Hands on hatching and help

[PD-Riverman]

Thank you to everyone who suggested the brinsea. This thing is amazing!! So nice lol. I barely have to do anything but watch the temp and humidity.

That sounds Nice, so many have to fight with theirs from day one to past hatch date. I wish So much I could "Fix" theirs so they all could have a un-stressful hatch. I use the Styrofoam some and I like them, the way you are about the Brinsea---I am the same way about My home-made cabinet and hatcher---They are Great. I walk by some time and just look at the temp and add a little water but in 17 months of continuous running I never had to adjust the temp or change the humidity, winter or summer(its in a un-heated/un-cooled storage building). My Home-made hatcher----I add some water turn it on---let it get warm---add the eggs and that's it---rarely even check on it during the hatch and some times I will have 200 to 300 eggs in it. I open it on day 22 and get all the chicks out. During the hatch----I do not have to add water or touch the thermostat. Its a great feeling isn't it?

 

[FridayYet]

He seems to go in phases. Sometimes he hobbles around pushing off both legs - one is weaker but he uses it and sort of gets around. But sometimes he just isn't using that leg at all and rolls straight over and gets stranded on his back. I've tried some electrolyte and will keep doing so.

Feeling really down today. Our last hatch only 2/12 made it, they just went out in the coop 2 days ago and today I found them both decapitated. So sad. This is the same week that a fox broke in and took 10 layers and a broody duck. And then yesterday's hatch was only 1/12 and he's splay-legged. I seem to be getting all the bad luck. I'm going to try a dry hatch this time as despite my fancy humidity pump and following the instructions perfectly I am getting horrible hatches.

What kind of incubator do you have and what instructions are you following? You need to find out why your hatch rate is so low before blaming equipment.

Really sorry for your losses though, and hope you get the fox soon!

 

[jenniferlamar70]

That sounds Nice, so many have to fight with theirs from day one to past hatch date. I wish So much I could "Fix" theirs so they all could have a un-stressful hatch. I use the Styrofoam some and I like them, the way you are about the Brinsea---I am the same way about My home-made cabinet and hatcher---They are Great. I walk by some time and just look at the temp and add a little water but in 17 months of continuous running I never had to adjust the temp or change the humidity, winter or summer(its in a un-heated/un-cooled storage building). My Home-made hatcher----I add some water turn it on---let it get warm---add the eggs and that's it---rarely even check on it during the hatch and some times I will have 200 to 300 eggs in it. I open it on day 22 and get all the chicks out. During the hatch----I do not have to add water or touch the thermostat. Its a great feeling isn't it?

It really is a great feeling. Especially after using the other 2 I had. The temps were so inconsistent. I still worry that maybe my chicks might have been damaged by the heat in one but there is nothing I can do about it now but pray. Hopefully now that we have moved into the Brinsea no more problems will arise.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

He seems to go in phases. Sometimes he hobbles around pushing off both legs - one is weaker but he uses it and sort of gets around. But sometimes he just isn't using that leg at all and rolls straight over and gets stranded on his back. I've tried some electrolyte and will keep doing so.

Feeling really down today. Our last hatch only 2/12 made it, they just went out in the coop 2 days ago and today I found them both decapitated. So sad. This is the same week that a fox broke in and took 10 layers and a broody duck. And then yesterday's hatch was only 1/12 and he's splay-legged. I seem to be getting all the bad luck. I'm going to try a dry hatch this time as despite my fancy humidity pump and following the instructions perfectly I am getting horrible hatches.

Could be to high a temp during hatch... are you sure your temp gauge is reading correctly. I just went through and found that one of mine were not accurate. But I have 2 more so I know for sure which was right..

 

[arr36]

It's a Brinsea octogan advance ex with humidity pump. I have a spot check thermometer too and that showed pretty reliable temps. I did 37.5/45% humidity until lockdown and then 65% at lockdown. Autoturn was on. 2/12 eggs were infertile, I had some early quitters and then a few that were mostly developed that stopped just before hatch. It is Brinsea's own recommendations that I have followed. Of note the eggs are shipped.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

It's a Brinsea octogan advance ex with humidity pump. I have a spot check thermometer too and that showed pretty reliable temps. I did 37.5/45% humidity until lockdown and then 65% at lockdown. Autoturn was on. 2/12 eggs were infertile, I had some early quitters and then a few that were mostly developed that stopped just before hatch. It is Brinsea's own recommendations that I have followed. Of note the eggs are shipped.

