healthy chickens from delayed hatches?

azamazal

In the Brooder
8 Years
Dec 12, 2011
34
1
24
first time incubating with a homemade incubator, i'm thinking the thermostat/ hygrometer isn't giving an accurate reading, or the temp isn't consistent in the incubator. i used a fan that was too large and put it in a box with holes to restrict air flow and maybe i restricted it too much. anyways, its a couple hours shy of day 22, and only three are still alive (lost 2 out of seven from the start, and two recently that had developed quite a bit). my concern is that they will be deformed or unhealthy, does anyone have chickens that hatched late that are healthy? i hope the last three don't quit, but i guess they sometimes don't make it even after starting to hatch, this is more stressful than i thought it was going to be. good thing it doesn't take 9 months
 
My last hatch some arrived just shy of day 21, most on 21, 4 on 22 and 2 on 23. The late hatchers looked like runts compared to the earlier ones because the earlier were all fluffed up by then. Don't give up yet, wait for day 24, by then I assume they're not going to hatch. Get a couple hydrometer/ thermometer combo units and put in there after this hatch just to test your settings. Be sure to calibrate them so you know they're accurate, you can find threads here on how to do it. Lots of reasons for a failed hatch, temps wrong, humidity wrong. I can say temp should be about 99.5 in a forced air unit, won't claim a humidity level because what works here may not work there.

Don't give up, get your unit stabilized and try again.
 

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