Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[CluckNDoodle]

How far along do you guys think these eggs are? My neighbor took them from her broody, she’s been sitting about 3 weeks. I’ll hatch & return them to the momma if any make it! Trying to time lockdown:

They look a bit different but I would guess around 12-15??

 

[Iluveggers]

They look a bit different but I would guess around 12-15??

Thank you! She has no idea if they were added after she started sitting. So I’ll start lockdown in 3 days? Should I turn any of them after? This is such a crapshoot…

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Thank you! She has no idea if they were added after she started sitting. So I’ll start lockdown in 3 days? Should I turn any of them after? This is such a crapshoot…

Yeah, I would probably stop turning in a few days and check daily. If you see the membrane drawing down, time for lockdown.

 

[Bicoastal]

Last hatch only 5 viable out of 22. They are on lockdown and I want to learn what I can do to improve the next round.

Humidity between 30-40% because I thought I could be more consistent at that range. When I added water before bed, I wouldn’t worry if it popped up to 43% because I knew it would drop overnight as low as 27%. I would correct that in the morning. Daytime I could keep it in the 30s.

Eggs are pretty darn clean, incubated within 9 days. Stored in cartons at room temp, tilted, and rotated.

A couple were clears. Most had a distinct, dark center, so that means they were fertile and started then stopped developing, right?

5/22 isn’t really worth the hassle when I’m discarding dozens of eggs I don’t have capacity for.

What can I try differently next time?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Last hatch only 5 viable out of 22. They are on lockdown and I want to learn what I can do to improve the next round.

Humidity between 30-40% because I thought I could be more consistent at that range. When I added water before bed, I wouldn’t worry if it popped up to 43% because I knew it would drop overnight as low as 27%. I would correct that in the morning. Daytime I could keep it in the 30s.

Eggs are pretty darn clean, incubated within 9 days. Stored in cartons at room temp, tilted, and rotated.

A couple were clears. Most had a distinct, dark center, so that means they were fertile and started then stopped developing, right?

5/22 isn’t really worth the hassle when I’m discarding dozens of eggs I don’t have capacity for.

What can I try differently next time?

There are sooo many things that could be causing your issues so it's hard to say without more details.

Do you have a secondary calibrated thermometer and hygrometer?

Are you monitoring weight loss or air cell growth?
Some people like dry hatching, I personally found it worked better in styrofoam incubators because the humidity stayed higher in them to begin with. I like keeping my NR360 around 45% for the first 18 days and I find this made for the best amount of weight loss for most hatches (how porous the eggs are, age of the eggs, etc. Can make this differ slightly but I had pretty consistent results). Humidity is a tool to help the egg to lose the appropriate amount of weight. Consistency of humidity being slightly higher isn't as important until hatching when you don't want it getting too dry and drying out the membrane during hatch.

What are you cleaning the incubator with?

Are you candling prior to setting the eggs? Seeing a high number of meat spots or anything? (I never had success hatching eggs with meat spots)

What do you feed your flock?

Are you noticing any issues with the chicks that are hatching?

Are all of the quitter eggs quitting early? Did you open any of them?

 

[Iluveggers]

There are sooo many things that could be causing your issues so it's hard to say without more details.

Do you have a secondary calibrated thermometer and hygrometer?

Are you monitoring weight loss or air cell growth?
Some people like dry hatching, I personally found it worked better in styrofoam incubators because the humidity stayed higher in them to begin with. I like keeping my NR360 around 45% for the first 18 days and I find this made for the best amount of weight loss for most hatches (how porous the eggs are, age of the eggs, etc. Can make this differ slightly but I had pretty consistent results). Humidity is a tool to help the egg to lose the appropriate amount of weight. Consistency of humidity being slightly higher isn't as important until hatching when you don't want it getting too dry and drying out the membrane during hatch.

What are you cleaning the incubator with?

Are you candling prior to setting the eggs? Seeing a high number of meat spots or anything? (I never had success hatching eggs with meat spots)

What do you feed your flock?

Are you noticing any issues with the chicks that are hatching?

Are all of the quitter eggs quitting early? Did you open any of them?

 

[Bicoastal]

Thank you so much, @CluckNDoodle
I appreciate you sharing your time and expertise. Answers in purple.

Do you have a secondary calibrated thermometer and hygrometer?

No, but! Before BYC jumps on me, I know that’s the #1 advice. The manufacturer specifically says NOT to recalibrate.

