having problems with my hovabator genesis 1588 incubator!! please help!!

[1muttsfan]

So sorry to hear about your hatches.

Get a good quality thermometer to double check your incubator, and make sure to check that it is accurate. I really recommend the Brinsea spot check, it is very accurate and easy to use in just about any incubator. Many thermometers have a +/- 2 degrees range, meaning they can vary as much as 4 degrees - not very helpful in incubators

I also wonder about the chicks that did hatch - on time? Normal? Did the quitters start developing, or just candle clear?

 

[puglady]

Agreed, get a good hydrometer/thermometer.

I have 3 of the same model incubators and had never had any problems with hatching until recently. I purchased a good hydrometer/thermometer and found that 2 built in thermometer/hydromters of the 3 were reading correctly but 1 was not. My chicks were drowning near hatch as the hydrometer portion of the incorrect built in was 10% +/- off.

I just had a very successful hatch using the hydrometer reading from the new thermometer/hydrometer, only 2 eggs from 36 didn't hatch!

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

Sorry about your hatches. Did the chicks that did hatch, hatch on time, or were they early or late? Were they normal? When you say early quitters, you are sure they were fertile? Fertility is sometimes low in the winter or early spring. Either way, I would definitely get an extra thermometer or two and double check the temps, a therm that records high/low temps is also nice to find out about temp spikes you may have not been aware of. The 1588s are nice but the electronics do go bad (and they are easy to get wet) and don't always read that close. Also be sure the room you have it in is within the recommended temperature range and the temp is pretty stable, in the winter the low temps can be a problem.

thank you for all the advice, im sure the eggs were fertile, they showed signs of development, and the chicks hatched on time and look normal, 7 hatched, do you have any thermometer you recommend?

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

you should have a thermo/hygrometer

are the subsequent hatches quail also?

how did you clean the incubator between hatches?

do you know any thermo/hygrometers to recommend? and the first hatch was quail the 2nd and 3rd were chicken eggs. and i just use regular dawn dish soap and let it air dry.

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

So sorry to hear about your hatches.

Get a good quality thermometer to double check your incubator, and make sure to check that it is accurate. I really recommend the Brinsea spot check, it is very accurate and easy to use in just about any incubator. Many thermometers have a +/- 2 degrees range, meaning they can vary as much as 4 degrees - not very helpful in incubators

I also wonder about the chicks that did hatch - on time? Normal? Did the quitters start developing, or just candle clear?

whats an average price for the brinsea spot check? i found one on amazon for $30 shipped. if its a good price ill go for it. and the chicks hatched on time, 7 hatched, look normal, and yes they all started developing, not 1 infertile egg.

 

[ozexpat]

I asked the cleaning method because it could have effected subsequent hatches.You did fine so its not that.

The most accurate thermometer out there that I like is the brinsea spot check.

As far as hygrometers go, I use the accurites from Amazon. I find the temp guage on them to be pretty decent also.

Remember humidity is really just a number - what works for me is not the same as for you but with this guage, you can adjust your humidity reasonably well.

There are so many issues in incubating its difficult to pin down the problem. Its good to check your bator but humidity, egg age and quality, whether they were local or shipped as well as when and how you turn them can make a big difference.

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

Agreed, get a good hydrometer/thermometer.

I have 3 of the same model incubators and had never had any problems with hatching until recently. I purchased a good hydrometer/thermometer and found that 2 built in thermometer/hydromters of the 3 were reading correctly but 1 was not. My chicks were drowning near hatch as the hydrometer portion of the incorrect built in was 10% +/- off.

I just had a very successful hatch using the hydrometer reading from the new thermometer/hydrometer, only 2 eggs from 36 didn't hatch!

glad you had a good hatch! im going to get a thermo/hydro and hopefully that fixes my issues.

 

[blucoondawg]

I incubate at 20 to 30% humidity using dry hatch method and always end up with a couple eggs where the air cells don't look quite big enough but I still have a good hatch. I would think humidity readings in the 50s wouldn't allow for proper air cell development and cause chicks to drown.

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

I asked the cleaning method because it could have effected subsequent hatches.You did fine so its not that.

The most accurate thermometer out there that I like is the brinsea spot check.

As far as hygrometers go, I use the accurites from Amazon. I find the temp guage on them to be pretty decent also.

Remember humidity is really just a number - what works for me is not the same as for you but with this guage, you can adjust your humidity reasonably well.

There are so many issues in incubating its difficult to pin down the problem. Its good to check your bator but humidity, egg age and quality, whether they were local or shipped as well as when and how you turn them can make a big difference.

im going to go with the brinsea spot check, thank you so much for all the advice and tips, the eggs were fresh from my flock so it definitely wasnt the egg age, and i have an egg turner so it couldn't have been that also, i had the incubator in my basement where the temp is usually about 59 degrees, i had humidity at 45% the whole hatch until lockdown, (according to the genesis hydro, so i dont know how true that is) do you think the outside temp couldve effected my hatch? since it was pretty cold? i say this because my room is in the basement and its about 60 degrees but when im in it i have a portable heater that brings the temp up to 70. do you think that couldve had a big part in it? the fluctuation and the low temp? if so, i will move the incubator upstairs where temp is normal.

 

[1muttsfan]

My house temp this time is the year never exceeds 64 degrees, and at night goes down into the mid 50s. I would suggest a lower humidity until the final several days.

Did you check your egg turner? Sometimes the motor on those can burn out, and since they move so slowly it can be hard to notice.