Hatching questions.....

[Singlemaple]

ok so we built our own incubator on the 14th and had been collecting eggs to put in it since the 8th. i was candling the eggs last night and it looks like all the 2 of the 19 eggs i put in there quit they have not gotten bigger since day 7 when you could see the blood and the veins and stuff... but now in all the eggs is a deep dark blood ring in just a section of egg but there is like nothing else in the eggs... for the two i think have chicks in them will hatch the 3 and 4th of may...

now when we built are incubator we where having a very very very difficult time getting the humidity up it was at 30% for the first 4 or 5 days then we figured to put water right next to the light and it now stays at 56% humidity and 95˚ which is right right?

now on the other hand, One of my hens ( an easter egger ) is extremely broody she will not let me take eggs from her and she is having our other 5 hens lay in her box i have a suspicion that she has at-least 12 eggs under her. she looks like she is having a difficult time sitting on all her eggs but she gives us the stink eye and kinda growls at us when we try to take eggs from her ( its kinda funny) but i have no way to tell when they will hatch i believe she started to lay on the eggs the 15th and she hasn't left, other then for food i have see her do once.. but i have caught her turning the eggs but as soon as she see's that i am there she puffs up and lays on the eggs....

so what should i do is there like concrete signs that the 17 eggs in the incubator did give up? and about my broody hen should i bring her inside we have a big old bird cage that we could put her in. or will it be okay with the roo and the other hens will they kill the chicks? or will they be fine since they are there eggs?


could any one help me? this is my first time hatching eggs.

 

[Mrs.brown]

If you are sure the 2 eggs have quit then take them out because sometimes they can get other eggs infected. A little bit higher then 30% humidity before lockdown and up to 70% at lockdown. 95F is too low. It needs to be at 99F for forced air incubators and 102 for still air incubators.

As for the broody I have no idea because I have never had a hen go broody on me. But I have heard that if you go at night it helps.

Good luck!

 

[acid_chipmunk]

95 degrees is way too low. Because of the low temps, I wouldn't count your eggs out yet. They are days behind where they should be because of the low temp. Get your temp up to 99.5-100.5 for forced air (with a fan) or 102 for still air (no fan). Also, 56% is too high (IMO) for the first 18 days. We keep ours around 40% for the first 19 days, then up it to between 50 and 60% for the last couple days.


Because of the low temps, I would let them go to about 28 days before I pulled them.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

The blood rings are quitters. 95 degrees is too cold, if there is no fan in there, the temp should be about 101 degrees, if there is a fan, it should be about 99.5-100 degrees. Humidity should be around 30% ish until lockdown, when you need to get it up in the 60% range.

When I have eggs under a broody that is still in the coop with other girls, I use a sharpie and mark over the air cell (pencil will rub off) so I know which eggs are the ones she is supposed to be setting on. Wear gloves if she tries to bite you, and remove the other eggs every day. Otherwise, her hatch can be too staggered, and she might not take the chicks to food and water in time while she is waiting for more eggs to hatch, OR she will abandon the nest when she is compelled to feed/water her chicks. Either way, it makes for a loss of chicks.

Good luck.

 

[Singlemaple]

Mrs.brown :

If you are sure the 2 eggs have quit then take them out because sometimes they can get other eggs infected. A little bit higher then 30% humidity before lockdown and up to 70% at lockdown. 95F is too low. It needs to be at 99F for forced air incubators and 102 for still air incubators.

As for the broody I have no idea because I have never had a hen go broody on me. But I have heard that if you go at night it helps.

Good luck!

sorry i meant to say that all *but* 2 of the eggs look like they quit, there are 2 of them that look like they have full chicks in them...well almost.​

 

[llrumsey]

I had a broody hen once and boy can they be aggressive. And yes chickens do growl....If the other hens keep adding more eggs they will all hatch at different times, can you put a cage around her to keep the other hens out? I wouldnt try to move her to much because she may get upset and leave the nest.

Good Luck