Hands on hatching and help

[AmyLynn2374]

I followed the directions and put the amount of water in that the directions for the incubator said. I almost wish I had just done dry. I worry so much lol. My hygrometers should be here today though so hopefully it will be ok.

Don't go by the manufacture suggestions. They will have you drowning your chicks. I hate hate hate those manuals. They do not take many facts into consideration that affect individual humidity and one size doesn't fit all. Best thing you can do, (in my opinion) is run a low humidity incubation and check your air cells to know when and if you need to adjust.

 

[LadyCluck77]

Thank you everyone for the help and kind encouragement yesterday. My hatch is now up to five live hatched chicks- all still in the incubator, and one more pip I could see before leaving for work today. The first chick hatched sometime early yesterday morning- I am thinking I should quickly open and remove the dry chicks after work today- it seems like a long time, especially for that first chick. I just don't dare open it yet with my weather being so dry and the humidity keeps dropping so low. One little black chick was a bit sticky- it hatched okay but is looking a little weaker and disheveled than the others.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Don't blame you for not tossing it.  It "should" be fine.  Just keep it in the back of your mind, and if anything starts smelling bad, that's the one I would start investigating with.  But really, it should not be a problem. 

(which reminds me, there's some white, nasty, broody-poo on one of my broody's egg.  I think it got stuck to her butt and she brought it back to the nest.  I need to check on it again.)

Lmao even a mama hen to the mama hens lol love it!!!

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Don't go by the manufacture suggestions. They will have you drowning your chicks. I hate hate hate those manuals. They do not take many facts into consideration that affect individual humidity and one size doesn't fit all.  Best thing you can do, (in my opinion) is run a low humidity incubation and check your air cells to know when and if you need to adjust.

The paper said to put in 100 ml. We put in 75ml. I wish I knew if this was to much. I spent 30 dollars on this book all about hatching and brooding. I ready something about high humidity in the first week is good but then in another part of the book it sais keep it low till hatching. Then talking to everyone they all have different ways of doing it. I don't know what to do lol. I just want my babies to hatch lol. Our weather is about 85 to 90 degrees right now. It feels dry. That effects my incubator as well doesn't it? Help I'm confused lol

 

[Pyxis]

If you wanna be 100% sure your humidity is right, weigh 'em. An egg should lose 13 - 15% of its weight over incubation. You need a start weight and then weigh them on the 7th, 14th, and 18th day to make sure they're losing the correct amount of weight. If they're not, you can adjust the humidity accordingly.

Which reminds me, I think it's weigh day for my peafowl eggs

 

[RubyNala97]

I did but I'm going to be honest. As a newbie I couldn't really tell what I'm looking at. I planned on googling it later. I think it might be harder to tell cause some of the eggs are so dark..

Practice on those white ones but also be careful. You don't want to keep handling shipped eggs. It's hard to know what your looking at in the beginning. My first batch was shipped too and I had no idea until the second week what the air cells looked like. I just treated them like shipped eggs (upright, not turning right away and then tilting) and half hatched. I have a collection of LED flashlights but the most expensive was only $6. Also I've heard the flashlight app on the phone works good too.

The addiction is real lol

It's true!

I followed the directions and put the amount of water in that the directions for the incubator said. I almost wish I had just done dry. I worry so much lol. My hygrometers should be here today though so hopefully it will be ok.

Don't follow the directions I the manual. One of my incubators is a pain to fill so I just keep a small cup right in with the eggs. So much easier fill as needed. Also your ambient humidity will make a difference.

Don't go by the manufacture suggestions. They will have you drowning your chicks. I hate hate hate those manuals. They do not take many facts into consideration that affect individual humidity and one size doesn't fit all.  Best thing you can do, (in my opinion) is run a low humidity incubation and check your air cells to know when and if you need to adjust.

Amy! I was going to pm you today. I wanted to tell you that I've been running the new hova bator. I love it so far! You would be very happy with it. Temp has stayed totally stable despite our hot days and cold nights. There are a bunch of wells for water, I believe 1-6. With 1 being the biggest and then they decrease in size to 6 being the smallest. The manual says to fill well 1 & 2 for days 1-18 then all of them for lockdown. Well I knew that would be a crazy amount of humidity so I only filled well 6 (the smallest) and that put me at the perfect %. You would think they would tell people to fill the smallest well first and then take it from there. If that's not enough fill the next size up and so on until you reach desired humidity. Totally backwards directions!! But anyways, I really do like it, thanks for the recommendation!

Thank you everyone for the help and kind encouragement yesterday. My hatch is now up to five live hatched chicks- all still in the incubator, and one more pip I could see before leaving for work today. The first chick hatched sometime early yesterday morning- I am thinking I should quickly open and remove the dry chicks after work today- it seems like a long time, especially for that first chick. I just don't dare open it yet with my weather being so dry and the humidity keeps dropping so low. One little black chick was a bit sticky- it hatched okay but is looking a little weaker and disheveled than the others. 

