Incubators handed to me days 18, 16, 13- oversee me?

[ChooksChick]

I have a friend who is battling something awful and she's trying to save 200 birds from this awful illness...all ages, different breeds...bad news.

Anyway, she had a couple of dozen eggs in the incubator, with hatch dates of the 6th, 8th and the 11th. Some are BCM, some Penedesencas, and I can't remember the other breed, but they are just as dark.

At any rate, she was very afraid of getting these babies sick, unsure of what she's dealing with, and thus has brought me the incubators (one is to be used as a hatcher) and I'm going to hatch them...but I've never hatched eggs without a broody.

I've paid attention to incubation threads and am aware of The Great Humidity Debate and want her to have a great hatch (she generally gets around 30%) and know that she usually keeps her little styro 'bators at 75% on the last 3 days...

So:

Have at it and tell me what you think I should keep the two at for the three batches:

Day 18 (in the hatcher right now)

Day 16 & 13 (in the other bator)

I have a digital thermo/hygrometer (Wal-Mart version) in each.

...and....DISCUSS!!

 

[insiderart]

What brand of incubators are they?

 

[ChooksChick]

I didn't think it was on there, but after looking again, I can see it's an LG "Still Air" Incubator. No model number.

She has the auto turner in there, and so the eggs still in the one are being turned.

Thanks for taking notice of my post, btw- I'm twice as nervous that these aren't my eggs, but she's really too overwhelmed to bother with info of her previous hatches, but I know her ratios haven't been great at all.

 

[insiderart]

Ok thing I noticed with my still airs was that humidity is especially important. I'd shoot for the high end of each scale.

You're not too far from me so forget the "dry hatching", makes for a lot of shrink wrapped chicks. Keep the humidity in the incubator 45-50%, keep the humidity in the hatcher 65-70%. Instructions will tell you to take out both plugs during hatching, don't do this. Just cover each hole by about 50% with a penny. Never open the top during the last few days, siphon the water into the hatcher. I found that putting washcloths around the edges and then squirting water on them through the vent holes was the best way to keep my humidity up.

I liked hatching mine in egg cartons, but many will tell you it's not necessary. Either way, choose one and don't open the hatcher until all the eggs are done.

Watch the temp like a hawk in those LG's, better yet put it in a room that has a constant temperature with no windows. I had one LG that was fine, and another LG that was pure evil. Hopefully you're in control of some good ones.

Also, don't allow these chicks anywhere near your own chickens. Since she doesn't know with which disease she is dealing and some diseases can be transmitted to the chick in utero (i.e. the chicks can be born infected).

 

[ChooksChick]

Thanks so much!

I read the ENTIRE humidity thread, and it seems like a giant crap shoot. I looked up my altitude, because it seems a lot of people seemed to think the altitude could help determine which end of the range one hits- I'm at around 450 ft. above sea level, which should indicate a need for lower humidity- if this is a good way to judge that! I know with the 2 I had to carry around in my bra after my broody got up with 2 that hatched way early, I had the shrink-wrap issue and they'd have died without help, and our ambient huidity was over 70%...but no way to know what MY humidity level was- geez.

With my home humidity at around 25%, and outside humidity around 80%, I can't get the humidity below 65% in the incubator and it's at 73% in the hatcher...which is into day 19 now this evening...

I'm afraid I don't even know how to get it lower, if that isn't a weird problem...NO WATER in either of them!

I can see how it's been hard for her to get better rates with this issue.


All three of these batches of eggs were shipped in, not from her own birds, and thus the only contagion would be of her handling them out of the mail, and her household contamination, which could be pretty great. I sprayed the outside of the incubators with bleachwater in my driveway, and I made her meet me to make the trade...and wiped myself down with clorox wipes after handling the 'bators...I'm paranoid!

She may have to cull over 200 birds if this is what I think it is. These eggs may be her only survivors.

 

[insiderart]

Sounds like you're on top of it! Now you wait. Good luck!