Hatching Bantams?

[Chicksandhorsesandogsohmy]

So spring and now into summer I have been learning, trial-and-error lots of it about hatching. I have had 8 successful hatches and have 7 healthy happy baby chicks. I lost one due to my stupidity. My issue is that I have two frizzle Bantam hens and I have not gotten any eggs to hatch. The 1st few I'm sure we're all me, but my latest 1 made it today 20 and died When I looked inside everything looked fine just no hatch. Just bad luck or is there something about the frizzle bantams that I should know? The males are a Polish crested and a regular Brahma Bantam. Neither roo is frizzled as I know that can cause issues. I only get one or 2 eggs a week from these guys ...MAYBE so losing one is just heart wrenching.

My bator is still air at 101.4.

 

[Chicksandhorsesandogsohmy]

Posted too quick! Bator is at 101.4. Humidity is naturally at 42 or so and I keep it about 64 during lockdown. Im sure is just mother nature being cruel but wanted to ck.

 

[FrozenRed]

Posted too quick! Bator is at 101.4. Humidity is naturally at 42 or so and I keep it about 64 during lockdown. Im sure is just mother nature being cruel but wanted to ck.

Still airs Temps tend to vary so wildly across them that it tends to cause problems. The problem I had in mine before I upgraded was that when I put eggs into lockdown I didn't keep track of where they were in the incubator in the turning tray and the change in temp harmed my hatch rate. Do you have thermometers in the incubator to be sure the temp is correct? You can do everything right and sadly still lose them sometimes

 

[FrozenRed]

Sorry if that was hard to understand I just realized my wording could be a bit confusing. I meant that still air incubators temp can vary wildly from one corner to another and that moving an egg from the temp it was at the whole time during incubating to a higher or lower temp different area in the incubator can reduce your hatch rate.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

When I used a still air I tried to move each egg to a different part of the incubator every day or so.

Really, hatching bantams is no different in my experience. I just hatched 8 alongside 2 large fowl. I did have one that didn't develop and 1 late quitter. Nothing unusual. Often they hatch a bit early - late day 19 isn't unheard of- and they can lose moisture faster since they have more surface area.

 

[Altfrizzle]

I think humidity also plays a large part with mixed egg hatches. Bantams tend to have thinner shells and in my experience need higher humidity.

I aim for 50% first 18 up to 70-75% at lockdown.

 

[sourland]

Have you calibrated your thermometer ?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Most thermometers (except food thermometers) cannot be calibrated but you can check it for accuracy. Many of us like to use the Accurite ones that have temp and humidity but those can be +/- 2°F or more depending on model, since air temperature accuracy is generally not all that important.

 

[RubyNala97]

Are you monitoring the air cells for growth? Bantam eggs can loose humidity quicker then large fowl eggs.