Incubator problems

[JohnRoth]

Do I need to pull out the red plugs on the incubator? And roughly how much water should I put in the incubator?

 

[mechanic57]

What model do you have? Mine says to pull the plugs after all the chicks hatch to lower the humidity and help them dry off. I had 7 of 9 hatch yesterday. They can live in the incubator with no food or water for a few days. By time the last egg hatched the rest were dry so I let the last one dry and put them in the brooder today. I left them in the incubator over night and did not pull the plugs.

As for the water you have to keep the humidity up but this will depend on your model and what part of the country you live in (humid or dry climate). Many opinions on what's the correct humidity level. It's a trial and error thing to see what works for you. You can down load free score sheet things to write down the temps and humidity levels and keep track of how it all goes and see what works and what doesn't. I will tell you this; water surface area increases the humidity, not water depth. The deeper the water the less often you have to refill it, but it should be able to spread out to raise humidity. I added 4oz at a time ever other day for the first 18 days to keep the humidity around 48%. On day 18 I added 40oz to raise it to 70% and then don't open it til they hatched. That's what worked for me. Good luck and consider all peoples advice and options. Plenty of ways to hatch a chicken.

 

[JohnRoth]

I will have to open the incubator to turn them however. But thanks for your help

 

[mechanic57]

After day 18 you don't turn them.

 

[MeepBeep]

After day 18 you don't turn them.

You can keep turning them if you want, the day 18 lockdown the no turn thing is mostly in regards to automatic egg turners that can cause harm and injury to hatching eggs and thus should be turned off and/or removed on day 18 just in case you have early hatchers... You can hand turn them all the way until the end if you desire... Also lockdown at day 18 is a reminder to raise humidity for an easier hatch...

Lockdown has grown well beyond it's intended purpose and scares too many new people with all the black and white claims... You most definenly can open the incubator during lockdown if you desire as long as you maintain the humidity levels... This can be done with a spray bottle full of warm water, open it do your things and then shoot a few mistings in the incubator before closing it and the humidity will jump right back up...

Broody birds do absolutely nothing different on day 18-21 that they don't don on day 1, they can't count and thus don't even know day 1 from day 21 until the chicks actually start to hatch... And even then the hen does pretty much the same thing with the unhatched eggs under her, she never stops 'turning' and moving them until she tosses the shell out from under her...

To the OP, humidity is based on surface area, you fill the compartments in the incubator until you get a humidity that works for you, and that humidity is not some set number it can vary all over the place by location, incubator and other variables.... Experience and monitoring the air cell growth is what you really need to focus on over a humidty number...

As for the red plugs, they should be removed as soon as the first birds pip out of the shell, they need the fresh air at that point as their lungs are kicking in... You can do it earlier as long as you maintain humidity and temp...

 

[JohnRoth]

So I started with a just a few little puddles in each tray. Would that do? Because before I had them almost completely filled and the when I candled the egg it was clear that it was too high so I'm doing it less now

 

[mechanic57]

You should use a hygrometer in the incubator to measure the humidity level.

 

[JohnRoth]

Don't have one

 

[MeepBeep]

Don't have one

This one works well for the price and most Wamarts carry it in sock...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Digital-Humidity-and-Temperature-Monitor/16888914