Incubators Anonymous

[ronott1]

Thank you!

I like that idea.

I am using a condiment cup from Cattleman's Restaurant. At first it kept the humidity at abut 30%. I think I will try the small disposable container with a slit in the lid to see how it works.

Ron

Quote:

 

[snaffle]

I know this has been discussed a zillion times so I hope no one gets upset if I ask it again.

I have a Genesis 1588 with a turner. On day 18 I move the eggs to the Little Giant that has become my hatcher. Since it tends to have a hard time staying at 100 degrees, I cover part of the lid with a towel and that helps.

Please share your thoughts on the humidity again for

1. The incubator

2. The hatcher

thanks

I saw the picture of the small plastic container with the slit. Does that help maintain the correct humidity for several days?

I had just read about a small sponge in a tiny jar of water and had just put that in my hatcher.

Any other tricks to the humidity containers?

 

[ronott1]

Use something like the little container with the lid slit to keep the humidity between 20 and 30% for the first 18 days.

The hatcher does not need to be at 100 degrees. By day 18, the chicks can handle lower temps. It can go as low as 98 to 97.5. The chicks will be fine. Some say they hatch better at the lower temp. I have been using a water weasel with a Brinsea spot check to keep the temp at 98 degrees at hatch.

If you put a towel on top, you risk hurting the chicks--ventilation is the third thing they need. You are supposed to run with vents open, especially at hatch.

The pan with the sponge is to raise humidity at lockdown. This would add too much humidity at day 1 to 18.

Ron

I know this has been discussed a zillion times so I hope no one gets upset if I ask it again.

I have a Genesis 1588 with a turner. On day 18 I move the eggs to the Little Giant that has become my hatcher. Since it tends to have a hard time staying at 100 degrees, I cover part of the lid with a towel and that helps.

Please share your thoughts on the humidity again for

1. The incubator

2. The hatcher

thanks

I saw the picture of the small plastic container with the slit. Does that help maintain the correct humidity for several days?

I had just read about a small sponge in a tiny jar of water and had just put that in my hatcher.

Any other tricks to the humidity containers?

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Thank the heavens - I have a pip!

I love the cup idea, ki4got. I usually use the water reservoir, but I cover most if it with aluminum foil to reduce the surface area.

 

[ki4got]

well i also have a pip. 8) the last ones hatched a day early (unless i wrote down the wrong date) and these ones are right at the beginning of day 21 (wrote hatch on 29th, but wrote on eggs set 4/7) this months all messed up. and yeah it's almost the 30th, but i always set eggs betweek 10pm and midnight, so really day 21 just started.

k.i.forgot struck again, causing me to not write things down until much later...

 

[ROCKIN R FARM]

Day of lock down and still nothing so the waiting continues. I really hope I get something from this hatch. Told hubby if I do not get something from this one or the next that I was done. Rather send my eggs out and have them hatch out.
I am realizling the one hatching I am using as hatcher is actually an old Leahy Red wood brooder. LOL
But I used it last year as a hatcher. And it has 2 trays on the bottom like an incubator has. So i am going to actally look again in the maual that came with it.
My husband found it for me last year at one of our trade days in Canton Texas. A gentleman was selling it out of his red wagon. Hubby only paid 50.00 and the guy handed him the original paper work that came with the bator when the original owners bought it. One is dated 1960 and 1961 that is the dates on the order sheets. And the evelope they came in was dated 1960. I have been thinking its a hatcher but not sure sense I can't seem to get anything to hatch in it.
I need to maybe get a new humidifier temp gage it might be off.
deana

 

[Arielle]

