Hi--
I did 3 hatch attempts in Lakewood last winter from eggs that originated at sea level. It was frustrating to say the least and I only have 4 chicks to show for the effort with close to 3 dozen eggs.
I began researching the problems with altitude in hatching partway thru the second batch. I learned that eggs from hens living at sea level have less porous shells, an adaptation because the air is richer and it isn't necessary to pull in so much oxygen or humidity. The eggs from hens living at high altitude have much larger pores, in order to help the embryo get more oxygen.
So, bringing eggs from low altitude to high altitude to hatch is the least desired scenario, because the eggs can't breathe. Professional hatcheries often provide oxygen piped into the incubator...but that, of course, is dangerous for small incubators with an electricity/heat source inside the box that would be likely to ignite!
What I tried to do during hatching, then, was to keep air circulating. I kept the air holes open (and even added a few more), used a lot of extra water surface for evaporating in order to keep the humidity up and I bought a little fan at Radio Shack and wired it inside the incubator to push the air around.
I would highly advise not introducing these additions during your hatch, however, because they will de-stabilize the temperature and humidity significantly and can be difficult to adapt to for awhile, several hours or days.
Even with my extra work and diligence, I still had difficulty toward the end of the hatch with fully developed chicks dying before pipping.
However, I have to say that these were marans eggs and the pigmentation layer they have makes them very thick and difficult for the chicks to pip out of anyway...so they had an extra count against them from the very beginning.
I am no expert with hatching by any means and I was not using the best incubator. So, please don't adjust anything until you've thought it thru carefully.
Best wishes with your efforts--and keep us posted!
