Incubating & Hatching Eggs

[williammiles]

Help;Hope that Poison Ivy plus anyone else with knowledge on subject will answer,this is all new to me.I'm using a cabinet type 1202 incubator unit,problem I incubated 100 eggs hatched 37 chicks.Temperature was stable at 99.5 degree top&bottom of cabinet,humidity questionable or not sure.My unit has 6 vents three top & bottom each. All eggs had chicks develop,but they were wet or came out cripple and died. Please help me with the next hatching from temperature to humidity issues.I mostly hatch chickens & turkey a few ducks,geese& quails. Thank you.

 

[MissPrissy]

It sounds to me like having crippled chicks was a humidity issue. You need a hydrometer to measure your humidity. For chickens day 1 - 18 should be below 50% and from 18 - hatch the humidity should be 70%. Ducks and geese need much higher humidity which could cause deformities in chicks,

What do you mean by 'wet'? They are wet when they hatch and dry in the bator. They don't come out dry and fluffy.

It is very common for chicks to make it to the point of hatch and then die in the shell. There is obviously something developmentally wrong that we can't see. I would much rather have a weaker chick die in the shell that to have them hatch and then I have to cull them.

I would advise not trying to hatch all different fowls in one setting. They all need different humidity levels during different periods of incubation. I know some people do it and have successes but beginner hatchers trying to incubate them all together seem to have alot of disappointment and failures.

 

[williammiles]

Thanks for your input;MISSPRISSY. WHAT was meant is that the shell was stuck to the chick and they seem dried out but still wet looking.

 

[MissPrissy]

That is what is called sticky chicks and is also a humidity issue. With shell stuck to the chick I wonder how often they were turned from the initial setting of the eggs? Eggs not properly turned through incubation often has a chick that has stuck to a part of the shell - but again it can be just the humidity issue.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I had sticky chicks before and my humidity was to low in the first 18 days. I now have a sportsman 1502 and keep my humidity between 46%-54% days 1-18. Then I set the humidity to 68%-72% to hatch. I haven't had a sticky chick yet. But you have to keep the door shut after day 18. I use the acurite thermometer/hygrometer from walmart. It was $8 and it's spot on with temps & humidity. Below is a picture of what it looks like. I think your problem might have been cause by the wrong humidity. Good luck on your next hatch.

 

[williammiles]

Thanks;PoisonIVY,purchased the acurite humidity monitor.I need some input on filling the water channels or pale plus the vents holes.Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Poison Ivy]

Now mine has the auto water pail it's was worth the $30 for it. Other wise I think you have to fill the pan ever other day or so. On the vent holes I would run the bator for a hour with them open and see what humidity it reads. Then if it needs to be higher. Then close 1 vent and take a reading 30 mintues to a hour later. Then if it needs more close another one. I will ask my friend she has a 1202 she bought a month ago so she will have a idea on the vents and which one to close or leave open.

Or if all vents are open and it's reading high take a piece of foil and cover half the pan and take a reading 30 minutes later. Then adjust the foil as needed to correct the humidity.