Incubation Advice

[clairemcc1]

Hello I have a Brinsea 40DX automatic incubator. I have set it twice at maximum capacity (48 hen eggs) and on both occassions I have only received about 50% successful hatches. I ensure as best I can that the temperature remains constant, use fertile eggs, water wells are full and stop turning two days before their due hatch date. Am I do anything wrong or should I be doing more?

I am hoping to set the incubator again this week and was wondering if anyone had any advice to try and achevie better than only 50% hatch rates. Any advice would be greatly appercaited!!

Thanks, Claire

 

[NoseyChickens]

Hi Claire!

Are they shipped eggs or from your own birds? If they're shipped 50% is really pretty good. What is the humidity they first 18 days? It should be about 40% and then fill another well to bump it up to about 60-65% during lockdown. Too much humidity the first 18 days can damage your hatch. I dont have that type of incubator. But most have more than one water well and you only fill up one at first and then an additional one to increase humidity at lockdown.

 

[clairemcc1]

Hi thank you for your relpy!

Yes the eggs are from my own birds. I have been measuring the humidity - but unsure if i had been doing it right (measuring the weight on scales) Whats the best way to go about measuring the humidity? Maybe this has been my problem! Also would the vents on my incubator be affecting the humidity ?

thanks,

 

[CatDaddyAlbert]

Claire

Great advice from NoseyChickens on both issues. It is REALLY important to keep the humidity at around what she says. Anything higher than that and your hatches won't be as good.

All of us that hatch on a regular basis know what the instructions say that come with the incubators, but most of us have learned over the years what really works.

Good Luck

 

[scatteredeggs]

Quote:
Hi,

i take it that your incubator has a humidity level indicator. you can get another hygrometer and calibrate it, to make sure that you are getting correct readings. there's lots of threads here on how to calibrate.

 

[clairemcc1]

no theres no humidity level indicator on my incubator, only a thermometer and a vent.?

 

[NoseyChickens]

You can get a hygrometer at a petstore in the reptile depArtment

 

[clairemcc1]

cool thanks for letting me know this! will this let be measure the humidity without the need for scales?