Incubators Anonymous

[ChickNmamma]

Any advise for us that are new at incubating? I have lost all but one of my eggs in the last 3-4 days? What's happening? Anyone know?

To help you we will need ALL the specifics.

What kind of incubator:

Still air or Force Air:

What day the eggs are on:

Did you weigh them and track the weight loss and growth of air cell:

Temperatures:

Humidity:

Hand turned or auto turner:

What type of eggs/birds:

Shipped or local or your own eggs from your flock:

Answer all these and maybe we can give you some information.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

I am not sure where to post this so here I go. I had chickens about 12 years ago and just started to enjoy them again. There is nothing more peaceful and joyful than to watch them beebop around the farm. I have 12 chicks in the basement waiting for the weather to warm up some so I can move them outdoors (we have these chicks to make up for the lost first hatch). I have 14 in the outside coop. I have 11 in the bator....This is my second attempt on incubating..I need some encouragement I guess

I have shipped eggs in the bator right now. Day 14. I read and re-read all of the great info on this site and let my eggs sit for 24 hours before placing them in the bator. After that - I put them in the bator in the turner, without the turner turned on and left them there for 6 days. I could take it no longer so I started rotating. I candled on day 8, made notes, threw one out and questioned 6 of the remaining 17. I candled tonight and the 6 questionable ones are gonners and I now hope for 11. I am sick to my stomach. This is my second attempt. I followed the instructions on the hovabator and lost everything at my first attempt last month. I really wanted those babies, so we went to the farm suppIy and 12 to make up for the loss - i thought I did everything by the book - so here we are again. I am optimistic. Fingers crossed.

I dry incubate (no extra humidity added) and I have pretty good success. Just like you, when I first got my hovabator, I followed directions to the T and drowned $300 worth of eggs. After much discussion on this forum I decided to try dry incubation and have never turned back. I will try to explain why dry incubation works in these small styrofoam bators.

The first thing that you need to understand is that as egg are being incubated, each egg is releasing moisture adding to the humidity level in the bator. If you have a couple dozen eggs in small styrofoam bator with the vents plugged, the eggs will provide all the humidity needed. Now if you were trying to incubate just a few eggs, you might need to add some humidity. During lockdown, when the eggs start piping, they release a lot of moisture in the bator causing a humidity spike. If you have already have the humidity up when this happens, you can hit really high humidity levels and drown your chicks. If you have a couple dozen eggs in lockdown, you need no extra humidity. The eggs will bring it up when they start hatching. Once again, this would be different if you had just a few eggs during lockdown. It is important to understand that these little styrofoam bators are very small environment and very suseptible to minor changes, both internal and external. The bator must be placed in a location where it will not be exposed to radical changes in temperature and humidity. If it is very humid where you are, I would leave the vent holes open during dry incubation. If it is very dry where you are, plug the vent holes and make sure the lid is tightly sealed.

The most important thing I have learned is, use really cheap eggs until you figure out what works for you. I hope this helps.

 

[Redeemed]

Hello Folks I am a hatch-a-colic. I started just a few weeks ago with three eggs from my wife's Japanese Bantams eggs. I think I am too far gone to stop now. I have Ten Amercaunnas eggs and 5 new eggs from our Japanese . Tomorrow is hatch day, I cant sleep or eat I just sit and dream about the coming chicks. Is there any hoppe for me?

 

[ki4got]

Any advise for us that are new at incubating? I have lost all but one of my eggs in the last 3-4 days? What's happening? Anyone know?

can't say...
what's happening on your end?

would need more info regarding temps, humidity, what kind of bator, temp fluctuations, shipped or local eggs, where's the icubator located? all of those things have a part in growing chicks.

actually, the FIRST question... were the eggs fertile? did you candle them? how far along were they when they quit?

temp needs to be 99.5 +/- 1 degrees.

many on here agree, dry incubating works best. ie, NO water in the incubator for the first 18 days, then increase the humidity to 55-65% or so the last 3 days.

keep it in a room that stays fairly stable temperature-wise, with no direct sunlight. vibrations can also adversely affect the eggs (kids/dogs romping in an old house can make a LOT of bounce!).

it needs adequate ventilation. if there are plugs, take them out. growing and hatching chicks need air.

shipped eggs typically suffer from being bounced around by USPS. anything over 20% is good, but you roll the dice when it comes to shipped eggs. you may get all or none or anywhere inbetween.

there's a lot to incubating eggs, that prevent answering the question 'why didn't they hatch?'. answering the checklist above might answer your own question.

 

[Runawaylobster]

Ok Ladles and Germs... the new inkybator has proved itself... i had a 100% hatch of all fertile eggs !!! whee... first time ever.. It almost wasn't, i found a poor little thing half out of the shell but trampled by the others, but once i helped a bit he/she was good to go!!!!

Some have tons of leg feathering I figure these must be the Partridge Cochin Crosses, and i have some gray ones, i'm thinking maybe the dark brahma crosses

funny thing.. they are all crosses with a BCM roo and they all look like their dad! I didn't figure that LOL!!

 

[louisianarednek]

How much humidity is to much during lockdown

 

[Runawaylobster]

How much humidity is to much during lockdown

well i can only tell you that my best hatches have been between 60 and 65, I had one once that was way over 70 and it was a bad hatch.

there may have been other factors so i can only relate my experiences.

 

[louisianarednek]

I've been running 25 to 30 and went into lockdown and went up to 75

 

[Overoberyl]

I've been running 25 to 30 and went into lockdown and went up to 75

75 is pretty high...it'l get up there without any help once they start hatching. I usually go with 50-60%.

 

[louisianarednek]

How do I get it back down