HELP! Assist Hatching!!

[Farmgirl47]

I had one hatch that was 10 days late and some of the shell was missing so anythings possible.

Ten days late..

 

[duluthralphie]

I heard tell of one taking 56 days!

 

[HeyHey]

That's a problem...

Go out to Walmart and buy some fish tank thermometers. They're about two bucks and usually accurate. Make up an ice slurry of about 3:1 ice to water. Place the thermometers in and make sure they go down to 32*F or 0*C. If they don't, then add/subtract whatever amount it's different by from your reading.

can you use the fish tank thermometers without them bein in water

 

[ItsAZOO32]

can you use the fish tank thermometers without them bein in water

They are just suggesting you test them in icy water to ensure they are accurate first

 

[ItsAZOO32]

Do you still have the styrofoam box this came in? I have heard that this style of incubator can be difficult with temp regulation and that keeping the base in the styrofoam box can help.

 

[BantyChooks]

can you use the fish tank thermometers without them bein in water

Of course.

 

[BYC910]

Oops. 4 hatched, giving me a 57% hatch rate. Not half bad for shipped.
View attachment 1024142

Look at Banty's set up here this is good monitoring of temperature and this is the thermometer at walmarts and it doesn't have to run in water .It's weighted for fish tank use.You think eggs are touchie try keeping fish tanks at just the right temperature .

Incubating can be stressful i place my eggs flat at day 17 mine start hatching at about day 18 but I leave the unhatched til day 24 so much can change the hatching time I've had eggs hatch 5 days apart before so I give them time but in my experience after day 24 they start to explode so that's the time frame I use

Lots of things can affect incubation. A chick that hatches early means temps are to high our the incubation process started before incubator set . Under a hen for a day will do this also very warm weather .

This is my 4th time time! I've never succeeded! I don't even know what to say! I'm in tears!

She was malpositioned... Drowned...and weak

sorry you are having such a hard time ,You just need to settle down and change your approach to incubator set up and check .We are going to go through this now.You can get it right or close to right . Learning is frustrating because you feel you have failed when in fact you have gained experience . That's how you learn what to and not to do .

Failing 4 times in a row means something is extremely off in your incubation technique. What incubator are you using? How many thermometers/hygrometers? Still or forced air? What temp/humidity are you running? How are you turning? What kind of eggs, shipped or local?

and the master speaks Jump in anywhere I mess up . Temperature must be taken at the top of the eggs even in a forced air incubator . humidity isn't as critical as temperature . Humidity must be played with over several hatches to find what humidity for not only each chicken breed, but each incubator and every area of the planet . But for the beginner 30 to 50 % is a good place to start and 65% at lockdown and hatching time . You should start with temperature and get it right .This little fish thermometer is great for that . Next calibrate your hygrometer . Use the lid from a gallon milk or water jug and one gallon ziplock bag for this . Fill the milk jug lid level with table salt and make it damp with water. Just damp not soggy you don't want to see any water standing in the salt . Place the salt and your hygrometer in the ziplock bag and get as much air out of the bag as can by pressing it out with your hands . Make sure not to dump the salt in the bag. You want to leave the bag sit for at least 24 hours in a room or cabinet at as close to 75 degrees constant as you can get. make sure the hygrometer has been on the entire 24 hours. At the end of 24 hours it should read 75% humidity . If not write down what it reads . If adjustable adjust it to the right humidity if not save the written humidity it read .And always refer to it and add or subtract the deference when checking your humidity . So at the end of 24 hours if it reads 73% it's 2 % low it should be 75%. If your running 50% it's really 52% . Tag Me if you need help . Remember temperature and then humidity . GET THE TEMPERATURE RIGHT !!!!

 

[Clucklandia]

Do you still have the styrofoam box this came in? I have heard that this style of incubator can be difficult with temp regulation and that keeping the base in the styrofoam box can help.

No, I don't

 

[DwayneNLiz]

I heard tell of one taking 56 days!

so it was only 1 day late, for an Emu

Look at Banty's set up here this is good monitoring of temperature and this is the thermometer at walmarts and it doesn't have to run in water .It's weighted for fish tank use.You think eggs are touchie try keeping fish tanks at just the right temperature .View attachment 1157627
Lots of things can affect incubation. A chick that hatches early means temps are to high our the incubation process started before incubator set . Under a hen for a day will do this also very warm weather .

sorry you are having such a hard time ,You just need to settle down and change your approach to incubator set up and check .We are going to go through this now.You can get it right or close to right . Learning is frustrating because you feel you have failed when in fact you have gained experience . That's how you learn what to and not to do .

and the master speaks Jump in anywhere I mess up . Temperature must be taken at the top of the eggs even in a forced air incubator . humidity isn't as critical as temperature . Humidity must be played with over several hatches to find what humidity for not only each chicken breed, but each incubator and every area of the planet . But for the beginner 30 to 50 % is a good place to start and 65% at lockdown and hatching time . You should start with temperature and get it right .This little fish thermometer is great for that . Next calibrate your hygrometer . Use the lid from a gallon milk or water jug and one gallon ziplock bag for this . Fill the milk jug lid level with table salt and make it damp with water. Just damp not soggy you don't want to see any water standing in the salt . Place the salt and your hygrometer in the ziplock bag and get as much air out of the bag as can by pressing it out with your hands . Make sure not to dump the salt in the bag. You want to leave the bag sit for at least 24 hours in a room or cabinet at as close to 75 degrees constant as you can get. make sure the hygrometer has been on the entire 24 hours. At the end of 24 hours it should read 75% humidity . If not write down what it reads . If adjustable adjust it to the right humidity if not save the written humidity it read .And always refer to it and add or subtract the deference when checking your humidity . So at the end of 24 hours if it reads 73% it's 2 % low it should be 75%. If your running 50% it's really 52% . Tag Me if you need help . Remember temperature and then humidity . GET THE TEMPERATURE RIGHT !!!!

all great advice and great with the hygro calibration, but i think @Clucklandia only has the one in the bator right now??

 

[BantyChooks]

and the master speaks Jump in anywhere I mess up .

Sounds good to me, except I might add that since she's been having late-in-lockdown deaths humidity might well play a larger part in this than being an also-ran to temperature. I agree with you though that temp is the main issue here.