Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[CluckNDoodle]

Ive been having a lot of quitters as well. I candled my eggs that are set to hatch next week and out of the 12 I started with, 4 were infertile (I need one more rooster) and 4 quit. I don’t know if there’s something I’m doing wrong to cause all these quitters but the NR360 seems to be holding temperature and humidity just fine.

My broody hen will not have very many chicks to raise unless I can successfully stick some hatchery chicks in with these... Since she’s a first time broody and we’re supposed to have nice temps next week, I’m going to separate her and give her the eggs before hatching. She’s been really good at brooding her golf balls so I hope moving her goes well. I have chicks coming for my other broody hens so hopefully I can stick a couple more in with this hen.

It's probably not anything you're doing wrong. There are so many factors involved with hatching chicks. The health of the flock that the eggs came from, how the eggs were stored before setting, traveling to get to you, incubation, genetics, how clean your hands are when handling, etc.

Try to keep in mind that when people share their hatch rate percentages that you subtract the clear/infertile eggs with zero development and 100% hatch rates are rare even for those of us that have been hatching for years. Early quitters are more common than late quitters. When you see a lot of late quitters there is more likely to have been something wrong.

I've shared this before but I think it can be helpful for people to see hatch rates and note from other hatchers to see what is normal. You'll also find that as I started to keep better notes on my hatches there are often better explanations for the lower hatch rates. Anything from 75%-100% is honestly a very good hatch rate though and 50% is not uncommon for most.

2019 Hatch Rates

3/1/19: 80% (started with 22, 8 infertile, 3 quitters, 11 live chicks) Version 2 Nurture Right incubator

3/31/19: 100% (started with 22, 4 infertile, No quitters, 18 live chicks) Version 2 Nurture Right incubator

4/23-4/25/19: 82% (started with 44, 11 infertile, 6 quitters, 27 live chicks) Version 2 & 3 Nurture Right incubators

5/14/19: 100% (started with 11, No infertile, No quitters, 11 live chicks) Version 3 Nurture Right incubator (started eggs in Little Giant)

5/16/19: 70% (started with 20, No infertile, 6 quitters (1 was a late loss), 14 live chicks) Version 2 Nurture Right incubator

6/21/19-6/22/19: 64% (started with 33, 11 infertile, 8 quitters (2 were late losses), 14 live chicks) Version 2 & 3 Nurture Right 360 incubators (4 Mottled Orpington chicks died days after hatching, suspect genetic defect in breeding flock)

7/5/19: 100% (started with 4, 2 infertile, No quitters, 2 live chicks) Version 3 Nurture Right

7/16/19: 59% (started with 28, 1 infertile, 11 quitters, 16 live chicks) Version 2 & 3 Nurture Right 360 incubators

8/31/19: 88% SHIPPED EGGS (started with 15, 7 infertile, 1 quitter, 7 live chicks) Version 3 Nurture Right

2020 Hatch Rates

2/18/20: 90% (started with 10, No infertile, 1 quitter, 9 live chicks) Version 2 Nurture Right incubator
- The 1 quitter was late embryo death, on hatch day, I believe due to large vaulted skull

2/19/20: 100% (started with 12, 2 infertile, No quitters, 10 live chicks) Version 3 Nurture Right incubator

3/12/20: 91% (started with 12, 1 infertile, 1 quitter, 10 live chicks) Version 2 Nurture Right incubator
- Repaired 1 cracked egg with wax before setting. Also set 2 oblong eggs, 1 sticky egg (egg white leakage?), 2 porous eggs, and 1 calcium build up egg (calcium build up was infertile, cracked egg quit around day 15-16 possibly due to the wax affecting gas exchange or from bacteria.)

3/23/20: 94% (started with 23, 5 infertile, 1 quitter, 17 live chicks) Version 3 Nurture Right incubator
- 11 Marans (1 quitter 4 infertile)
- 1 chick looked like the Iowa Blue rooster fertilized, mixed chick
- 12 Silkies (1 infertile)

4/4/20: 64% (started with 24, 10 infertile, 5 quitters, 9 live chicks) Version 2 Nurture Right, lockdown in IncuView
-12 Marans (1 infertile, 4 quitters)
- 3 of the quitter Marans were late quitters, malpositioned & severely deformed, were not colored like Marans. I suspect a different rooster fertilized.
- 12 CCLs (9 infertile, 1 quitter)

4/10/20: 60% (started with 18, 8 infertile, 4 quitters, 6 live chicks) NR360 V2 & IncuView
- 12 Silkied Bantam Cochins (3 infertile, 3 quitters)
- 6 standard bantam Cochins (5 infertile, 1 quitter)

4/12/20: 92% (started with 27, 1 infertile, 2 quitters, 24 live chicks) NR360 V4 & V3
- Ameraucanas

5/19/20: 38% (started with 13, No infertile, 8 quitters, 5 live chicks) NR360 V3
- BBS Marans
- 1 was a late quitter that was again deformed like the 2 from the previous Marans hatch from this flock.

