Help...I am having bad luck with incubating eggs

[NJfarmer]

Can anyone give me some info or tips that will help me? Maybe I am missing something. I put about 10 eggs in the incubater so far and only 1 chick has hatched. I threw out the other 9 eggs after day 35 in the incubater but i cracked them open to see if they developed and there was baby chicks inside but why didn't they hatch? I have some new eggs in the incubator now due to hatch end of August. I know all the eggs are fertile the only thing i can think of is that I dont turn the eggs 3 times a day. Should I buy an automatic turner?

 

[kstaven]

Eggs need to be turned regularly or the embryo will stick to the side of the shell. Are you monitoring heat and humidity levels?

Are the air cells getting larger as they should?

 

[jackiedon]

An egg turner is worth it's money in my opinion.

jackie

 

[ChrystalGail]

I agree with Jackie, especially if you can't be home to turn them when they need to be turned. I'm lucky to be a stay at home mom and can turn them regularly. Good luck!

 

[pipermark]

When you checked the dead chicks, was the shell sticking to the feathers? Was the air sack very large? I have had successful hatched without turning the eggs (I fixed the eggs so they stood straight up. The biggest culprit to dead chicks I have found is humidity, in my area, not enough.

I now put a large tin of water in the incubator from day one. One day 17 I warm water on the stove to 100 degrees, and fill the container again. Then close the incubator and do not open it again until day 22, I cant stress how important that last part is.


PS, as the other have suggested if you can afford an egg turner , that would be a great, but humidity is more likely the major culprit.

 

[hinkjc]

Also, were the chicks full size or can you approximate how far along they were when they parished? If the chick looked too small, then I'd say your thermometer is no good..maybe reading too low. Humidity is an important factor and ventilation is also important, especially at the end if there are a lot of eggs in the hatcher.

I don't think turning is as critical, but it does exercise the embryo to encourage development and keep them from sticking, as others have posted.

Jody

 

[NJfarmer]

The temp. is right but I guess the humidity may be the problem i dont have any thing measuring the humidity. When i craked the eggs open there was full sized chicks inside. I read somewere that if there is to much humidity the chicks could drown in there eggs? I dont know if thats true or not

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, they can drown or be too big to move if the humidity was too high at the end or too high throughout the incubation period. I don't check humidity either but I do monitor the air sac size and adjust water from there. I also turn 3x a day up till day 18.

 

[silkiebeginer]

I just finished my first incubating and hatching and had what i consider to be a great hatch.
16 out of 20. I used the thermometer that came with bator but also had a $6.00 thermometer and hydrometer that I bought at walmart. I kept heat on 100 and humidity at 50-55% days 1 until what i thought was 18. But mine hatched 2 days early. So until i seen the first pip it stayed 50-55. When i saw the first pip i tried to hurry and get the humidity up to between 70-75%. I turned my eggs every 8 hours the first 2 weeks the 3 times a day after that.

Hope this helps, Jennifer

 

[NJfarmer]

I guess I should buy another thermometer and a hydrometer. I prob. should buy an automatic egg turner too