Incubator Sanitation Discussion

[TarheelBirdy]

I have had terrible hatches this year, using the same method I always do, which is:

Incubate in Hovabator forced air unit with turner, standard temp and dry, which is usually between 25%-30% humidity. On Day 18 I remove the eggs from the Hovabator and candle, all viable eggs are then placed in a basic LG unit (still air). (I do not hatch in my Hovabator b/c it is forced air and I am trying to avoid shrink wrapping). I raise the humidity to about 55%-60%.

I used to enjoy an average hatch rate of 85-90% using this method. However, I am now having terrible rates - a few hatch, usually around day 19, and they are normal and healthy. Then, nothing - not even pips from eggs that showed internal pipping. They all just die in the shell after lockdown. Eggtopsies show fully developed chicks and shrinkwrapping is not an issue except occasionally (nothing out of the ordinary). This is the result of the last 5 hatches this year.

Could this be a result of bacteria infection from my lockdown unit? I clean it with a bleach/water solution after every hatch, and use the plastic tray, which I added recently after using the unit without a plastic tray for a few years.

Do eggs that are infected by bacteria have tell-tale signs that I might be missing when doing the eggtopsies? Should I just scrap the unit and get a new one?

 

[gander007]

I have been using a G.Q.F Styrofoam incubator with forced air that I bought in 1997 and still hatch mail order and back yard egg's chickens ,ducks, guinea & Geese egg's that was just in the last 7 months and a lot of the time I do not remove the turner just turn it off .... I have a yard full of poultry and 42 Guinea egg's are in the incubator right now all developing ,,,,, Not telling you what to do but you might want to change something as you have found what you are doing is not working and the still air you might want to use for the first week and then move to your other incubator and after the chicks hatch use it for a 24 hour brooder but all Clements are different I found out in close to 50 years of doing this and I just might be going Sea-Nile

 

[TarheelBirdy]

I have been using a G.Q.F Styrofoam incubator with forced air that I bought in 1997 and still hatch mail order and back yard egg's chickens ,ducks, guinea & Geese egg's that was just in the last 7 months and a lot of the time I do not remove the turner just turn it off .... I have a yard full of poultry and 42 Guinea egg's are in the incubator right now all developing ,,,,, Not telling you what to do but you might want to change something as you have found what you are doing is not working and the still air you might want to use for the first week and then move to your other incubator and after the chicks hatch use it for a 24 hour brooder but all Clements are different I found out in close to 50 years of doing this and I just might be going Sea-Nile

Thanks, I know I need to change something, but I'm just not sure what part of the process I need to change, or what's causing the problem. Love that you have such good luck

 

[gander007]

Quote:
Wright down each step of your process and it should be in three sections first each covering 7 days and figure out which one you have down and move to the next step and every living environment is different and the seasons of the year clement so for each you will need to change something and go back and read your instructions for you incubator again and again and why not find someone else who uses the same incubator you have and ask them what they are doing to get a good hatch rate and your hatches could go up ....


Here my first 10 days the humidity is between 10 % to 25 % but what ever it is in the beginning or day one that is what it will stay at till day 10 and the vent plugs do not come out till day 7 or 10 depending on how many eggs have veins in them the more then half the egg's at day 7 then the plugs come out and on day eleven the humidity goes up to 40 % to 50 % depending on the time of year and it stays that way till day 18 where I check them again and toss the egg's that are not doing so well then we go into lock down and two hand towels go in the incubator one in front and one in the back and both have hot water in them to bring the humidity up to 60 % to 70 % and then wait till day 21 and see what is going on ......

But as I say time of year and out side temps make a huge difference and if you move again you need to make differences in the way you incubate ..... and the instructions above are what I am doing this time of year when it is hot and the incubator is in a room with the swamp cooler running 24/7 to help keep the room the same temp day and night but at night it is down to 100 F degrees outside ....



Next time you clean out your incubators try using ACV and no bleach ever and a rag with clean water to wipe each egg holder so the egg's do not stick .....

Ever feel like you are having one of them days ......








See they will hatch

Now I hatched everyone in this photo and the duck hatched a week later after the chicks .... And yes he just lined them up for inspection ....

I really wish you well in you incubating endeavors

 

[Sylviaanne]

Gander: Wright down each step of your process and it should be in three sections first each covering 7 days and figure out which one you have down and move to the next step and every living environment is different and the

Can you explain how you do the three sections first each covering 7 days? Maybe show a copy of how you do it? Thanks.