Hands on hatching and help

[ShanandGem]

38C is fine if you have a forced air incubator. (Still air should be 38.3-38.9) But like WV said, there's more than just temps to get a successful hatch. Humidity is the second biggest factor and turning is right behind that.

Sorry it's actually 38deg Celsius
Thanks

@11chickenboy if this is your first hatch and you have written instructions that came with your incubator, I would just follow those. Those instructions aren't perfect but they will get you started.

 

[WVduckchick]

@11chickenboy if this is your first hatch and you have written instructions that came with your incubator, I would just follow those. Those instructions aren't perfect but they will get you started.

Sorry, I have to disagree with that. Maybe for the temperature part, they are usually ok, but those things are notorious for being way wrong about humidity. (depending on the incubator, of course).

Since he's already a member looking for help, I'd suggest the hatching guides here on this site.

 

[11chickenboy]

@11chickenboy
 if this is your first hatch and you have written instructions that came with your incubator, I would just follow those.  Those instructions aren't perfect but they will get you started.

Yes this is my first hatch, am following instructions that came with incubator and moves the eggs around too, have candled a couple but not sure what I'm looking for, really looking for the best first time around and excited too ,,

 

[AmyLynn2374]

@11chickenboy if this is your first hatch and you have written instructions that came with your incubator, I would just follow those. Those instructions aren't perfect but they will get you started.

I wouldn't follow them. I hate hate hate incubator instructions especially for their listing for temps in still air and for humidity all the way around. I've seen too many people loose their hatches because they followed incubator instructions for humidity.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes this is my first hatch, am following instructions that came with incubator and moves the eggs around too, have candled a couple but not sure what I'm looking for, really looking for the best first time around and excited too ,,

There's a great candling thread right here on BYC with pics all the way up to lockdown: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes this is my first hatch, am following instructions that came with incubator and moves the eggs around too, have candled a couple but not sure what I'm looking for, really looking for the best first time around and excited too ,,

For humidity, I highly recommend checking your air cells to know if your egg is loosing enough moisture so that the air cell grows. There's more info here: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity I use this method-very successfully.

 

[ShanandGem]

I wouldn't follow them. I hate hate hate incubator instructions especially for their listing for temps in still air and for humidity all the way around. I've seen too many people loose their hatches because they followed incubator instructions for humidity.

My Hovabator instructions are OK, if a little vague. I think people's climates, home environments etc are such a wild card that you can't really start tweaking your technique until you've done a hatch or two.
Weirdly, this time I am more or less following the bator instructions to the letter and am having better success than other hatches. Having your bator in a temp and humidity stable room is a huge factor no one ever talks about.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My Hovabator instructions are OK, if a little vague. I think people's climates, home environments etc are such a wild card that you can't really start tweaking your technique until you've done a hatch or two.
Weirdly, this time I am more or less following the bator instructions to the letter and am having better success than other hatches. Having your bator in a temp and humidity stable room is a huge factor no one ever talks about.

You can't tweak, but you can give yourself an advantage, by having a set of checks and balances such as duo checked thermomters, checking either the air cells or the weight of the eggs to control humidity, knowing what you are looking for when candling.

The biggest problem with the instructions with these bators where humidity is concerned is that they don't take any of the variables into consideration when they throw out humidity suggestions. You can't just "fill x well with x amount of water" or throw out a number, which is generally too high. You have to consider the climate, (10mls of water in a bator is going to give a person in a dry comment a totally different rate than one in a more humid climate.) the hatchers habits, how often do they opening the bator, do they candle a lot, are they hand turning?, the shell and egg quality and size. Thicker shells-less porous shells are going to theoretically need less humidity than thinner more porous shelled eggs, same goes with size, a smaller bantam egg will more often need a higher humidity than a bigger full size standard egg.

You have to basically pick a number or method, (I use a low humidity method the first 17 days) and have a way to actually monitor if that is working for you so you have plenty of time to adjust and change to get the results you need before those babies go into lockdown day 18.

Yes stability is a big factor and yes it is talked about though not as often as other aspects. I think it gets thrown in the "common sense" category and only pulled out when temp flunctuations or humidity changes are brought up. It is a huge factor.

Knowing that your temps are accurate and steady and being able to monitor humidity and know that it's workng the way it should will save a lot of "tweaking" and hopefully keep a hatcher from having to experience very poor results in the begining. You will always be tweaking and changing looking for "better" hatches, but it sucks to start off with disasterous hatches in the first hatch.

I have talked to multiple people that were so dishearted at having an awful first hatch they weren't sure if they ever wanted to try again. I've even been able to guide people through that second try with advice with what I've found works especially with the styros, that have managed to have much better results and were able to find the enjoyment in hatching instead of giving up.

Even though I am pretty successful in my hatches overall, I still look for things to "tweak" to get that 100% hatch. (With more than a dozen eggs.) I've only done it once so far, but I am determined to repeat the process. I switched from auto turner to hand turning then from the normal ceasation of turning on day 18 to day 14. (And I have to say, other than the two jumbo green eggs that I stupidly set with the small silkie eggs that didn't loose enough moisture and grew too big to turn, I have not had a true upside down malposition since I changed my turning practices. Coincidence??? I dunno....)

 

[babychicks7]

X2
I would give it some time. It can take a little bit for them to get on their feet especially if she's alone in the bator. Do you have any sav-a-chick or nutridrench?

i have save a chick both kinds which one do i use

 

[AmyLynn2374]

i have save a chick both kinds which one do i use

electrolyte