Hands on hatching and help

[Whateverlouie]

I love my brinsea incubators! I both the 28 EX two years ago. I just bought the 56 eco last week because my frankenbators aren't steady enough for starting eggs and I was getting bad hatch rates with eggs started in my frankenbators.

How accurate are the temps and humidity? I am having a nightmare of a time with the LG Bator and need to find a better one asap.

 

[Redhead Rae]

How accurate are the temps and humidity? I am having a nightmare of a time with the LG Bator and need to find a better one asap.

+- 1 degree C. I’ve never had hatch issues with eggs kept in my Brinsea until lock down even when I lived in an old farmhouse without climate control.

 

[Whateverlouie]

+- 1 degree C. I’ve never had hatch issues with eggs kept in my Brinsea until lock down even when I lived in an old farmhouse without climate control.

Thats promising, thanks!

 

[aart]

Its severe cross beak.

Yikes, that is bad.

breeding stock

I'd guess this...genetics and maybe nutrition management of breeding stock.

How accurate are the temps and humidity? I am having a nightmare of a time with the LG Bator and need to find a better one asap.

Testing your therms and hygros is essential before every hatch.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

 

[Whateverlouie]

Testing your therms and hygros is essential before every hatch.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

Yes I have done all of that.

 

[TBaltis1013]

I have a chick under a mama hen that pipped last night, and now looks like it was stepped on. The shell around where it pipped is missing/ in pieces, membrane still mostly intact. Pip hole is not blocked, the little beak is still poking out. I can't see through the membrane because somehow it got all dirty (maybe from being stepped on?) I feel like I should leave it under mama for now but I'm nervous about all the dirt on the membrane. Should I try to use a paint brush or something and brush it off and put coconut oil on the membrane??

 

[Redhead Rae]

I would try peeling back the membrane. Stop if you see blood, wait an hour or so and try again.

I have a chick under a mama hen that pipped last night, and now looks like it was stepped on. The shell around where it pipped is missing/ in pieces, membrane still mostly intact. Pip hole is not blocked, the little beak is still poking out. I can't see through the membrane because somehow it got all dirty (maybe from being stepped on?) I feel like I should leave it under mama for now but I'm nervous about all the dirt on the membrane. Should I try to use a paint brush or something and brush it off and put coconut oil on the membrane??

 

[hellfire]

I've been having really bad luck this time around. I dont know if its my incubator, my fuzzy hatch methods after such a long break, shipping or breeding stock. Maybe all combined. But my last 3 hatches I've only got like 4 out of 12 eggs. Same with this hatch. I only have 3 now. 2 normal and this one with the cross beak and one mote wrong end pip. I just got online and ordered the brinsea 56 ex. Hoping a better incubator will help with future hatches.

Poor hatch rate and certain issues such as you’ve had can be because of incubation issues, temp, humidity etc. Likewise posting eggs has its risks and maybe you’ve just been very unlucky. Your brinsea hopefully will do a much better job. If it does you know your old incubator could be a factor but as I said it can be rough egg delivery and bad genetics too.
Personally I always run a extra digital and old fashioned thermometer and hydrometer in my incubator and have always had very good hatch results. Geese are apparently difficult but the other year I got 4 out of 4. I only have a cheap incubator but with my separate thermometers I know it’s out a little which made all the difference to my first few hatches in it many years ago where I ended up with 3 out of 9 I think and one of them was deformed. How is your cross bill chick doing? I wish you lots of luck with your new incubator and really hope you see a difference. Also do you do a dry hatch out of curiosity?

 

[hellfire]

I

I have a chick under a mama hen that pipped last night, and now looks like it was stepped on. The shell around where it pipped is missing/ in pieces, membrane still mostly intact. Pip hole is not blocked, the little beak is still poking out. I can't see through the membrane because somehow it got all dirty (maybe from being stepped on?) I feel like I should leave it under mama for now but I'm nervous about all the dirt on the membrane. Should I try to use a paint brush or something and brush it off and put coconut oil on the membrane??

if your going to attempt to peel back the membrane moisten it first with a cotton bud and warm water. I find that helps a lot. Depending how much progress it’s made maybe give it a few hours. If the other chicks have hatched or are much further along and this ones still the same I’d step it. Work quickly and in a warm environment as cooling the egg to much can shrink wrap the chick with the membrane. Good luck

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Poor hatch rate and certain issues such as you’ve had can be because of incubation issues, temp, humidity etc. Likewise posting eggs has its risks and maybe you’ve just been very unlucky. Your brinsea hopefully will do a much better job. If it does you know your old incubator could be a factor but as I said it can be rough egg delivery and bad genetics too.
Personally I always run a extra digital and old fashioned thermometer and hydrometer in my incubator and have always had very good hatch results. Geese are apparently difficult but the other year I got 4 out of 4. I only have a cheap incubator but with my separate thermometers I know it’s out a little which made all the difference to my first few hatches in it many years ago where I ended up with 3 out of 9 I think and one of them was deformed. How is your cross bill chick doing? I wish you lots of luck with your new incubator and really hope you see a difference. Also do you do a dry hatch out of curiosity?

The little cross beak is doing good. We are feeding it and watering it with a dropper right now. Raw egg since it can eat mash yet. Its missing an eye so that doesn't help. I'm almost positive my issue is my temp guage/hygrometer now. I bought some cheap ones and I feel awful. I have cayuga ducklings going into lockdown today but one has already externally pipped yesterday. The egg has been moving a lot but stopped last night. Less movement today. I helped enlarge its piphole a bit as it cracked the shell but not the membrane. It has more oxygen now so hopefully it will hatch on its own when ready. A 2nd one was internally pipped yesterday. I'm thinking my temp and humidity has been to high. Temp has to be for them to start coming this early. Last batch I had a lot of sticky chicks which would usually mean to low humidity but the hygrometer said 70%. Ive never dry hatched as where we use to live it was hot and dry. We had no humidity. We have recently moved now and its a little cooler here. We live by a creek also.