Are you monitoring weight loss or air cell growth?

I am tracing air cells when candling. I believe we want to ensure air cells are growing appropriately so we don’t drown or dry out before hatching. I don’t know what is correct air cell development along the way. I just trace it and see it’s growing.

Some people like dry hatching, I personally found it worked better in styrofoam incubators because the humidity stayed higher in them to begin with. I like keeping my NR360 around 45% for the first 18 days and I find this made for the best amount of weight loss for most hatches (how porous the eggs are, age of the eggs, etc. Can make this differ slightly but I had pretty consistent results). Humidity is a tool to help the egg to lose the appropriate amount of weight. Consistency of humidity being slightly higher isn't as important until hatching when you don't want it getting too dry and drying out the membrane during hatch.

The start of this second hatch was nearly dry. It needed no water for the first week or two to stay between 30-40%.

My first hatch I tried 40-50% and had a harder time with consistency. When it came time to hatch, I had a heck of a time sustaining 70%. Flooded to the floor, open container of water inside the unit, wet paper towels.

I am anxious to see if I can maintain 70% humidity over the next 3 days. It’s finally raining today, so that helps.

I’m not sure if I should try 35-45 or 40-50% next hatch. I’m hatching guineas.

What are you cleaning the incubator with?

Paper towels dipped in barely soapy water, then damp paper towel no soap, then dry paper towel.

Are you candling prior to setting the eggs? Seeing a high number of meat spots or anything? (I never had success hatching eggs with meat spots)

I don’t know what meat spots are. Every egg I have cracked has had a white bulls eye. Many eggs have a dark bean-shaped ?embryo? with veining. Clears I can identify. Blood rings or quitters I get confused easily because they appear to have veins.

What do you feed your flock?

Purina Flock Raiser for the high protein and grit and oyster shell mix.

Are you noticing any issues with the chicks that are hatching?

Of the seven I hatched my very first time, one is growing slower and it’s toes started curving inward around 2wo.

Are all of the quitter eggs quitting early? Did you open any of them?

No, I’m scared to see semi-developed embryos.

Sounds like I need to learn what to look for BEFORE I put them in the incubator. So, am I supposed to candle at day zero, before you incubate them at all?

 

[Iluveggers]

Thank you so much, @CluckNDoodle
I appreciate you sharing your time and expertise. Answers in purple.

Do you have a secondary calibrated thermometer and hygrometer?

No, but! Before BYC jumps on me, I know that’s the #1 advice. The manufacturer specifically says NOT to recalibrate.

Are you monitoring weight loss or air cell growth?

I am tracing air cells when candling. I believe we want to ensure air cells are growing appropriately so we don’t drown or dry out before hatching. I don’t know what is correct air cell development along the way. I just trace it and see it’s growing.

Some people like dry hatching, I personally found it worked better in styrofoam incubators because the humidity stayed higher in them to begin with. I like keeping my NR360 around 45% for the first 18 days and I find this made for the best amount of weight loss for most hatches (how porous the eggs are, age of the eggs, etc. Can make this differ slightly but I had pretty consistent results). Humidity is a tool to help the egg to lose the appropriate amount of weight. Consistency of humidity being slightly higher isn't as important until hatching when you don't want it getting too dry and drying out the membrane during hatch.

The start of this second hatch was nearly dry. It needed no water for the first week or two to stay between 30-40%.

My first hatch I tried 40-50% and had a harder time with consistency. When it came time to hatch, I had a heck of a time sustaining 70%. Flooded to the floor, open container of water inside the unit, wet paper towels.

I am anxious to see if I can maintain 70% humidity over the next 3 days. It’s finally raining today, so that helps.

I’m not sure if I should try 35-45 or 40-50% next hatch. I’m hatching guineas.

What are you cleaning the incubator with?

Paper towels dipped in barely soapy water, then damp paper towel no soap, then dry paper towel.

Are you candling prior to setting the eggs? Seeing a high number of meat spots or anything? (I never had success hatching eggs with meat spots)

I don’t know what meat spots are. Every egg I have cracked has had a white bulls eye. Many eggs have a dark bean-shaped ?embryo? with veining. Clears I can identify. Blood rings or quitters I get confused easily because they appear to have veins.

What do you feed your flock?

Purina Flock Raiser for the high protein and grit and oyster shell mix.

Are you noticing any issues with the chicks that are hatching?

Of the seven I hatched my very first time, one is growing slower and it’s toes started curving inward around 2wo.

