Incubator trouble

[countryman31024]

Hi I have a model EW-48-AB incubator it is a digital forced air with egg turner. I am having the worst luck with it and the hatch rate is terrible. When I got it I plugged it in and set the temp to 37.6 celseus and filled put water in the bottom. My first chick hatched 1 day early and died the 2 days later a few more started hatching and only 4 made it out of the shell and lived some started pipping but died before they got out and some died I guess before they even started pipping through so that was 40 eggs gone. So any way I set it back up and set 20 quail eggs and 20 chicken eggs and set the temp to 38.6 celcius and 2 quail eggs hatched 2 days ago and 1 chicken egg so far. My quail died and my chick is doing good so far but I am not fareing to well and 5 chickens out of 60 eggs is not good at all. So I was wondering if anyone else has used this type of incubator and what their luck has been like and if I am doing something wrong or it is the incubator itself. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated Thanks

 

[WVduckchick]

Wow, sorry you are having such rotten luck. My first thought is ventilation. Do you have the vents open? The chicks need the oxygen once they hatch.
Also maybe some type of contamination in the incubator? Did you sanitize it well?

 

[countryman31024]

This incubator has only 2 small holes in the bottom of it and a lot of small holes in the top where the fan is located. It is made of a hard plastic and is easy to clean and sanitize. I have done everything I know to do to make sure my eggs hatch. I set my eggs and leave it alone untill 3 days before my eggs are supposed to hatch and I have to open it to unplug the turner then close it right after to keep my heat and moisture from exscaping Just trying to find out if it is something I am doing wrong or this crazy incubator I got

 

[WVduckchick]

That's either the Janoel or the Chinese knockoff version. I have not seen those types of issues though. If yours has the square control panel, its a Janoel. If its slanted, its the knockoff (which is the one I use) My suggestion is to search this forum for Janoel and look at other folks issues.

There is also a post on early chick mortality that you might read. Might give you some ideas on why they are dying. Is it possible that you had any large temp fluctuations?

 

[WalnutHill]

I'm guessing that if you put water in when you put the eggs in, and kept putting water in all through incubation, that the humidity was probably too high.

 

[WVduckchick]

I'm guessing that if you put water in when you put the eggs in, and kept putting water in all through incubation, that the humidity was probably too high.

How did I miss the humidity?? I was focused on them hatched and then died.

Countryman - what did your humidity run throughout incubation?

 

[wynn4578]

You may also take a look at calibrating your temp/humidity gauges.

 

[countryman31024]

I only fill the bottom trays when I first set the eggs. It kept the water in the tray all the way up to the hatching date so did not have to add any more to it .

 

[countryman31024]

I do not have a humidity reader. But I guess I will invest in one. I have never used one or thought to use one. My old incubators the square styrofoam still air type I just filled the water trays and had to nothing but turn the eggs once a day by hand and I never had the problem that I am having with my new incubator. I guess I thought since it had the water trays like the old one that I could just fill them and everything would be fine. But now that I think about it I guess I would let some humidity exscape with my old one when I would have to open it to turn the eggs and with my new one I do not have to open it so it is holding all the humidity. I will get a humidity reader before I set anymore eggs and see how it does. Thanks all for the help.