Hatch Due Dec 29th - Still Nothing

[swtangel321]

Quote:
So, to be clear, are you voting I change the humidity now, or wait a few more days since they could be 3-6 days late?

Yes, I am voting to stop turning and up the humidity now.

 

[Nathan]

In that case, I'm looking around for sponges or spongelike things.

 

[swtangel321]

Quote:
Wet socks work good (new ones)


YAY

COME ON CHICKIES

 

[Nathan]

Day 22. No activity yet. No signs of pips, cheeping, or zip lines. It's hard to know how later this hatch is, so the incubator will probably be running through Saturday (Day 26).

I've gotten the humidity as high as 65%. I can't seem to get it any higher than that. I haven't opened the incubator since day 19.

I am holding off on buying chick starter until I've seen something hatch.

 

[swtangel321]

Soon Soon, I can feel it

COME ON BABIES

 

[Nathan]

Day 25. No Activity.

Tommorrow, I will be cleaning out the incubator if there is no signs of hatching.

Part of me wants to fire it up again and get some more eggs to hatch. I would like to figure otu more of what went wrong.

Since the thermostat was flakey, was clicking, and eventually conked out, I can guess that it at one time, it must have allowed some high temperatures that caused a lot of blood rings.

Or is there other explanations? The eggs were somewhat dirty when I got them. I sanitized them with Tektrol before putting them in.

I plan to swap out the thermostat before next hatch. Has anyone done this with a Brower and was it hard? Where is the thermostat (It's not on my parts diagram.

I might try to fit the incubator in the closet to get more stabile temperatures (farther from the windows).

Is there anything else I should do for more success next time?

 

[Akane]

My first few times incubating I set up a journal. Every time I turned I recorded the temp and humidity and marked down any changes I made or accidents that happened. Then at the end of the hatch I broke open every single dead egg and using pics online figured out approximately what day they died. I could then compare to the numbers and events in my journal and determine exactly what went wrong. My first hatch ever was 2 of 24 eggs. My most recent hatch was 24 of 25 eggs. I think it worked.

If I ever get another incubator I'm going to do the same thing again with the first hatch or 2 so I can learn exactly what settings work with that incubator.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

I dont have an incubator, just a goofy little hen, and she sat on these eggs since the first of December, and we got one little chick! now our coop is heated, but not over 45, and if I was in a rush for eggs I would have tossed this one! But I decided what ever kept her happy, and lo and behold!

I know how tough waiting is, but sometimes good things come to those who wait?

Good Luck!

 

[Nathan]

Very good note on the incubation log. Though my log wasn't as complete as some of my previous ones, I was able to glean a few things from it.

Years ago, I hatched some quail eggs from shipped eggs. I hatched about 50% then.

In comparison to those days,

Humidity was lower. Around 40% compared to the 50s back then, and 60% during hatching compared to 75% back then.
Temperature deviations on what was recorded were not much different, but it could be some unrecorded temperatures that were the culprit.

The problems were different as well:
Back then, probably the biggest problem was "Eggs pipped, but chicks dead in shell." Incubation troubleshooting chart may indicate that the humidity was still too low.
Now the biggest problem is "Blood Rings" or death at an early age. Possible causes (within my control) are egg storage. incubation temperatures, ventilation, and fumigation

The breeding program/nutrtion was not in my control. Egg turning was probably pretty good.

I am guessing that a lot of the early death happened between the first and fourth day of incubation, and it simply took several candling cycles for me to be sure of it.

 

[Akane]

Nearly all my eggs that pipped and died in shell were from too high of humidity. If the humidity is too high (70+ does it for mine) water will collect in the air sac. When they pip the membrane into the air sac they will drown and if they don't and manage to pip the shell they can still drown if they pip down or the egg gets rolled. I hatch at 65% target and 60-70% range before I worry and take action to raise or lower it. If the humidity is too high you'll usually find lots of moisture in the eggs when you break them and if it was too high during incubating the air sacs will be too small.

Most blood rings in my experience are caused by fluctuations in temp or humidity during incubation that kill the embryo. On one occasion I believe one egg got scrambled when the incubator was bumped. Unless it's early deaths such as before day 10 I can usually track down some problem with my incubating or egg handling. The ones lost before day 10 are usually the ones that appear to have suffered problems in shipping, storage, or health of the flock.