I had my humidity at 30% for the first 13 days - that's my usual incubation humidity, shipped or unshipped. I candled on day 13, just because I had the time then, and I decided some air cells were too big - they looked like a normal air cell on top with another air cell of almost equal size down the side connected to it. It looked like a figure-8 and, in total, larger than what you'd want on day 18. I didn't want to go crazy, so I just put a shot glass of water inside next to the turner. That bumped the humidity up to about 40% for days 14 to 18. I was out late on Friday and locked down on the morning of day 19 with a humidity of 65%. The water tray I use for lockdown has a lot of surface area but not much depth, so it will come down to around 55-60% before I add more water. When I locked down yesterday morning, I did a quick candle in the light of day. The air cells that were day-18-size on day 13 look about the same size - good for lockdown. But the air cells that looked fine on day 13 also haven't enlarged much - and I realized my mistake. They look like about day 14 air cells, so I messed up. I saw definitive movement during my quick candle in about half of the eggs so I know that those at least were alive yesterday morning. Probably others were alive, too, and I would have seen more if the curtains had been closed and I had taken a little longer. I know that big thunderstorms have been known to ruin a hatch, but I can't remember where I read it. No one had pipped though - no idea if that would be a protective factor. Sigh. I'm mad at myself. I've been way too busy and haven't been giving this hatch the proper attention. I'm just hoping that I get at least a few healthy chicks. I'm tempted to candle again to see if I can see any internal pips, but I'm not going to mess with it. I've never hatched this breed before - maybe I can hope they are just lazy hatchers?

While this has not been a perfect hatch for you, looks like you have more info in your book of knowledge for the next time. I do candle to verify the size of the air cells. I can change the humidity in the incubator when other aspects are not within my control. Like ambient weather, temperature and RH, power outage, and the list goes on. New England weather changes a lot thru the seasons. I need to go start the wood stove as the house temps have dropped from 70 when I set up the incubators to now 60. ANd it will stay cold for a few days so I'll start a fire in the wood stove.

Gave in and candled one egg with my head under a big towel.

I saw the little beak moving in the air cell, so that one has pipped internally even though I don't have any external pips yet. My husband thinks we're just delayed from the power outage. I put the little guy back in. Temps are good and humidity holding around 60%. I'm going to try to stop fretting (can you tell I reallly want this particular batch to hatch?) and try to get on with my day.

You are concerned, not worried. You know there are variables that could negatively affect the hatching of these eggs. Of course you are going to look for verification of life!! I would, too. Good luck.

I did not really change much, but the humidity did read a bit higher. I think the problem was the weather change. All of the air cells were wonky from shipping. I found the dry incubation instructions that we all quote and it said to only fill the dish of water every 4 or 5 days and let it go dry in between. I will try that and see if the next batch is dryer and does not stick.

today is day 15 for Partridge Rocks and RIR eggs. It looks like I will hatch RIRs from that shipment. There are 7 RIR eggs and one PR egg left out of 24 shipped. This was my worst shipment of eggs yet--Lots of broken eggs and and yolk every where. I wish shippers would use the Meeks Method of packing(skylinepoultry.net). Newspaper wrapped eggs in a styrofoam egg carton with foam nuggets is not the same as all of the bubble wrap packing that James uses.

Ron
Quote:

Ron, I let mine run dry the whole time, UNLESS the wood stove is on which means dry air in the house. I really do check my eggs on the 7th, 14th and 18th day and adjust the moisture levels in the incubator accordingly. I have needed to add water in the late fall/ early winter when the wood stove was kept running 24/7. Candling is the only way I keep tabs on moisture loss. SOme people weigh.

Quote:

I like THAT idea!!

 

[Arielle]

I did it !

I did it!!

My first 100% hatch!! 7 out of 7!

 

[ronott1]

Congratulations!

Ron

I did it !

I did it!!

My first 100% hatch!! 7 out of 7!

 

[Arielle]

My incubator is full, and I want to hatch more. Java GIrl mentioned using a fish tank with a light suspended over it for heat. Ingenious. Raise and lower the light as needed to maintain the correct temp.

With so many eggs set with different set dates, I'm starting to feel like I have lost control !! Yinepu has the best idea--keep the eggs closest to due date on the top. I can see the value in this method!! I tried to put the set date on every egg in permanent marker. Solid black number so I don't miss the number. I pray this works.