Incubating a large batch- tips??

[mowerfarm]

I have had several good hatches from my incubator..... it holds 42 eggs. The first few batches of Brahma eggs were smaller batches an the hatch rate was good but the last 2 batches I filled the incubator almost full. I the majority of the eggs at lock down were viable on both batches but only half successfully hatched both times. I had the temp and humidity on point but after looking back I think my mistake was probably opening the incubator after 3 or 4 hatched and took the shells out and the chicks into the brooder to make room for the rest to hatch. Did my opening and moving the chicks cause a big fluctuation in humidity and cause a poor outcome?? Is there any tips on larger incubation batches? My thought at the time was I needed to make room for other hatching chicks and keep the Sticky membrane fluid and shells cleared out after several hatched. What could I have done differently??

 

[JaeG]

At what stage did eggs die? Had they internally pipped? Or externally pipped?

Incubators can have cooler and warmer spots so it pays to rearrange your eggs throughout incubation to even these out.

If your ambient humidity is very low then opening the incubator could affect externally pipping eggs. Some people keep a spray bottle on hand and mist the eggs with water if they need to open the incubator to counteract low humidity outside of the incubator. Or you could steam up your bathroom by running a hot shower and take the incubator in there to remove hatched chicks.

 

[mowerfarm]

At what stage did eggs die? Had they internally pipped? Or externally pipped?

Incubators can have cooler and warmer spots so it pays to rearrange your eggs throughout incubation to even these out.

If your ambient humidity is very low then opening the incubator could affect externally pipping eggs. Some people keep a spray bottle on hand and mist the eggs with water if they need to open the incubator to counteract low humidity outside of the incubator. Or you could steam up your bathroom by running a hot shower and take the incubator in there to remove hatched chicks.

Humidity stayed at about 64% Regular external pipping and hatching started on day 21 and by day 24 the last half stopped. I candled about that point and I thought I could still see minimal viability but no more pipping happened after 2 more days. The last 3 chicks that hatched died by the next day. 2 had what looked like internals on the outside of the body and died later day and one weak with splayed legs and died on day 2