If they are shipped it could be malnutrition in the breeder flock. Did this happen with one specific breeder or multiple breeders? The instruction manual is pretty basic or Adleast mine was. I ordered a book on incubating and brooding. It all seems pretty complicated to me. Thank goodness for the ladies here. You should give the book a read. It has a troubleshooting section for when hatches don't work out. It called ( hatching & brooding your own chicks. ) the author is ( Gail Dameron ). I found it on amazon.com. it was a little pricey but so far worth every penny.

 

[Laurel Meadows]

He seems to go in phases. Sometimes he hobbles around pushing off both legs - one is weaker but he uses it and sort of gets around. But sometimes he just isn't using that leg at all and rolls straight over and gets stranded on his back. I've tried some electrolyte and will keep doing so.

Feeling really down today. Our last hatch only 2/12 made it, they just went out in the coop 2 days ago and today I found them both decapitated. So sad. This is the same week that a fox broke in and took 10 layers and a broody duck. And then yesterday's hatch was only 1/12 and he's splay-legged. I seem to be getting all the bad luck. I'm going to try a dry hatch this time as despite my fancy humidity pump and following the instructions perfectly I am getting horrible hatches.

sorry about the losses to your flock. As I'm sure you know, once the fox knows where she can find a meal she will be back. We have many fox dens around our property but have taken a lot of steps to prevent attacks. You're first priority above incubation has to be protecting the birds you still have. Buried wire around the perimeter of coops/runs, locks on doors & windows, welded wire, hardware cloth, raised coops and fully enclosed runs are just some of the things that have kept our birds safe (so far, anyway).

It sounds to me like the incubator may not necessarily be the problem. It could possibly be a fertility issue, dietary issue or even stress among breeder birds causing the eggs not to develop properly. Since they're shipped eggs, of course that adds a lot of factors that can prevent your eggs from hatching. Have you tried some local eggs in your Brinsea yet?

Glad your chick is still hanging in there. Hopefully it will gain strength and be able to stay upright soon.

 

[arr36]

Thanks all the flock will recover! We've set 15 of our own eggs today - a mix of cream legbar crosses, Marans, Araucanas and Buff Orps. I didn't think my husband would be onboard but he's said yep let's set a whole bunch! So I hope we will have better success. It'll help that the eggs are mostly pale and so easier to candle than the Marans.

Foxy fox has so far got into the less secure bit of the pen but it's still pretty fenced/wired/raised houses etc. Some areas have electric fencing and so far they've stayed secure but I worry the fox is getting bold. We have a fox trap out now, so far we've just caught one of the poor cats!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

He seems to go in phases. Sometimes he hobbles around pushing off both legs - one is weaker but he uses it and sort of gets around. But sometimes he just isn't using that leg at all and rolls straight over and gets stranded on his back. I've tried some electrolyte and will keep doing so.

Feeling really down today. Our last hatch only 2/12 made it, they just went out in the coop 2 days ago and today I found them both decapitated. So sad. This is the same week that a fox broke in and took 10 layers and a broody duck. And then yesterday's hatch was only 1/12 and he's splay-legged. I seem to be getting all the bad luck. I'm going to try a dry hatch this time as despite my fancy humidity pump and following the instructions perfectly I am getting horrible hatches.

It's a Brinsea octogan advance ex with humidity pump. I have a spot check thermometer too and that showed pretty reliable temps. I did 37.5/45% humidity until lockdown and then 65% at lockdown. Autoturn was on. 2/12 eggs were infertile, I had some early quitters and then a few that were mostly developed that stopped just before hatch. It is Brinsea's own recommendations that I have followed. Of note the eggs are shipped.

Thanks all

the flock will recover! We've set 15 of our own eggs today - a mix of cream legbar crosses, Marans, Araucanas and Buff Orps. I didn't think my husband would be onboard but he's said yep let's set a whole bunch! So I hope we will have better success. It'll help that the eggs are mostly pale and so easier to candle than the Marans.

Foxy fox has so far got into the less secure bit of the pen but it's still pretty fenced/wired/raised houses etc. Some areas have electric fencing and so far they've stayed secure but I worry the fox is getting bold. We have a fox trap out now, so far we've just caught one of the poor cats!

I would definitely try a low humidity incubation this time around and check the air cells at least day 7/14/18 to monitor for growth and know if and when to adjust. Sorry to hear about the problems, hope you have better luck. (I shoot for 30% first 17 days)

 

[RubyNala97]

Of note the eggs are shipped.

I believe this could be your problem. You've got a pretty reliable incubator. What precautions or specific care are you giving the shipped eggs? How do the air cells look upon arrival? I think it's great that you set your own eggs. It will be an excellent comparison to the shipped.