Incubators Anonymous

[randerson846]

So i have another 8 eggs (i think) and i candled them and it doesn't look like any of them have internally pipped tomorrow is hatch day and i have already got 2 ducklings and 10 chicks, is this still ok is there a chance they might hatch :/? I cant really see movement but then again thy are taking up the whole egg is this normal?

 

[blucoondawg]

So i have another 8 eggs (i think) and i candled them and it doesn't look like any of them have internally pipped tomorrow is hatch day and i have already got 2 ducklings and 10 chicks, is this still ok is there a chance they might hatch

? I cant really see movement but then again thy are taking up the whole egg is this normal?

That late in a hatch all I can ever see is air cell and the rest is black mass, cannot tell movement but I will see the occasional egg rocking around if I take them out of the turner and lay on their side, that is the only movement I find

 

[randerson846]

Its ok another one has pipped and thankyou for the encouragement

 

[misbhaven]

I am waiting on Marans to hatch !! day 21 starts around 8 pm tonight

 

[marchick]

I am waiting on Marans to hatch !! day 21 starts around 8 pm tonight

I so wish I where you!

I want black and blue Marans!!! Keep us posted!

 

[misbhaven]

I have one out.... he or she needed help it made and external without making a hole in the outer membrane somehow egg was shaking crazy noise for a couple hours then just cries...little guy was ready but sticky and to big to turn around no sign from the others but these are shipped eggs so even if i get 1 more out of 6 i will be happy...I usually don't help but I know marans have trouble getting out sometimes because their shell's are so thick

 

[theresam22]

Getting ready to lockdown shipped silkies tomorrow. I have been madly incubating away since January.

I have lost way too many that look to have died at lockdown. About half hatch. The rest die prior to internally pipping or when they have yolk left that is about the size of a slice of small tangerine. All shipped bantam eggs; silkies, cochins and wyandottes and one batch of muscovey ducks (hatched 2 out of 6, the rest lost at or during lockdown.) Except one batch of cochins that I got locally, all 6 of 6 of those that made it to lockdown did hatch. I tried raising humidity and keeping it lower. I've tried hatching in my different incubators (two brinsea octagon 20 and one old turn-x 4.) I just don't know what my problem is.

I've read some people lower the temp during hatch. Anybody here do that? How much and on what day? Any other ideas? I would love to not lose any this time!

I set midget white turkeys eggs and more bantam wyandottes last night (local eggs) and another batch of shipped silkie eggs on Saturday. Got my timing a little off track. I can't hardly stand these lulls between hatches!

 

[ozexpat]

Getting ready to lockdown shipped silkies tomorrow. I have been madly incubating away since January.

I have lost way too many that look to have died at lockdown. About half hatch. The rest die prior to internally pipping or when they have yolk left that is about the size of a slice of small tangerine. All shipped bantam eggs; silkies, cochins and wyandottes and one batch of muscovey ducks (hatched 2 out of 6, the rest lost at or during lockdown.) Except one batch of cochins that I got locally, all 6 of 6 of those that made it to lockdown did hatch. I tried raising humidity and keeping it lower. I've tried hatching in my different incubators (two brinsea octagon 20 and one old turn-x 4.) I just don't know what my problem is.

I've read some people lower the temp during hatch. Anybody here do that? How much and on what day? Any other ideas? I would love to not lose any this time!

I set midget white turkeys eggs and more bantam wyandottes last night (local eggs) and another batch of shipped silkie eggs on Saturday. Got my timing a little off track. I can't hardly stand these lulls between hatches!

what are your humidity levels and how and when do you turm?

 

[theresam22]

what are your humidity levels and how and when do you turm?

I've done some between 30% and 40% and some 40% to 50%, raising to 60-65% at lockdown. I've had some on the automatic cradle turner thingy and others that I have turned 3-5 times a day by tilting the brinsea and twisting the lid on the turn-x. The last batch of silkies I opened the turn-x and turned by hand, and none of those hatched, most quit before lockdown. The muscovy pipped before I stopped auto-turning and before I raised the humidity. I raised it when he pipped, and wonder if that killed the others. The other muscovy had a heck of a time and got a lot of help, good bad or otherwise, but she is alive and healthy today.

I'm tempted to leave the humidity alone on this batch and not raise it. At least until some pip, then maybe only a litte. This batch has been a 45% humidity, non-autoturner, brinsea batch and I've had only 3 quitters out of 13 of 18 that started. Best yet. All 10 alive at tonight's candle.

Eggs I've opened in any given batch have had normal looking chicks as well as ones with a lot of fluid. I don't know that they looked to big or too small.

 

[LizardKing]

The button quail eggs I put in the Little Giant with added fan and electronic thermostat may not make it.
In three days of being in the bator the temp was swinging too much!
Twice the temp was at 103°s after spending most of the day on the low side of 99.5° so I
fixed an old wafer foam bator with a fan and it seems to be a lot more stable.
Tonight after seeing another 103° spike I moved them into the other bator.
I fear they may not make it but I will keep trying, but this gives me the impetus to make a much
better bator before I start incubating more valuable eggs....
In the past I have had excellent results with the common wafer style thermostats which really only got out of
synch when the barometric pressure changes dramatically.
I have a few spirit thermometers with 1 degree divisions that I checked and are really accurate
and that has been a major help in knowing what is going on.
Look for item described as "VEE GEE 84125, Armored Glass Thermometer, 25 To 125 Degrees".
The specs claim 2 degree divisions but the four I received are one degree divisions and all four
are very precise when checked in ice water.

If I can hatch ten quail from this batch I will be VERY happy!