When I'm struggling to keep my humidity Hugh enough at lockdown, I will boil a big pot of water and keep the windows and doors closed until I can see the humidity in the air and then open to do whatever I need to and add a warm, wet sponge to the incubator. Which one do you have?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thank you everyone for the help and kind encouragement yesterday. My hatch is now up to five live hatched chicks- all still in the incubator, and one more pip I could see before leaving for work today. The first chick hatched sometime early yesterday morning- I am thinking I should quickly open and remove the dry chicks after work today- it seems like a long time, especially for that first chick. I just don't dare open it yet with my weather being so dry and the humidity keeps dropping so low. One little black chick was a bit sticky- it hatched okay but is looking a little weaker and disheveled than the others.

I would. A little sav a chick water or nutri drench might liven that sticky chick right up.

The paper said to put in 100 ml. We put in 75ml. I wish I knew if this was to much. I spent 30 dollars on this book all about hatching and brooding. I ready something about high humidity in the first week is good but then in another part of the book it sais keep it low till hatching. Then talking to everyone they all have different ways of doing it. I don't know what to do lol. I just want my babies to hatch lol. Our weather is about 85 to 90 degrees right now. It feels dry. That effects my incubator as well doesn't it? Help I'm confused lol

Yes, ambient humidity affects reletive humidity. Different numbers work for different people. Let your eggs tell you what they need. Some people weigh their eggs for this info, many others of us check air cells. This is how I stay on track with my humidity and know what is working not only as an average for me, but with different eggs: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

I run dry if my bator stays above 25% and monitor my air cells for proper growth. If it is too low dry I add a wet sponge wich usually holds it at about 30% which is where I am usually comfortable. If my air cells tell me I need to adjust- I do.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Practice on those white ones but also be careful. You don't want to keep handling shipped eggs. It's hard to know what your looking at in the beginning. My first batch was shipped too and I had no idea until the second week what the air cells looked like. I just treated them like shipped eggs (upright, not turning right away and then tilting) and half hatched. I have a collection of LED flashlights but the most expensive was only $6. Also I've heard the flashlight app on the phone works good too.
It's true!
Don't follow the directions I the manual. One of my incubators is a pain to fill so I just keep a small cup right in with the eggs. So much easier fill as needed. Also your ambient humidity will make a difference.
Amy! I was going to pm you today. I wanted to tell you that I've been running the new hova bator. I love it so far! You would be very happy with it. Temp has stayed totally stable despite our hot days and cold nights. There are a bunch of wells for water, I believe 1-6. With 1 being the biggest and then they decrease in size to 6 being the smallest. The manual says to fill well 1 & 2 for days 1-18 then all of them for lockdown. Well I knew that would be a crazy amount of humidity so I only filled well 6 (the smallest) and that put me at the perfect %. You would think they would tell people to fill the smallest well first and then take it from there. If that's not enough fill the next size up and so on until you reach desired humidity. Totally backwards directions!! But anyways, I really do like it, thanks for the recommendation!
When I'm struggling to keep my humidity Hugh enough at lockdown, I will boil a big pot of water and keep the windows and doors closed until I can see the humidity in the air and then open to do whatever I need to and add a warm, wet sponge to the incubator. Which one do you have?

That's awesome!! I am so glad that you like it!! Yeah, they are backwards....lol

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Practice on those white ones but also be careful. You don't want to keep handling shipped eggs. It's hard to know what your looking at in the beginning. My first batch was shipped too and I had no idea until the second week what the air cells looked like. I just treated them like shipped eggs (upright, not turning right away and then tilting) and half hatched. I have a collection of LED flashlights but the most expensive was only $6. Also I've heard the flashlight app on the phone works good too.
It's true!
Don't follow the directions I the manual. One of my incubators is a pain to fill so I just keep a small cup right in with the eggs. So much easier fill as needed. Also your ambient humidity will make a difference.
Amy! I was going to pm you today. I wanted to tell you that I've been running the new hova bator. I love it so far! You would be very happy with it. Temp has stayed totally stable despite our hot days and cold nights. There are a bunch of wells for water, I believe 1-6. With 1 being the biggest and then they decrease in size to 6 being the smallest. The manual says to fill well 1 & 2 for days 1-18 then all of them for lockdown. Well I knew that would be a crazy amount of humidity so I only filled well 6 (the smallest) and that put me at the perfect %. You would think they would tell people to fill the smallest well first and then take it from there. If that's not enough fill the next size up and so on until you reach desired humidity. Totally backwards directions!! But anyways, I really do like it, thanks for the recommendation!
When I'm struggling to keep my humidity Hugh enough at lockdown, I will boil a big pot of water and keep the windows and doors closed until I can see the humidity in the air and then open to do whatever I need to and add a warm, wet sponge to the incubator. Which one do you have?

I figure this is my first hatch so it's definitely not going to be perfect. I'll be happy if even one hatches lol. Of coarse I want to learn everything I can and I pray most hatch. Thanks for all the help. it's nice having experienced people to talk too.

 

[tracyjg]

I learned in the water of the incubator. You don't really want to follow instruction manual. It can lead to trouble with an egg. Put a little bit in especially if your having rain storms.it can go to high with little or no water at all. Once eggs our in incubator it's harder to drain water out. And eggs will go to hot and cold to fast and may effect your hatch rate.