Incubation!

[usmanshahzada]

Herez a video of my incubator!

 

[BantyChooks]

Thanks a lot for your replies! Will go through this link and try my luck again!
Thanks again!

Great! Make sure to calibrate those thermometers, and get a few extras too. I have a suspicion that they're at fault.

 

[usmanshahzada]

An issue with incubator settings or use, I meant. Apologies for the misunderstanding.

We really need more information to help. I'd appreciate if you could answer all of these questions:

How many thermometers are you using?
Have you calibrated them? I can give instructions if you haven't.
Did you candle the eggs, and if so, do you have images or a general idea of air cell size?
When did you terminate incubation? After the full 21 days had passed?
How many eggs total did you break open? Just the one with no development?

1. Please check video in the above post. I think there is one thermometer.
2. How do i calibrate it, i have no idea?
3. Yes I did probably on 17th or 18th day and found nothing except folk in most of the eggs, didnt take pix else would have shared them here. Few eggs have very large air cell size
4. Today after 26-27 days
5. Just 1 and it had just folk and threw all the remaining 23

 

[BantyChooks]

1. Please check video in the above post. I think there is one thermometer.
2. How do i calibrate it, i have no idea?
3. Yes I did probably on 17th or 18th day and found nothing except folk in most of the eggs, didnt take pix else would have shared them here. Few eggs have very large air cell size
4. Today after 26-27 days
5. Just 1 and it had just folk and threw all the remaining 23

Thank you, that's quite helpful! Video was great too.

Yes, it looks like you've just been using the built in one. They can sometimes be up to 10*F off so I suggest going to a pet supply store and finding an aquarium thermometer and then calibrating that---instructions will follow. Those thermometers are in general cheap and highly accurate

Very large air cell size? That's odd. Maybe your hygrometer is off too? I'd get another one of those too and calibrate it. Again, instructions coming in another post. A hygrometer is not needed if you keep an eagle eye on air cells but I've found it's helpful for peace of mind, especially if you're new to hatching. I have run enough batches that I know what size of water container I have to put in & the hygrometer is rarely if ever checked.

 

[BantyChooks]

For Thermometers
Method 1: Ice Water

1. Fill a glass with crushed ice cubes, then top off with cold water. You want it to be liquidy but still thick. Since I start hatching season in winter I often set the calibration mixture outside until it skims over (about a few minutes) and then break it.
   
2. Stir the water and let sit for 3 minutes.
3. Stir again, then insert your thermometer into the glass, making sure not to touch the sides.
4. The temperature should read 32°F (0°C). Record the difference and offset your thermometer as appropriate.

Method 2: Boiling Water

1. Boil a pot of distilled water.
2. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, insert your thermometer, making sure not to touch the sides or bottom of the pot.
3. The temperature should read 212°F (100°C). Record the difference and offset your thermometer as appropriate. Your average aquarium thermometer is not going to go up to 100*C, so I suggest using the ice water.
   [Note: The boiling point of water will vary with altitude. Use this handy water boiling point calculator to find the right temperature for your elevation.]

For Hygrometers

1. Place a teaspoon of salt in a bottle cap or small cup and dampen it with a few drops of water (without dissolving it).
2. Carefully place the wet salt and the hygrometer inside a see-through container and close tightly. You can use a zip lock bag provided it seals well and you leave some air inside as well.
3. Let it sit for at least 12 hours and note the reading on the hygrometer without opening the container. The hygrometer should should read 75%. The difference is how much your hygrometer is off. For example, if your hygrometer reads 70% during the salt method test this means that to obtain the real humidity level you should add 5 points.
4. If you have an analog hygrometer, you can correct the reading. You will need to adjust the needle to the 75% mark by turning the screw on the back using a small screwdriver. Your hygrometer is now ready to be placed inside your incubator.

 

[usmanshahzada]

It doesnt have any hygrometer and instead you can see in the picture there are just two displays, one should Humidity % and the second one shows temperature!

 

[Akrnaf2]

I recently bought a 25 eggs incubator. I placed 24 eggs in it and unfortunately no chicks were hatched. What could be the reason? I maintained 37.8 Temperature plus humidity was normally between 65-85. Once or twice humidity fell down to 31 percent. Any thoughts?

Its cold here in Abbottabad and night temperature falls below 0 degree sometime so does this has anything to do with it?

65-85% is to high for incubation. You need around 45-50% in incubation(1-18 days ) and 60-70% in lockdown.( 19-21 days)
How was your turning rate?
Pleas read the first post of this thread before your next incubation.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ooks-and-more.1137467/page-8345#post-19329471

 

[BantyChooks]

It doesnt have any hygrometer and instead you can see in the picture there are just two displays, one should Humidity % and the second one shows temperature!

A hygrometer displays what the humidity is.

 

[lazy gardener]

Never trust the thermometer or even the thermostat display in an incubator. Always calibrate your thermometers, and check multiple locations in the incubator before committing eggs. Still air needs to be 102* at the top of the eggs. Forced air is 99.5*, though I prefer to use 100* and have good results.

Calibrating thermometers: I will not calibrate with ice water, or with boiling water. IMO, a thermometer could be accurate at 32*, but be in error at 100*, which is where accuracy counts. I use a good medical grade digital or mercury thermometer and calibrate my other thermometers to 100* in a glass of water. If you are using a thermometer that is not submersible, then you can calibrate a submersible one, and then compare it to a non submersible in the bator.

Most of us have found that our hatching rates are better if we disregard the instructions that come with the incubator regarding humidity. I incubate for the first 17 - 18 days at 30 - 40% humidity. Humidity is a TOOL. You use humidity to see to it that your air cells develop to the right size at the right time. If the air cells are too small, the egg retains too much moisture, and the chick can drown when she pips. If the air cells are too large, the egg can be too dry, the chick can be sticky, and can't maneuver to get in hatching position, and can't pip. By keeping humidity low during the early incubation, that gives you room to make final adjustments during the last week. I've had incubations where I needed to run the bator dry right up to internal pip during the last week to get air cells where I wanted them.

Along with using humidity as a tool, candling is an other important tool. You can monitor chick development, and that will help you assess if your temperature is on track. If the chick is lagging in development, that's a sure sign that you need to reassess your technique and your temperature control.

 

[usmanshahzada]

65-85% is to high for incubation. You need around 45-50% in incubation(1-18 days ) and 60-70% in lockdown.( 19-21 days)
How was your turning rate?
Pleas read the first post of this thread before your next incubation.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ooks-and-more.1137467/page-8345#post-19329471

thank you!