HELP ME QUICK!!!!

[AmyLynn2374]

Will do! And I sure hope it goes better than the last hatch! I got 3 out of 50.. But I had been told to run humidity at 75% So I guess I messed that up real bad!!!!! But I'm doing 100/45% this round and praying I do better! I have asked so many people about temp/humidity and hope I got it right! I have Sumatra, Blue Swedish Duck, Heritage Buff Orpington, Buff/Leghorn cross, and Leghorn Chicken going now, LOL!

Do you know how to monitor your air cells so that you know if your humidity is working for your eggs? There is no magic number for humidity. Different rates work for different people and different eggs, but it's relatively easy to tell if you are on track.

 

[Nvazquez]

I have seen all the pics of air cells high and low. I will draw ring on eggs of the air cells. But is there like a % of the egg that would help me to understand if it's correct or not? The way it looks to me is if it's about 1/4 of the egg at lockdown it should be correct! Is that right? When I candled my last batch of eggs it looked like air cell was very large and dipped down a lot in some spots. I had my humidity at 75% most of the time and had a very poor hatch! They did all look good at lockdown but never hatched! I hope I don't sound crazy but I'm new to this and trying to understand it! I have a learning disability and sometimes don't understand things I read! I have even tried to watch videos! My understanding is that if my eggs have a very small air cell the chick dies from no O2 but if it has a very large air cell that will kill it also right? So, It needs to be around 1/4 of the inside of the egg right? My first hatch looked like the air cells was almost 1/2 of the egg! I did even by a egg scale and chart the weight! But what I don't understand is why my air cells all looked to be to large when my humidity was so high.. Wouldn't that have made the air cell to small? Thanks for your help!!! Nita

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have seen all the pics of air cells high and low. I will draw ring on eggs of the air cells. But is there like a % of the egg that would help me to understand if it's correct or not? The way it looks to me is if it's about 1/4 of the egg at lockdown it should be correct! Is that right? When I candled my last batch of eggs it looked like air cell was very large and dipped down a lot in some spots. I had my humidity at 75% most of the time and had a very poor hatch! They did all look good at lockdown but never hatched! I hope I don't sound crazy but I'm new to this and trying to understand it! I have a learning disability and sometimes don't understand things I read! I have even tried to watch videos! My understanding is that if my eggs have a very small air cell the chick dies from no O2 but if it has a very large air cell that will kill it also right? So, It needs to be around 1/4 of the inside of the egg right? My first hatch looked like the air cells was almost 1/2 of the egg! I did even by a egg scale and chart the weight! But what I don't understand is why my air cells all looked to be to large when my humidity was so high.. Wouldn't that have made the air cell to small? Thanks for your help!!! Nita

I'm going to give you a link that may hopefully help you with humidity. It'll answer some of the questions you just asked.
When you are candling, are you candling down into the egg from the air cell end? (Fat, rounder end.) Make sure that you are shinning the light down into the egg from the fat end. This will illuminate the air cell. If you candle from the side or bottom it will knock everything out of perspective for you. Many people in the beginning try candling from the bottom and mistake the clear albumen for air cell. At 75% humidity, unless you are in a real high elevation, I would expect to see very small air cells and this would carry a high probability of drowning death at hatch time. And what kind of incubator are using?

http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

 

[Nvazquez]

Thanks for the help! It all helps! I'm using a incubator I got on eBay it's a plastic, 56 egg, digital, automatic!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thanks for the help! It all helps! I'm using a incubator I got on eBay it's a plastic, 56 egg, digital, automatic!

Nice looking. Is that forced air or still air?

 

[Nvazquez]

Forced air! And I'm so very angry right now! Would you believe I just got it and got my 56 eggs in it and the turner quit a little while ago!!!! I'm on day 2 of incubation. I just can't believe this!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Forced air! And I'm so very angry right now! Would you believe I just got it and got my 56 eggs in it and the turner quit a little while ago!!!! I'm on day 2 of incubation. I just can't believe this!

Are you able to hand turn?

 

[Nvazquez]

OMG! After I posted last night I plugged in another brand new incubator and just looked and it won't turn either.. This is 4 new bators in 1mth that have broke! Anyway before I deal with all these companies I have to figure out how to hand turn my eggs to save them! So, Let me ask you.. I need to mark a X and a O on each side and turn them 3-5 times a day right? Don't let them set on same side 2 nights in a row? I do have to be gone 24hrs sometimes! This may happen 1-2 times during the rest of the incubation period.. Will that hurt the embryos? Is there anything else I need to know or do that you or anyone can think of?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

OMG! After I posted last night I plugged in another brand new incubator and just looked and it won't turn either.. This is 4 new bators in 1mth that have broke! Anyway before I deal with all these companies I have to figure out how to hand turn my eggs to save them! So, Let me ask you.. I need to mark a X and a O on each side and turn them 3-5 times a day right? Don't let them set on same side 2 nights in a row? I do have to be gone 24hrs sometimes! This may happen 1-2 times during the rest of the incubation period.. Will that hurt the embryos? Is there anything else I need to know or do that you or anyone can think of?

Pretty much. I do 3xs a day. They don't have to be turned after 2 weeks. I actually stop turning mine at the end of day 13. Going w/o turning isn't advisable, but I'm thinking once or twice probably wouldn't have a huge impact on them.

 

[Nvazquez]

Thanks Amy SO much!! So, They are safe after day 13 left on 1 side! Would you know if it's day 13 on my duck eggs or would it be longer? Will the air sac still be in the same place when I do my candling? I know this is prob. here on the site but I'm still trying to learn how to navigate on BYC! LOL!