Incubating suggestions?!?

[layDmcG]

I have a Farm Innovators 4200. It is a circulated air with an egg turner version. I put 4 eggs in it on 11-1-14 and added eggs on the days my hens laid (they are molting so their eggs are few and far between). Basically, I am aski.g for suggestions on how to master this model incubator. The eggs are halting development after lockdown. i keep my humidity about 40ish for the first few days and 55-60 for the lockdown days. The temp is 100-101.5. I am open to all suggestions and willing to give as much info as needed. Please help! Thank you!

 

[Dry Creek Ranch]

I have the same incubator. I have used it to hatch chicken and turkey eggs. At best I was getting a 60-70% hatch rate.
Do not place the eggs in it as they are laid. I have mini dorm refrigerator that I keep on the lowest setting that keeps the temp around 55 degrees. I also keep a bowl of water in the ice cube part. Keep the eggs you collect in the refer (turn them 3 times a day) until you have a weeks worth. Then place them in the incubator. Do not add any more eggs to the incubator afterwards. Do not trust the hygrometer or the thermometer on the incubator. Get extra hygrometer/thermometers. I keep one in the incubator, one in the refer, and one in the room with the incubator. Trust these rather than the incubators. I keep the humidity in the incubator at 50% until day 18. After day 18 I increase the humidity to 60% and take them out of the turning tray. Temp throughout incubation is 99.5. I candle my eggs at 10-12 days. I hatch Black Copper Maran eggs and they are very dark and hard to see through. Use a very bright light.

Go here for further reference https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-just-21-days-from-egg-to-chicken

I eneded up making my own incubator with parts from incubatorwarehouse.com
I am much happier and much more successful now.


Here are some turkeys I hatched in the incubator.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm one of those that would never do a staggered hatch...at least not unless I had a seperate hatching bator. Most people collect their week's worth and as long as it isn't too warm, leave them countertop in a safe place and set them altogether on the same day. Forced air reccomended temps are 95.5 degrees F. Lock down the humidity should be 65% + . I also, now, make sure I have three reliable thermometers in my incubator. I learned not to rely on just one.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101 is an excellent reference source for hatching.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/egg-failure-to-hatch-diagnosing-incubation-problems

This is a great article by @sumi I would say that they are dying after lockdown because the humidity has been too high during the incubation period. Putting the humidity up at lockdown for older eggs can compromise optimum humidity conditions for the younger eggs. Humidity during incubation should be an average over the entire incubation period. Monitoring air cell growth too helps too make sure the eggs are losing enough moisture and weight. If the air cell does not grow large enough the chicks can drown when they internally pip.
Wishing you the very best of luck with your future incubating.

 

[layDmcG]

I have the same incubator. I have used it to hatch chicken and turkey eggs. At best I was getting a 60-70% hatch rate. Do not place the eggs in it as they are laid. I have mini dorm refrigerator that I keep on the lowest setting that keeps the temp around 55 degrees. I also keep a bowl of water in the ice cube part. Keep the eggs you collect in the refer (turn them 3 times a day) until you have a weeks worth. Then place them in the incubator. Do not add any more eggs to the incubator afterwards. Do not trust the hygrometer or the thermometer on the incubator. Get extra hygrometer/thermometers. I keep one in the incubator, one in the refer, and one in the room with the incubator. Trust these rather than the incubators. I keep the humidity in the incubator at 50% until day 18. After day 18 I increase the humidity to 60% and take them out of the turning tray. Temp throughout incubation is 99.5. I candle my eggs at 10-12 days. I hatch Black Copper Maran eggs and they are very dark and hard to see through. Use a very bright light. Go here for further reference https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-just-21-days-from-egg-to-chicken I eneded up making my own incubator with parts from incubatorwarehouse.com I am much happier and much more successful now. Here are some turkeys I hatched in the incubator.

Love the pic! What is the best thermometer/hygrometer? And what parts do you recommend I buy in order to make my own franken-bator? I am trying to get this incubator mastered so I can invest in black copper french maran eggs. They are harder to find where I live and considering the price of the eggs,I want to have at least half hatch. I really appreciate your response (everyone's).

 

[Dry Creek Ranch]

I picked up the thermometer/hygrometer combo at Wal-Mart. Probably not the most accurate but better than what the FI incubator came with.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-8-Thermometer-with-Humidity/16888915

I went with this thermostat
http://incubatorwarehouse.com/plug-n-play-digital-thermostat.html

This hygrostat
http://incubatorwarehouse.com/plug-...ntrol-in-egg-incubator-reptile-terrarium.html

This heater
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XDTWN2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And a humidifier like this. They do not make mine anymore.
http://www.amazon.com/SU-1051B-Trav...16857796&sr=1-16&keywords=personal+humidifier

I put all this in a large cooler but the egg turner will not fit in it. I will be building a cabinet that will fit the egg turner next month.