Hatching help!!

[Lhoward42]

How much of a difference are you getting between the three groups? There are factors outside the incubator such as nutrition and disease that can impact hatch rate as well.

I’m new but I really think it’s the hatching not the eggs because of the 3 different ones I’ll loose two or three eggs per group or breed but the others will be fine!

 

[DucksAreBest]

I agree with, @TheAlrightyGina, lower temperatures won't do anything except make a slightly delayed hatch.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

You are correct. One is well documented and rigorous, and the other is anecdotal (ie personal and tied to the individual).

ETA: I'm not trying to discount your experience. But to say that people can't have successful hatches unless they do it exactly as you say is disingenuous at best.

I absolutely did not say people cant have successful hatches unless they do it exactly the way i say? I just said the lower temperatures can be a factor, and that seasoned hatchers recommend higher temperatures rather than lower ones. Those are facts, not my personal opinions. High hatch rates aren't always "per individual." There is proof in the science and experience behind it, not just simply personal preferences.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

Here's a great summary of the concept. https://brinsea.co.uk/latest/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/What-if-the-power-goes-off-2010.pdf They basically summarize a bunch of studies on the subject and present it clearly.

What I was talking about was this part: "Avoid maintaining eggs in early stages of incubation for long periods of time in the ‘zone of disproportionate development’ (27 -35°C/80.6 -95°F). This will result in a large number of deaths and abnormalities."

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I absolutely did not say people cant have successful hatches unless they do it exactly the way i say? I just said the lower temperatures can be a factor, and that seasoned hatchers recommend higher temperatures rather than lower ones. Those are facts, not my personal opinions. High hatch rates aren't always "per individual." There is proof in the science and experience behind it, not just simply personal preferences.

Ah. Your statement that:

99.5 degrees farenheit is the minimum temperature an embryo can successfully develop at.

implied to me that you believed that since the ambient temperature is not the same as the egg's temperature, that any hatch attempt below 100.5 would fail (your personal threshold for success). My bad if that wasn't what you were saying.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I’m new but I really think it’s the hatching not the eggs because of the 3 different ones I’ll loose two or three eggs per group or breed but the others will be fine!

So you incubated all three groups at the same time, with a loss of two to three eggs per group?

 

[Bird_whisperer]

I am on my 3rd hatch in a Nurture 360 Incubator and I’m struggling with less than a 50% hatch rate. I had some issues with my first hatch and thought I had fixed it. Most of the eggs that don’t make it are stopping between 7 and 10 day mark. I bought a hygrometer because I know incubators can be off on their readings. I have been keeping my humidity between 35 and 45% until lockdown and temp at 99.5. My daughter has bantam eggs that we have put in and they are not making it. Out of probably a dozen bantams we’ve attempted over 2 hatches and she’s only gotten three live babies. We aren’t over handling them only checking at days 3, 10 and 18. We have used our own fertile eggs, ones given to us that are tried and true for fertility and we have bought fertile pure high quality breeds. There are a couple of times there have been humidity drops in the middle of the night but only down maybe 10%. Please help me figure out what’s going on. I know there is a bit of trial and error but this seems excessive.

Your temp is good, but your humidity is too low. Follow the directions on your incubator, but the normal humidity for chicken eggs should be 45-60%. Most say 60% is ideal. Then raise it the last 3 days, during lockdown, to 65% or greater. Great job using another hygrometer!

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Here's a great summary of the concept. https://brinsea.co.uk/latest/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/What-if-the-power-goes-off-2010.pdf They basically summarize a bunch of studies on the subject and present it clearly.

What I was talking about was this part: "Avoid maintaining eggs in early stages of incubation for long periods of time in the ‘zone of disproportionate development’ (27 -35°C/80.6 -95°F). This will result in a large number of deaths and abnormalities."

This study is for short term emergency power outages, not consistent temperatures the entire incubation. It focuses on natural temperature dips compared to when hens leave the nest. The study also states that temperatures consistently below the optimum hen temperature (99.5) will slow development and increase mortality. Quote: "Continuous temperatures within this range (that you mentioned) but below optimum (99.5) will slow development and increase mortalities. Again it is early embryos that are more susceptible to continuous slightly low temperatures than older embryos." Meaning its worse for early embryos to experience consistent lower temperatures, than it is for older embryos. Conclusion is that early embryos may be just fine for short perids of time, as the hens do this in nature, but has high developmental delays and mortality rates when there is a consistent temperature, below optimum hen temp, the entire incubation. Higher developmental delays can, with anything in nature, lead to delayed death and not always sudden death. Which could explain the quitting around a week other than failure to start developing properly from the beginning.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Ah. Your statement that:



implied to me that you believed that since the ambient temperature is not the same as the egg's temperature, that any hatch attempt below 100.5 would fail (your personal threshold for success). My bad if that wasn't what you were saying.

Yes, i should've said "develop perfectly on track the way nature intended" instead of successfully develop.

 

[Lhoward42]

So you incubated all three groups at the same time, with a loss of two to three eggs per group?

2nd hatch was from my hens LO and a friends hen EE and OE and yes 1, 2 or 3 from each group had losses.
3rd hatch my daughters bantams and two different variety of breeds from a show pure bred flock of Orpingtons had several losses as well.