I should not open my bator while the hatch is going on?

[warmfuzzies]

Yeah maybe thats what happened. Thanks! I hope I get it all right next time.... putting more in next week.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

maintain the temperature right around 101 and keep the wells filled with water

I don't know about your incubator but with the Hova you just need to fill one well up for the first 18 days which should give you about 40-50% humidity if your ambient room humidity dosen't drain it away. Then fill both wells for the last 3 days.​

 

[Chicken Woman]

Well if you live in a dry climate you will be adding water much more often. I had to add water every three days even with a humidifier in the room. T raise it for hatch I had to add every day.

 

[zigzag3337]

I'm on day 14 with half of my 1st hatching in a homemade bator. The average temp. is 99* and I have been keeping the Humidity around the 55-57%.

I have a couple of questions with my batch that you maybe able to help me with too. However, keep in mind that since was new to me, I didn't set all of my eggs at the same time. I set 2 (Feb. 15th), then 4 (Feb 20th), then 2 (Feb 22). Since my hens wasn't laying regular, I was only going to set a couple of eggs. Then all of a sudden, they all started to lay and well I added a few eggs.

1st. question. I hand turn my eggs 3 times a day. If I put the eggs in a egg carton, can I just raise the incubator on each side after day 18. That way the later eggs will still be getting turned like they are suppose to.

2nd. question. I have been candling the eggs since day 7, and I noticed that 1 of my pullet eggs no longer has veins so I think it has quit on me. My other pullet egg which is on day 14 seems to quit also. I can see a real dark mass inside the egg, but I see no movement. On my other day 14 egg, I can see the chick moving around inside of the egg. When do I know it is no longer growing? I just don't want an egg to explode.

Sorry for the long post, But thank you in advance for your help.
Richard

 

[Chicken Woman]

Funny ! Alot of people mix their first hatch. It's not a good idea unless you have a second incubator to use as a "hatcher". If you are able to put another one together quickly it would be better so you can put the eggs that are on day 18 in the hatcher and continue to turn the others in the bator . You usually need to raise the Humidity the last 3 days to keep chicks from sticking to the shell. That poses a problem with the eggs not yet at day 18 because they could drown in the shell from raising the Humidity.

You didn't say if you have a hygrometor to monitor the humidity ?

If your tilting the bator then all the eggs will be getting turned.

As far an candeling it is so hard to tell when they fill the eggs and are dark. sometimes you see movement and sometimes you don't. What are you using to candle ? You should be able to smell an egg that is rotten and going to blow up. Use the sniff test.

 

[onthespot]

I have four hovabator 1602n's and I have thought about cutting some holes in the side of one of them and duct taping some long rubber dishwashing gloves to the holes so I can fiddle around in there without lifting the lid while the hatch is going on. Is that just SICK or what?

 

[Chicken Woman]

Sounds good to me !

 

[zigzag3337]

Quote:
Quote:
As far as candling, I took a cardboard box, cut a 1" hole in it and used my 18v Dewalt flash light shinning up through the box (I seen this setup here on BYC somewhere and since I had the light already).

I guess I could make another bator this week. I have about $20 invested in it and besides, you never know, I may want to hatch a lot of eggs one day.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Zigzag, I just finished most of my first hatch, and I would tell you that if you arent sure the egg is dead, let it be. if you arent smelling anything, that is. I had only one egg that I noticed any movement it one time when I candled, the rest of them were just blobs. I hatched out 22 still going... I would hold out on it a little longer!

 

[zigzag3337]

Thanks!
I don't smell anything, so I will leave it in there for another week. They are suppose to hatch next Sunday. I hope I have at least a 80% hatch rate, being this is my first time.
Then again, I have 12 baby chicks that I just bought a couple of weeks ago, so I really don't need anymore.