Are all of the quitter eggs quitting early? Did you open any of them?

No, I’m scared to see semi-developed embryos.

Sounds like I need to learn what to look for BEFORE I put them in the incubator. So, am I supposed to candle at day zero, before you incubate them at all?

One thing I found helpful until I got better at identifying air cell size, was weighing eggs before setting, on day 7 and day 14. I noticed that usually the extremes (high or low) didn’t hatch.

So you don’t have a calibrated thermometer or hygrometer in the incubator, correct? If so, can you run it now and put a thermometer in for 24 hours, checking it at various times during the day, and letting us know what it is reading? I am thinking temperature may be playing a big part in this.

 

[Iluveggers]

Oh, also, are you sure your turner was working? Once I forgot to reset my incubator, and the eggs didn’t turn the first day until I realized the next morning my blue eggs were in front again…and checked the turner and it wasn’t turning.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Thank you so much, @CluckNDoodle
I appreciate you sharing your time and expertise. Answers in purple.

Do you have a secondary calibrated thermometer and hygrometer?

No, but! Before BYC jumps on me, I know that’s the #1 advice. The manufacturer specifically says NOT to recalibrate.

Are you monitoring weight loss or air cell growth?

I am tracing air cells when candling. I believe we want to ensure air cells are growing appropriately so we don’t drown or dry out before hatching. I don’t know what is correct air cell development along the way. I just trace it and see it’s growing.

Some people like dry hatching, I personally found it worked better in styrofoam incubators because the humidity stayed higher in them to begin with. I like keeping my NR360 around 45% for the first 18 days and I find this made for the best amount of weight loss for most hatches (how porous the eggs are, age of the eggs, etc. Can make this differ slightly but I had pretty consistent results). Humidity is a tool to help the egg to lose the appropriate amount of weight. Consistency of humidity being slightly higher isn't as important until hatching when you don't want it getting too dry and drying out the membrane during hatch.

The start of this second hatch was nearly dry. It needed no water for the first week or two to stay between 30-40%.

My first hatch I tried 40-50% and had a harder time with consistency. When it came time to hatch, I had a heck of a time sustaining 70%. Flooded to the floor, open container of water inside the unit, wet paper towels.

I am anxious to see if I can maintain 70% humidity over the next 3 days. It’s finally raining today, so that helps.

I’m not sure if I should try 35-45 or 40-50% next hatch. I’m hatching guineas.

What are you cleaning the incubator with?

Paper towels dipped in barely soapy water, then damp paper towel no soap, then dry paper towel.

Are you candling prior to setting the eggs? Seeing a high number of meat spots or anything? (I never had success hatching eggs with meat spots)

I don’t know what meat spots are. Every egg I have cracked has had a white bulls eye. Many eggs have a dark bean-shaped ?embryo? with veining. Clears I can identify. Blood rings or quitters I get confused easily because they appear to have veins.

What do you feed your flock?

Purina Flock Raiser for the high protein and grit and oyster shell mix.

Are you noticing any issues with the chicks that are hatching?

Of the seven I hatched my very first time, one is growing slower and it’s toes started curving inward around 2wo.

Are all of the quitter eggs quitting early? Did you open any of them?

No, I’m scared to see semi-developed embryos.

Sounds like I need to learn what to look for BEFORE I put them in the incubator. So, am I supposed to candle at day zero, before you incubate them at all?

I second what @Iluveggers is suggesting. I have always monitored air cell growth because it was easiest for me unless I was doing an exact experiment to share specifics with others but weighing is a fool proof method of knowing when to increase or decrease humidity, especially when you aren't accustomed to what you're looking for.

With all of that said, since you're seeing a chick with curled toes after hatch there is more to consider. Vitamin deficiencies in the laying flock, specifically riboflavin can cause this. Fluctuating temperatures can also cause this. Finally, genetics can also be an issue.

All of the above can also be responsible for the quitters.

So, my initial recommendations to you would be to get a secondary thermometer. Walmart carries an inexpensive analog style meat thermometer that can be submerged to calibrate it. It's not convenient to keep in the incubator but you can at least see if the temp matches the digital read out (you WILL see hot and cold spots throughout the incubator which is totally normal and the turner rotating all the way around the incubator will make up for this).

Another idea would be to get eggs from someone local to you that knows they're having good hatch rates. Incubate their eggs. If you have the same issues, it's more likely to be incubator but if you have a good hatch, then look at the flock.