This is my first hatch out of a homemade incubator that did a really great job at maintaining 99-100 degrees. I had 11 bantam eggs and 13 welsummer eggs.
Lockdown, day 18, started last Thursday. The next day (day 19) 3 of the bantam eggs hatched. Many of the other bantam eggs had pipped, some even zipped half of the egg! Then all the eggs died, except two.
We had two bantam eggs that we could see the chicks moving and breathing, but they just wouldn't progress. One had a large hole and the other was completely zipped and just wouldn't hatch. Tonight, day 22 we decided to help them hatch. The membrane was stuck to their eyes and feathers, they couldn't move. We rinsed them off and they have started to improve.
So we decided to open the other bantam eggs. Same thing, the membrane was stuck to them. What happened? The first 18 days I kept the humidity around 30-35 percent, and then in lockdown it's been 72-75 percent.
Also the night we put them in lockdown, even putting hot water in the humidity tray, it took about 10 hours for the temp to get back up to 99. It stayed between 80-90 until it finally got back up to 99.
Now as far as the Welsummer eggs, here it is day 22, we have not seen any pip or movement. I've taken the bantam eggs out, got 5 chicks, two that we hatched. What should I do with the welsummer eggs? They are still in the incubator, and when I candled them on day 18 I saw several with very good looking air cells.
Lockdown, day 18, started last Thursday. The next day (day 19) 3 of the bantam eggs hatched. Many of the other bantam eggs had pipped, some even zipped half of the egg! Then all the eggs died, except two.
We had two bantam eggs that we could see the chicks moving and breathing, but they just wouldn't progress. One had a large hole and the other was completely zipped and just wouldn't hatch. Tonight, day 22 we decided to help them hatch. The membrane was stuck to their eyes and feathers, they couldn't move. We rinsed them off and they have started to improve.
So we decided to open the other bantam eggs. Same thing, the membrane was stuck to them. What happened? The first 18 days I kept the humidity around 30-35 percent, and then in lockdown it's been 72-75 percent.
Also the night we put them in lockdown, even putting hot water in the humidity tray, it took about 10 hours for the temp to get back up to 99. It stayed between 80-90 until it finally got back up to 99.
Now as far as the Welsummer eggs, here it is day 22, we have not seen any pip or movement. I've taken the bantam eggs out, got 5 chicks, two that we hatched. What should I do with the welsummer eggs? They are still in the incubator, and when I candled them on day 18 I saw several with very good looking air cells.
