Help! Temp too high.

[Bobbygoat]

Biting my nails ,????????

 

[Mcranton]

Nothing hatched. One made it to the end but failed to pip. The second batch same thing. Shipped eggs were scrambled. One made it to the end but had the feet stuck above the head and could not pip. I have my last batch in and again only one looks like it is developing. Day 8. I am anxious to see just one chick make it!

 

[sherriwv]

Nothing hatched. One made it to the end but failed to pip. The second batch same thing. Shipped eggs were scrambled. One made it to the end but had the feet stuck above the head and could not pip. I have my last batch in and again only one looks like it is developing. Day 8. I am anxious to see just one chick make it!

What state did your eggs come from? I have some from Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina so far the ones from Florida may be the only ones with a chance. Disappointed in the eggs I got from Tennessee..

 

[Mcranton]

All 32 of mine were from Kentucky, but I have to say they were packaged beautifully and all made it without a mark. I live in Canada and I am certain the freezing temps and mail handlers and machines had a lot to do with my problem. As much as I really want this last egg to hatch, it will be all alone. I have ordered chicks for the spring, so hopefully will get started then. This is my first experience with chickens. Extremely in love and waiting patiently.

 

[sherriwv]

This my first attempt and on day 3 and I just turned them for the night but was alarmed by the low humidity...it was 12%..Gulp..so I added some warm water to get it back up. If none of these eggs make it I will be very disappointed.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I have only ever read that, (to lower it at hatch) in one place. I do not know anyone who lowers their temp at lockdown. (I'm not saying no one does, just that I haven't seen it done as a standard practice.) Personally I would still try to keep it at 101. The styro bators with the little screw adjusters do jump when adjusted awful. With mine, I watch the red light and I just wiggle my adjustment enough to make the light come on and then I wait a couple hours and check and if it still isn't up where I want it I'll wiggle it just a little more.

Near the end, the embryos are producing a bit of heat on their own so if it drops a degree or two, I'm fine with that. After all, once they hatch, they'll be kept between 90 and 95.

Here's some good information on temperature spikes and dips and even advice on what to do depending on where in the incubation process it happens.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

Nothing hatched. One made it to the end but failed to pip. The second batch same thing. Shipped eggs were scrambled. One made it to the end but had the feet stuck above the head and could not pip. I have my last batch in and again only one looks like it is developing. Day 8. I am anxious to see just one chick make it!

If any hatched whether early or late may tell you if your thermometers were reading high or low.
If there's a problem, I prefer that none hatch rather than 1, they won't have any friends.

This my first attempt and on day 3 and I just turned them for the night but was alarmed by the low humidity...it was 12%..Gulp..so I added some warm water to get it back up. If none of these eggs make it I will be very disappointed.

The humidity can drop occasionally. What you want is for the eggs to drop 11-13% of their weight during the first 18 days of incubation.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Near the end, the embryos are producing a bit of heat on their own so if it drops a degree or two, I'm fine with that. After all, once they hatch, they'll be kept between 90 and 95.

I prefer that none hatch rather than 1, they won't have any friends.

Yes, I understand that, but do you intentionally lower the temp at lockdown and hatch. That is the question. There is one source on here that states you lower your temp. I personally do not. I don't freak if I loose a degree or two, but I do not attempt to adjust the bator to a lower temp.

My first hatch (I trusted just one unchecked thermometer-lesson learned) I had one hatcher (well, two hatched, second didn't make it,) three days late. He ended up being my one and only. I am soooo glad that he hatched. I doubt I would have done another hatch if it had been a total fail. I would have missed the experience of a real, proper hatch, and so would my son. Granted, it was a lot more work having an only, cause he was lonely, especially the first two nights. (I slept on the floor beside the brooder to keep him company. After that I moved the brooder beside my bed.) He spent a lot of time out with us. Luckily I'm a stay at home- homeschool mom, so we could keep him company. He quickly became a family pet and we love him dearly. If it hadn't been for him we'd never had ventured into raising chickens.
I would recommend in cases of "only chicks" that a newbie chick be found for them if possible though. It's hard being their only source of entertainment...lol On both the person and the chick.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I currently don't intentionally drop it yet. I just don't freak out if it goes down to 98 at the end.
I'm changing controllers in my homemade cabinet and hatcher. When I get that done, I probably will drop the temp a degree or two the last day if I get better control.

Sounds like your temps were low throughout.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I currently don't intentionally drop it yet. I just don't freak out if it goes down to 98 at the end.
I'm changing controllers in my homemade cabinet and hatcher. When I get that done, I probably will drop the temp a degree or two the last day if I get better control.

Sounds like your temps were low throughout.

My first hatch my temps were low. I bought a brand new thermometer and never checked it because I figured it was brand new. Before I started my next hatch I bought three! The thermometer from my first hatch (a springfield w/the hygrometer) showed 6 degrees off. So my entire incubation, when I thought I was keeping good temps (99/100 forced air) it was actually about 6 degrees lower. It was a miracle that I even had one hatch and survive. The first hatch attempt really is a learning experience. Second hatch I believe was 81% hatch rate. Of course about 60% of them were roos...lol. I also switched to the dry incubation method and learned how to monitor my humidity through the air cells of the eggs. Unbelieveable the difference in the hatches. I'm a happy hatcher now...lol

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I can't tell you how many thermometers I went through (all wrong) until I found two guaranteed accurate ones that both agreed with each other. What a difference. Until then it was a guess - and failure.