Hatch Rates?

[Haviris]

This may be a dumb question, but I have been currious. How do you all figure your hatch rates? Do you count all eggs you set or just those that turn out to be fertile?

 

[chickenmama22]

That's a good question. I wonder how the experienced hatchers will respond. I calculate it by the number that hatch divided by the total number I put in the incubator.
Nancy

 

[hatchcrazzzy]

i do as chickenmama

 

[Chellester]

Quote:
That's the traditional and accepted way of doing it.

Personally, I count the ones that make it though candling on day 7-8. I can't control if an egg is infertile, so I don't figure it in the final hatch rate.

Of course, there could be early quitters, but almost all the eggs I set make it to day 8, so if I do have them, I don't think there are that many.

 

[kstaven]

I count all eggs that go in and record infertile, dead in shell, etc along the way. It helps me track the breeding lines and if there is a problem starting to occur. That way I can change roosters or hens and see the results over the season. In this way I know I will always have good viable stock.

So in short...Yes I count them all.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I do the same as chickenmamma22 & kstaven does.
number of chicks hatched divided by number of eggs I put in the incubator at the same time.
And I do it for the same reason as kstaven. I need to know if any of my breeders are not producing well, so I can switch stock.

Jean

 

[Haviris]

Thanks, that helps! I always check them at one week and assume any that are clear were infertile and don't count them, but I'm not sure that is the correct way to do it. Most recently I put in 14 eggs, two had blood rings at one week, so obviously they were fertile (right?) so I will count them. I just wouldn't think infertile eggs should count (even the best hatcher in the world wouldn't be able to hatch an infertile egg).

In my case most the eggs I have hatched have been from other people, so I'm not needing to see who is producing and who isn't. Mostly I have invested money in these and I really like to see enough hatch to make it worth it. I have hatched some of my own in the past and was able to be more relaxed about it and didn't even keep up with how well the hatch went (not to bad if I remember right), but I was mostly just playing around. I do plan to do some more hatching from my own in the future, and then I'll probably want to keep better records. But as for bragging about my great (or poor) hatch, it still seems to make more since not to count infertile eggs.

I know this is a silly thing, but I just don't want to be misleading when I post about my hatch rates.

 

[hinkjc]

Fertility rate = fertile eggs/eggs set X 100%

Hatch rate = Live chicks/fertile eggs X 100%

Total Eggs Hatched = live chicks / egg set X 100%

Courtesy of the TX Ag Ext Svc. http://posc.tamu.edu/Extension publications/b6092.pdf

Jody

 

[speckledhen]

I do like what Jody posted. I count fertile eggs then how many hatch from the ones that were fertile to get my hatch rate.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Well, if you are trying to figure out if it is worth the money spent on buying hatching eggs, I would count the infertile ones too.
You paid for them, right???

Jean