Hatching eggs in an 1202 GQF

[bartee2016]

Hello, we are new hatchers and we are in full swing with eggs in the incubator. Our first 2 chicks that hatched turned out fine and hatched 100% successful. Now the past 3 that has hatched has had horrible trouble. They have been really dry and just couldn't move because the membrane and egg are so dry they are sticking to him. What are some ways to solve this problem? I know it has to do with humidity, just didn't know if that was the only solution. By the way we are hatching gamefowl because they are so dang pretty! Colby Pyle's and Hatch's. Hopefully soon some Sweater babies will hatch!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Hello, we are new hatchers and we are in full swing with eggs in the incubator. Our first 2 chicks that hatched turned out fine and hatched 100% successful. Now the past 3 that has hatched has had horrible trouble. They have been really dry and just couldn't move because the membrane and egg are so dry they are sticking to him. What are some ways to solve this problem? I know it has to do with humidity, just didn't know if that was the only solution. By the way we are hatching gamefowl because they are so dang pretty! Colby Pyle's and Hatch's. Hopefully soon some Sweater babies will hatch!

Can you give more details----so we can better understand???

2 chicks hatched? Did they hatch on time? Did they hatch in the bottom or the trays?? Did you remove them after they hatched?? When did the next 3 hatch---days later, hours later?? Were these eggs all set at the same time?? See we have no idea what is happening?? Will you start in the beginning so we can understand and try to help?

 

[bartee2016]

Yes, sorry. We started out putting multiple eggs in there a day, and we found that was to hard to keep track, so now we only put eggs in there once a week. One hatched 2 days early and the other hatched right on day 21. We leave ours on the trays to hatch and once they are almost out of the eggs we put them in the bottom tray. We leave our chicks in the bottom tray until they are completely dry. These next 3 are hatching right on time if they had come out of their egg on time... like i said these last three have been really dry so they aren't coming out of the egg all the way unless we help a bit. So what I'm wanting to know is humidity, how to build it up better. And also we open our door about 3 times a day just to peek at them and make sure they are alright, is that opening to much?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes, sorry. We started out putting multiple eggs in there a day, and we found that was to hard to keep track, so now we only put eggs in there once a week. One hatched 2 days early and the other hatched right on day 21. We leave ours on the trays to hatch and once they are almost out of the eggs we put them in the bottom tray. We leave our chicks in the bottom tray until they are completely dry. These next 3 are hatching right on time if they had come out of their egg on time... like i said these last three have been really dry so they aren't coming out of the egg all the way unless we help a bit. So what I'm wanting to know is humidity, how to build it up better. And also we open our door about 3 times a day just to peek at them and make sure they are alright, is that opening to much?

PD doesn't open his bators at all....lol I open frequently....lol One is going to depend on humidity to begin with. I have a table top incubator that recovers humidity quickly. I have no issues whatsoever opening my bator during hatch. I've never used a cabinet incubator. That could be a big difference in being able to open the bator and having issues, versus not having issues. I would say that if after having hatchers hatch w/o a problem and then having problems after opening, I would definitely go hands off and either cut it down to doing what you need to once a day, or like PD, waiting until the hatchers from that hatch are done and then moving them. It would certainly be worth seeing if it resolves the problem.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

And

 

[PD-Riverman]

Yes, sorry. We started out putting multiple eggs in there a day, and we found that was to hard to keep track, so now we only put eggs in there once a week. One hatched 2 days early and the other hatched right on day 21. We leave ours on the trays to hatch and once they are almost out of the eggs we put them in the bottom tray. We leave our chicks in the bottom tray until they are completely dry. These next 3 are hatching right on time if they had come out of their egg on time... like i said these last three have been really dry so they aren't coming out of the egg all the way unless we help a bit. So what I'm wanting to know is humidity, how to build it up better. And also we open our door about 3 times a day just to peek at them and make sure they are alright, is that opening to much?

OK, Location has a lot to do with the humidity. As said I Do Not open my incubator during the hatch and the only reason I don't is since I stopped doing that--I hatch 100% many times and stay in the 95% to 100% range the other times. Real LOW hatch % when I did open during the hatch some years back. My last hatch in my cabinet----I stuck 3 eggs that looked like early death-----but wanted to give them a chance--- in with the other 233 eggs that candled good (236 total) in my hatcher on day 18---well had 233 chicks hatched. I will take that.

Questions for you? Did you read the instructions for your incubator when you got it?---Decent instructions for the most of it.
How do you raise your Humidity for the hatch when you add eggs daily, even weekly??
You need a lower incubation humidity for the first 18 days and a higher for the hatch.
Many people do like you and incubate and hatch in the same cabinet, but everyone "I" have talked with set every 7 days---keeping a low humidity till the 18th day for the next batch. They then candle those eggs and put the good ones in the bottom(day 18 now) tray, raise the humidity into the 70"s and Leave the door CLOSED. On day 22 they open for the first time in 4 days---pull the tray out--removed the chicks, clean the tray to get ready for the next batch and Lower the humidity till the next batch is on day 18. Most all these people have good hatches---most state they are in the 80's%.

I do not "know" how it is at your location---I never hatched there----here If open my incubator like you stated you are doing----I Know I would have some bad hatches, dead in the egg chicks, shrink wrapped, etc.

If You got Questions---Just ask---"we" will help any way we can!