First Time Hatching Anyone With Me??

[destinydot6]

first time hatching and using the old brower incubator (not the top hatch) and mine holds 100 eggs
and i turn by hand every 4 to 6 hours a day

i have around 80 eggs in
first batch was started on 3-10
second batch 3-11
third batch 3-14
and 4th batch 3-17
and i think their going good 4th day candled and have heartbeats
day 6 swimming around
now im on day 10 and 11 on 1st 2 batches and its kind of hard to see in so i put the light where air sac is and i can see the veins and watch em move

the temp is stable now about 102f but the humid is 20 to 40% acording to the temp.things i use i dont think its right

now im getting more freaked out cause i dont know what kind of temp thing to buy that messures correctly any ideas?

please

 

[Kathryn4629]

Quote:
Are you using more than one thermometer? I definatly dont have an incubator as large as yours, but I still ended up using 4 different thermometers. Mostly because I dont have a fan, I am assuming you have a fan. Maybe try getting a thermometer/hydrometer? Digital? I got mine at home depot. But I have also heard that pet stores have specific thermometers that are made to be used in incubators. Hope this helps you a little.

 

[Kathryn4629]

Quote:
Great tips!!

I did a dry hatch, after reading about drowned chicks. I had 8/9 hatch!

Great to know about not overloading the turner!!

 

[destinydot6]

i have no fan ,it dont come with one and i am using 3 diff. temp gages 1 is dig. and thats the worst i think cause it has outer wire and when the others say its 40% humid and 101f then the digital says its like 106f and 20% humid

i have heard of the humidity tape for lizards would that work?

i will be moving the eggs to a home made brooder for each set of eggs when their on the 18th or 19 day because im not sure on how the humidity really is,
i have heard of the chicks drowing as they try to hatch cause the humidity

 

[latebloomer]

you may want to consider calibrating your hygrometer
there are some easy tips to do this here
involving table salt, water, and a ziplock bag

 

[packerbacker]

I have that same incubator from Tractor Supply with no fan. I don't understand "drowning" the chicks due to humidity. I just hatched 3 duck eggs out of 4. The instructions I read said to add a wet sponge to the bator a few days before they were due to hatch to INCREASE the humidity. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[latebloomer]

Quote:
from what i've read, the concern about humidity levels being too high is in the days prior to lockdown.

 

[destinydot6]

so yeah i dont understand it either but if the chicks are growing the way they are supposed to with the humidity the way it is between 20% to 40% then i should only add extra sponges when i put them in lock down? im going to get a couple humidity gages from pet shop and do the salt water test today cause the first set will be on lock down in 6 days from now.

 

[destinydot6]

so yeah i dont understand it either but if the chicks are growing the way they are supposed to with the humidity the way it is between 20% to 40% then i should only add extra sponges when i put them in lock down? im going to get a couple humidity gages from pet shop and do the salt water test today cause the first set will be on lock down in 6 days from now

 

[ItsAZOO32]

Quote:
If you think about it it makes a lot of sense. In order for the egg to form a good sized air cell, the egg needs to LOSE moisture during incubation. When the baby is hatching it needs to get into the cell and breathe until it can make a hole in the shell. If it doesn't have a good sized pocket it may drown before it is able to get a hole in the egg.

So yes, lower humidity the first part of the hatch and increased at the end to allow the chick to break the membrane.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes! I had 25 of 28 successfully hatch for my first hatch and it was very exciting!