How to turn eggs for hatching.

[SunHwaKwon]

I usually only do one egg carton (12 or 16 eggs) at a time and close the incubators between taking batches out. I don't think they will get too cold but I like to play it safe and it also partly depends on how well your incubator maintains temp. The Farm Innovators I have recovers very fast, while my LG takes days it seems.

I don't know where you live but that might be too humid. I don't add water in my incubator, just in my hatcher. I keep the humidity in the 30s in the incubator and 60s (higher if I can get it) in the hatcher. I am on the east coast and it is pretty humid, around 90% outside and 55% inside if the AC is on. Filling my trays puts me around 65%. So, if you are incubating in the 60s your chicks may be drowning and that could be a reason for some of your low hatch rate. However, if you are somewhere dry like Arizona then you usually need to add water throughout. I definitely recommend a thermometer/hygrometer. They are only like $10 for a basic digital one.

Do you open up any of your late quitters and non-hatchers?

 

[jrose1970]

I set two trays of 30 (or 60) each week. (I have three racks. I like to set one each week.) I can take one tray out, close the door while I candle it, place it in the hatch tray, close the door for a for a few minutes and do the other tray the same way. I'm definitely going to get a digital thermometer-hygrometer. I've seen the membrane kill the chicks if the humidity is low when they are hatching. I live in east Tennessee, so we can get some humidity here as well. One problem is that the hatch tray and the incubator are in the same compartment. I didn't know they could drown at higher humidity, but thanks for the advice. Like I said, I'm all ears. I haven't opened the non-hatchers. I've been curious though.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I meant I only candle one carton at a time, closing the incubator between each. However, with yours being on trays it should probably take the same amount of time as my candling a dozen, since I have to pull mine from the incubator one by one and set them back the same way whereas you pull the tray out all at once, saving you time. One way to cut down on candling time would be to candle them at night, if your incubator is in a room with windows, that way you don't have to take them to another darker room.

Ah yes, its hard to have the hatch and incubator be all in one when you are doing staggered hatches, because then you have to sacrifice one for the other in regards to humidity. It's cooled off today and I am in the middle of a hatch and having trouble getting/keeping my humidity high enough, even with the windows open.

Hatching is so much fun but some of the little technicalities like that can make it stressful. My humidity issues already have me worried about my guineas that are due to hatch on Monday.

I'm guessing you have a cabinet incubator. How big (tall and capacity) is it? I wonder if you could put multiple meters and see if some areas differ in humidity, then use the higher areas for hatching and lower for incubating.

 

[jrose1970]

My incubator is about 2 and half or three feet tall. It has three turning racks and will hold 180 eggs fully loaded. I have 177 in there now.
The hens slacked up on us one week. LOL (We've got one eating eggs. I'm almost sure I know which hen it is, but I would like to be sure.)
I'm definitely getting a thermometer- hygrometer and start working with my humidity. I'm sure that is my missing link along with the air sac.
Thanks very much for your help!

 

[jrose1970]

Good news! I have a little incubator which holds 41 eggs. It is hard to maintain the temperature. But, I tried pretty hard to place them with the air sack up for hatching and guess what? I got 30 out of 41 and I've got one more day before I give up! My old record was 43%. This time I hit 73%. You all are great advisers!