5/16/20: 60% (started with 12, 7 infertile, 2 quitters, 3 live chicks) NR360 V2
- Whiting True Blue hen under White Japanese Bantam roo
- We thought rooster was sterile this was the 3rd or 4th attempt at setting eggs.

5/28/20 - 5/29/20: 84% (started with 24, 5 infertile, 3 quitters, 16 live chicks) NR360 V2
- Silkies (started with 12, 4 infertile, 2 late quitters malpositioned)
- Millie Fleur D’uccles (started with 12, 1 infertile, 1 late quitter malpositioned)
- In this hatch I accidentally left the turner off for a few days in early incubation and that may have had a hand in the 3 malpositions

6/20/20: 83% SHIPPED EGGS (started with 12, 6 infertile/scrambled, 1 quitter, 5 live chicks)
- 10 Buff English Orpingtons (5 buffs did not start to develop, 1 quitter, 4 hatched)
- 2 Isabella Leghorns (the cracked leghorn egg did not start to develop, 1 hatched)
- So while this was technically an 83% hatch rate on eggs that started developing because there was only 1 quitter, it's 42% overall (5 out of 12 shipped eggs hatched). This was from my scrambled shipment that had detached & saddled air cells, some scrambled, a couple that had started embryo development from being under a broody hen and were then scrambled in shipment DOA, 1 leghorn also had the air cell at the pointed end and was cracked. Considering the mess I started with I'm actually really happy that 5 chicks hatched!

6/25/20: 85% SHIPPED EGGS (started with 24, 3 infertile/scrambled, 3 quitters, 18 live chicks)
- 6 Buff English Orpingtons (2 buffs did not start to develop, 2 quitters)
- 6 Mauve English Orpingtons (1 Mauve did not start to develop, 1 quitter)
- 12 Isabella Leghorns (100% fertility & 100% hatch)

6/29/20: 66% (started with 18, No infertile, 6 quitters, 12 live chicks)
- 1st Generation Olive Eggers (all will hatch out blue, splash Marans roo over black Ameraucanas)

8/1/20: 83% (started with 15, 3 infertile, 2 quitters, 10 live chicks)
- 13 Mottled English Orpingtons possible Lavender, Black, or Chocolate. First hatch from this flock, pullet eggs, some very small. 3 infertile, 1 early quitter, 1 late quitter at hatch malposition from small egg.
- 2 Black Polish, 100% fertility and hatch.

2021 Hatch Rates

3/26/21-3/27/21: 100% (started with 22, No infertile, No quitters, 22 live chicks) NR360 V2
- Polkies (Silkie/Polish Crosses)
- 9 eggs were unwashed and collected within 2 weeks
- 13 eggs were washed and stored in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks. (she lost her hen so we figured what’s the harm in trying!)

4/3/21: 71% SHIPPED EGGS (started with 48, 3 infertile, 13 quitters, 32 live chicks) NR360 V2 & V3
- Blue/Black Silver Birchen & Wheaten Marans from Gypsy Hen (1 infertile, 5 early quitters, 1 late quitter that was dwarfed, short pudgy little toes, legs, beak, and neck)
- Lavender & White Ameraucanas, & a few Olive Eggers from Gypsy Hen (2 infertile, 7 early quitters)
- 50 eggs received, 2 were cracked so I didn’t set them. Set 48 eggs.

And currently in the incubator - expected to hatch so far:
Due 4/27/21: 90% (started with 22, No infertile, 2 quitters, 20 live chicks) NR360 V3
- Silkies

 

[Pullety]

I am he

Could you make a simple Hatcher to place the 14 day eggs in? They’ll be day 15 tomorrow when you could get the new eggs. The now 15 day old eggs don’t need to be turned anymore - or you hand turn them a day or 2 more. So you’re looking at keeping them at the 99.5 and humidity over 65% starting at day 19 or 20 (damp sponge?). There’s lots of diy incubator plans on the web

Also could you get the eggs and just hold them for the week until your current hatch happens? Holding them 7-9 days before setting them doesn’t seem too long if they eggs are fresh laid.
Just trying to be an enabler - lol!

I am here for the enabling!! Thank you, I appreciate it. I missed my window for getting the eggs but I think I’ll do a whole new round after this one when I can get some eggs.

