First time incubating results - is this normal?

[tommys0112]

Good Morning!
I started for the first time incubating using the sytrofoam type of incubator with a fan and automatic turner.

Can be seen at
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/picture_window_incubator.html

I started with 36 "fertilized" eggs from a farm down the road.

Out of the 36
15 were hatched and doing well - yeah!
9 had zero development (i assume they were unfertalized)
and 12 were developed, but after 26 days, did not hatch.

Is that normal to have the 12 developed but unhatched eggs? Also- the eggs hatched over a period of 4-5 days. I thought they would all hatch within 1-2 days.

Do you have any suggestions or comments - I greatly appreciate your input. I love this forum!

 

[chickedydoodaa]

How were your temperatures and humidity over the 3 weeks?

 

[the_eagle69]

i wonder about your humidity first off expicaly during the hatch the only other thing is which end of the egg you put down that has seamed to cause me the most hatch problems.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Generally they hatch within a 24 hour period.

You had a 55% hatch rate, which is *modest*, but give clues that suggest easy improvements.

Temperature fluctuations, or differences inside the cabinet can cause a spread out hatch ... some are early, some on time, and some are late.

I wouldn't be so confident that the 9 were infertile ..... I would be confident of this only if the others had all appeared in a timely manner.

You might want to do some investigating as to the accuracy of your thermometer, the consistency of the humidity and the gemeral operation of your incubator.

It's easy to do, just takes a little time is all.

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

I would look at humidity on hatch days if you had so many that were developed but didnt hatch I drowned my first set by having to high a humidity. lesson learned! will try again with better humidity and DONT OPEN THAT DOOR REBECCA!!!! I have to LEAVE the house the day mine are due this time!!!! I cant STAND not looking at them!!!!!

 

[Crunchie]

Congrats on your hatch! For your first time, that's really pretty decent. It does sound like you had some temp and/or humidity issues, though. If they took 4 to 5 days to hatch, it sounds like things were maybe slowed down by temps that were too low? And I agree it also sounds like maybe humidity was high, with so many developed but not hatched. Did they not even pip? That sounds like they could have drowned. On the other hand, if they did pip but couldn't zip and hatch, humidity could have been too low. Did you have a lot of "sticky" chicks out of the ones that did hatch?

Don't assume though that the non-developed eggs were infertile. While that is a possibility, of course, there are many reasons why an egg might fail to develop. But it does not necessarily mean that the eggs themselves were never fertilized. Sorry, just an issue of semantics and a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

It just seems like "infertile" has become a catch-all phrase for an egg that doesn't develop.

Oh, and

(love using that smiley. It's so flashy!

)

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Your *pet peeve* is a very good one

I prefer non-viable ..... failure to develop can be caused by a multitude of sins including, but not restricted to, fertility of the egg.

Early temp spikes or dips, the effects of chilling too low, rough handling, esp for shipped eggs, the list is long.

I generally expect no more than a couple of clears in a batch of 24 ... even then it is worth opening one or two clears at day seven to check whether or not they really never developed.

*Pet peeves* are a very good thing. A little more accuracy and exactitude around here wouldn't be missed at times