First time hatcher

[Becci]

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Remember that the surface area of water is what counts. I have a couple little giants as well, I usually stuff paper towels in the water trays underneath the screen, fill them water, and add another paper towel underneath the eggs. That usually makes it hit around 75% which is perfect for me, since I dry hatch. If you need to add a sponge, anywhere on top of the screen is fine. Good luck!

 

[robj]

Remember that the surface area of water is what counts. I have a couple little giants as well, I usually stuff paper towels in the water trays underneath the screen, fill them water, and add another paper towel underneath the eggs. That usually makes it hit around 75% which is perfect for me, since I dry hatch. If you need to add a sponge, anywhere on top of the screen is fine. Good luck!

Sounds like that should work . Thank you

 

[PoultryGirly]

I candled them today and there seem to be around 5 that swim around and are certainly alive, but some others just have vains. Are they dead? There is no blood rings in them that I can see.

 

[Becci]

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Good luck!


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Sometimes they will move, sometimes they won't. If they don't move, there's no reason to be concerned.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Okay, good! Thanks!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

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Good luck!


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I candled them today and there seem to be around 5 that swim around and are certainly alive, but some others just have vains. Are they dead? There is no blood rings in them that I can see.

Sometimes they will move, sometimes they won't. If they don't move, there's no reason to be concerned.

x2 keep on trucking!! Doing great!! how your temps and humidity holding up? and did you mark air cells at set or you waiting until day 7?

 

[PoultryGirly]

My temps are a little off at times.usually one thermometer says 102 and the other says 99, so I think it's somewhere inbewteen. My humidy is around 37-45 usually. The eggs look great inside!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

sounds like you are doing the best you can with what you have!

 

[PoultryGirly]

Do I have to mark the air cell growth?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Do I have to mark the air cell growth?

yes https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

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CANDLING & WEIGHING EGGS​

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Understanding the Air Cell​

The average chicken egg has thousands of pores running through the shell allowing the embryo to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Water is also lost through these pores. Soon after an egg is laid, a small air bubble or “air cell” forms in the large end of the egg from this water loss. Humidity levels in the incubator determine moisture evaporation during the 21 days of incubation and hatching. The air cell is crucial for the chick to break out of the egg shell at the end of the incubation period. The chick can drown if the air cell is too small or the chick may be retarded in growth if the air cell is too large. This is why maintaining the proper humidity is crucial. Slightly lower humidity levels are more likely to be less disastrous than slightly higher humidity levels.

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MARKING and OBSERVING the size of the air cell is a way of checking for correct weight loss of the egg and is commonly used. However, this can be inaccurate due to the different, types, shapes, and ages of eggs. The protrusion of the embryo into the air cell also may effect observations. Again, it is the most common method for non-commercial hatchers. With experience you can adjust your humidity as needed by visual inspection of air cells. However, Weighing is the MOST accurate.

If the incubation humidity is too low (very dry conditions), the air sac will be larger than normal and the humidity in the incubator should be increased to reduce the rate of water loss. If the air space is smaller than normal then the opposite applies.

Track the air sac with pencil tracings when you candle,
On the 7, 14 & 18th days

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WEIGHING EGGS
Chicken eggs need to lose 13% moisture over 21 days. Weigh all the eggs on the first day, before you put them in the incubator and weigh again days 10, 14 & 18. Several formulas can be used to determine the rate of weight loss or overall per cent weight loss and to correct the humidity if the values are off. For accuracy, a digital scale should be used which can weigh in grams. Don't forget to subtract the weight of the container holding the eggs from the total weight when calculating the average egg weight. If you use a rack to incubate your eggs it is best to weigh the entire rack instead of each egg to get an average. If you are incubating SHIPPED eggs upright in a carton you will also weigh the entire carton so that the eggs are not disturbed.

For formulas used to determine the weight loss please refer to
Weight Loss Determinations:
http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29983&langid=3
Hatching Guide:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491013/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed​

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Note: Kitchen scales work great. The WeighMax Pocket Mini CD Digital Scale below works great if you weigh individual eggs. I pasted an egg carton cup firmly to hold the eggs. Be extremely careful not to tip your scale and crack your eggs!​

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