 

[Pullety]

I like using my IncuView as a hatcher because it's so easy to clean and it's also handy to have for larger poultry and waterfowl, such as turkeys and geese because the turner in the IncuView is sufficient for those and you won't need to hand turn. Just plan on having to tinker with it a bit throughout the hatch and have at least two extra calibrated thermometers to keep in there at all times because it's a bit finicky. Still, the easiest incubator I've ever cleaned, makes me happy every time, lol.

Anyway, to answer your initial question, you can get away with just about anything with a little extra planning. You can continue to open the incubator and hand turn the new eggs until you see pips on the hatching eggs. Once the other chicks start hatching they will kick the eggs around anyway so it's kind of like turning them, lol. It's not my preference to do staggered hatches like this and that's part of why I now have multiple incubators but it can and does work if that's what you would like to do.

You sure know a lot! I just wish you could, you know, come stay here for three weeks and be my personal hatching guru.

I’m too late to get the new eggs which is probably for the best. I will look forward to doing another round with maybe better luck.

 

[Pullety]

Like, directly on the side? Not just tilted or saddled? That's tough...I haven't had many like this but yes it's really hard for them to hatch because once they turn to get in position for hatching my experience is that the air cell disappears entirely so the only way they can hatch is if they pip through the shell for their initial "internal" pip. It's not impossible though, just a reduced chance of them hatching successfully and it's very difficult to assist because where would you even try to open the egg if the air cell disappears, you know?

Yeah, this picture is from several days ago but the air cells are still the same, just bigger. Dang, I wish there were something I could do. It’s gonna feel bad if they fully develop then can’t get out, especially with the poor hatch rate I’m already going to have. They’re pullet eggs I found out, if that makes any difference. It thought it was weird cause it’s 2/4 jersey giant eggs that have them and I went and picked them up directly, not shipped. I’ve never seen this in my own eggs which I candle before selling. The third with its air cell on the side had a bunch of hairline cracks so I thought that was why it’s air cell was in the wrong position. But it has stopped developing so it’s not a concern anymore.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

You sure know a lot! I just wish you could, you know, come stay here for three weeks and be my personal hatching guru.

I’m too late to get the new eggs which is probably for the best. I will look forward to doing another round with maybe better luck.

lol! I will do my best to enable from afar!

Hatching haiku:

"One by one we put them in, soon the real fun will begin!
Turning round, a delightful sound, as we squeal with glee from candling!
Incubators are fun you see, so buy one more, or two, or three!
Those who learn this path, will soon also know about chicken math!"
Much love from the hatching guru

 

[yesterDAYNE]

I bought one of these yesterday after seeing this thread, I'm not planning on being a big hatcher but I do want to hatch out a batch of turkeys to try and get myself a specific color female to fill my last slot, lol. Gonna wait to see if the 3 sebastapol geese eggs I have under a broody chicken hatch out before I set any in the incubator though, need to make sure I'll have an unoccupied brooder beforehand.

I saw a goose egg tray someone 3d printed on etsy! I should have bought it when I saw it, bc I just went to go buy it now and it's gone ! Oh well. Maybe it's a sign, lmao.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I bought one of these yesterday after seeing this thread, I'm not planning on being a big hatcher but I do want to hatch out a batch of turkeys to try and get myself a specific color female to fill my last slot, lol. Gonna wait to see if the 3 sebastapol geese eggs I have under a broody chicken hatch out before I set any in the incubator though, need to make sure I'll have an unoccupied brooder beforehand.

I saw a goose egg tray someone 3d printed on etsy! I should have bought it when I saw it, bc I just went to go buy it now and it's gone ! Oh well. Maybe it's a sign, lmao.

Someone here shared the link to a quail turner. I bet they have the goose egg turners too. I'll go check.

 

[yesterDAYNE]

Someone here shared the link to a quail turner. I bet they have the goose egg turners too. I'll go check.

I think that was the one who had the goose egg turner! They had some quail ones left, some bantam ones and a normal replacement, but the goose one was sold out sadly. I'll keep an eye on their store daily though and see if I can't snag one. I'd love to be able to hatch out a pretty gander for my flock of 4 lonely girls lmao.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I think that was the one who had the goose egg turner! They had some quail ones left, some bantam ones and a normal replacement, but the goose one was sold out sadly. I'll keep an eye on their store daily though and see if I can't snag one. I'd love to be able to hatch out a pretty gander for my flock of 4 lonely girls lmao.

Send them a message and ask! I have an Etsy shop too. Small shop owners are grateful when customers reach out and ask.

 

[rayrose]

If you buy a Nurture Right at TS, which version are you going to
get 2,3, or 4, and what's the difference?