hatch rate

[kimismurf]

I put 12 rainbow eggs in a home made incubator. This is also my first time hatching eggs. I know you can't tell me what my outcome will be, but I would like to know what your experience is. Out of the 12 all are growing but 2. They are on day 8, and I can see them moving when I candle. They all appear to be the same size, some move more than others. I don't know what breed any of them are. My temp is at 99, and humidity is 30. I would love for all 10 to hatch but am hoping for more than half.

 

[lazy gardener]

Do you have a thermostat? Have you calibrated your thermometer to 100 degrees? Are you using a digital thermometer that reads tenths of a degree? Do you have a fan? Are you taking your temp at the level of the top of the eggs? If your thermometer has been accurately calibrated, and if you have a fan, and you were me, I'd try to tweak it up to 99.5 - 100. Have you also checked all spots in the bator to be sure that there aren't temp variations? In my home made bator, with fan and thermostat, I can have 1.5* variation. So, I rotate eggs around through warm/cool spots. It's a pain, but the outcome is well worth it. I also put tinfoil baffles to direct air flow and guard the warm spots. My first hatch was 5/6 with an early quitter. Second batch was 17/20 (I think). This year, 19/28 and 22/26. All eggs have been from my flock or from local flocks.

 

[kimismurf]

I have a digital, but it does not read to the tenth. I am rotating the eggs around with exception to the infertile ones. I do not have a fan, nor a thermostat at the top of the eggs. I have not calibrated it. It's brand new and I didn't know I needed to do that.