First time Incubating (questions)

[kimsmith]

I've read the thread about using the reptipro 5000, I decided to purchase the 6000 with egg turners. This was my first time trying to incubate. I put 32 eggs in my incubator and here are my results, please let me know if I could have had a better success rate.
Out of the 32 eggs---- 8 were not fertile, 4 were not fully formed and 5 died in the shell. I ended up hatching 15 and one of them died after hatching, so I've got 14 chicks out of 24 eggs. I didn't put water in the incubator until the last 3 days, but the humility was still high during the first 18 days anywhere from 55 to 75. The last 3 days in stayed in the 70's. I'm trying to learn because I have some French Cooper Marans that should be laying soon......

 

[kimsmith]

One other detail, the chicks starting hatching on day 19 and hatched thru day 22.

 

[cochins1088]

The 5 that died in the shell may have drowned fromt he humidity being too high. If you can, try to kepp it around 40 - 45% during the first 18 days, and 65% the last 3. I usually get 95% hatch rates with this. Also if your chicks started hatching on day 19, then your tematures are too high. It should be 102 degrees fahrenheit in a still air incubator and 99-100 in a forced aire incubator with a fan. I personally have a still air and have good results with 100 - 101 degrees. Chicks shouldn't already be hatched out until day 21. If tempatures are too high, chicks develope too fast (as you saw with a day 19 hatch) and can sometimes develope deformities. So the high tempatures could have also cause the fully formed chicks not to hatch.

 

[kimsmith]

I have a digital and glass thermometer the average temp was 99.5, but I did notice the higher the humidity the higher the temperature. I'm trying again on Monday, will get humidity down this time.