Based te name="theresam22" url="/t/569950/incubators-anonymous/9840#post_13521871"]
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.
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Based on the excellent details you provided it sounds like humidity issues. Despite all the books saying run bators in the 40 most of us try for the twenties and low thirties.
Also make sure the vent plugs are out during the last half of the hatch.
Humidity is a killer.
You can try weighing eggs and tracking weight loss. It's the most accurate way of knowing your humidity is set right.
If they lose the right amount of water then look to other causes.
Turning eggs early is also a factor. Even with shipped eggs I rest them upright for 12 hrs then put them in the bator and turn on the Turner. There are loads of scholarly research articles showing that no turning for the first few days causes late Embryo death.
Good luck. It's a soul destroyer having so many die at the end.
1200 shipped eggs at >45% humidity I got less than 20% hatch while local eggs 60%. Since I added a dehumidifier set at 40% my shipped hatch rate is up to 55% and local eggs 89%
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.
[/quote]
Based on the excellent details you provided it sounds like humidity issues. Despite all the books saying run bators in the 40 most of us try for the twenties and low thirties.
Also make sure the vent plugs are out during the last half of the hatch.
Humidity is a killer.
You can try weighing eggs and tracking weight loss. It's the most accurate way of knowing your humidity is set right.
If they lose the right amount of water then look to other causes.
Turning eggs early is also a factor. Even with shipped eggs I rest them upright for 12 hrs then put them in the bator and turn on the Turner. There are loads of scholarly research articles showing that no turning for the first few days causes late Embryo death.
Good luck. It's a soul destroyer having so many die at the end.
1200 shipped eggs at >45% humidity I got less than 20% hatch while local eggs 60%. Since I added a dehumidifier set at 40% my shipped hatch rate is up to 55% and local eggs 89%
