that incubate 40 eggs have nice and steady temperature and it's due to all that extra mass.

 

[jphendrix]

I'm anxious to start our spring hatch too. Your incubator looks like a stir air. One thing with all still air models is to incubate at a higher temperature (101.5F) measuring at the top of eggs. Without a fan there is a large discrepancy of temp from bottom to top of your incubator especially that the heating element is on top. With thermometer at top level of eggs reading 101-102F you can be assured the average egg temp is 99.5F.

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_temp.html

Some folks have major issues with temperature fluctuations and these can fall into several categories. A) They can't keep their hands off the thermostat. B) They open the lid many times and don't have the patients to wait for temp to stabilize again. C) There really is a problem.

If there is a problem the easiest way to correct large temperature swings is to add more thermal mass to your incubator. Not only temperature swings in the room will effect an incubators performance but also if your incubating a small number of eggs. It's simply not enough mass to keep temperatures steady so the thermostat's turning on and off points can have large effect on temperature. Just add some rocks or any other heat conducting mass to the bottom of your incubator. Thin paving stone, broken concrete, stones, ceramic, tupperware with sealed lid filled with water, you name it and you've probably got something lying around your house. Something relatively heavy that retains heat. You'll see your temperature fluctuations smooth out. Folks that incubate 40 eggs have nice and steady temperature and it's due to all that extra mass.

Yes it is a still air model. We are planning on buying a fan at some point in the future. So if my temp goes up to 102 I am still ok? I am just a nervous wreck wanting to make sure that everything is fine. I will see if I can find someting to put in there to help I actually have lots of broken concrete outside. I only have 25 eggs in there so I may need to add a heat sink. I added a banty egg a little later in the day because we wanted 2 of them. Thank you so much, your post has been very helpful. Also my thermometer sits on the egg turner as in the picture. I wonder if I need to keep the temp at 100 or 101 because its not sitting on top of the eggs.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I saw two thermometers in your pictures. One looked like it was sitting on the eggs, the digital I've no idea where it's reading the temperature. More than that is simply frustrating and nerve wracking. Use the one you trust and simply modify your temperature after the first hatch. Ya know, if your hatch is one to two days early then up your temp by one degree next hatch and vise versa if a day or two later than 21 days. With using the same thermometer and always positioning it in same place every hatch you can easily modify your temp based on the results. Honestly, the best equipment may yield better first time hatching but any equipment yields the best hatching through trial and adjustment of procedure.

A lot of folks use water bottles for a heat sink. They may not fit under the screen though. I don't use a turner so can fit any odd shape in. I also don't use the lower troughs. Humidity is a function of surface area of water so determine which cup produces the desired humidity. Seriously, I use a small tumbler of water sitting right on screen to produce 40% then change to a fat tumbler to maintain 55% last 3 days. This works for me as we use a humidifier in winter so the room humidity is constant. But again, through trial you find what works for you to easily maintain your desired humidity. Could be a sponge placed under screed cut to the size that produces the humidity you want then have small tube running to it through one of the vents with small funnel to easily keep it wet.

Can you tell I'm hopped up on coffee this morning? Just typing away with random thoughts...Hmm, perchance it's time for brunch.

 

[jphendrix]

I have a 35 gallon fish tank that is constantly evaporating so I also have humidity in my room where my incubator is at! I did add some water in the bottom before I put the eggs in and let my humidity stabalize some first. My humidity is staying about 45% and I am gradually adjusting my bator to get up to about 101 on top and I have another thermometor set on the bottom on the wire. Things seem to be doing good. How soon can I candle a white egg to see if anything is starting to grow in there? I know brown eggs are harder to see, but I do have one white leghorn egg in there. I am so nervous!!!!! Keep checking to see that the temp hasn't spiked and that it hasn't lowered! I was thinking that I would add a wet sponge for the last 3 days to up the humidity for the hatch.
I am so glad that I bought the turner! It is so much easier that turning them by hand!

 

[jphendrix]

I candled 11 eggs out of 25 last night just to see. I only candled the lighter colored ones. Out of those 11 I know that 5 have veins!!!! The others I am not so sure. There is one that I really don't think is furtile

. It's the one from my white leghorn. I wrote a question mark on the ones that I am not sure about! I will candle again Wed. or Thurs.

 

[jphendrix]

I candled all eggs last night, I just couldn't resist! I am almost positive that 15 are developing, and the other 10 I put ? on because I am not sure!! I am keeping my fingers crossed that they all make it but at least I am sure that some will! I think that for my first hatch if I get at least 50% hatch rate that would be pretty good!!!!! I am also getting 5 RIR chicks in about a week! One of our family friends hast started calling me the chicken lady! LOL!

Here is one picture of one of my eggs! What do ya'll think about this one? You cant see it as good in the pic as you can in person, but it looks like veins to me!! I didn't think it was taking them good so I only took one, but on my next candling I will take more!