Is this Normal??

[luvinrunnin]

I just put my first ever batch of eggs in this past Tuesday. Thought we had the incubator pretty steady temp and humidity wise, but have had some issues. Highest temp was 101.9 for almost a day, but the rest of the time has stayed between 99.8 and 100.9 Humidity has been more variable. Anywhere from 28% to 67%. When it gets over 55% I open the vent. Seems like it'll be 32%, I add a LITTLE bit of water, and it shoots up to 67%. It is driving me NUTS! I have a Genesis 1588 with auto turner.

Today is day 6. I sorta candled them with a LED flashlight, but it's a little too big and kinda hard to do it with, BUT, It looks like the majority of the eggs have the air cell down at the pointy end???? Now one of them I saw the embryo bouncing around inside (HOW FREAKIN' COOL IS THAT!!!) and several definitely had veins, but many of them I just see sort of a blob at the large end.

Some of the eggs were stored a little longer than I cared for while we were trying to get the incubator right, about 10 days and were stored little end down in egg cartons.

Is what I'm seeing normal? I googled, but honestly, I am working nights and don't have a ton of time to research it right this minute. In fact, I am going to bed here in a few so I can go back to work tonight. I didn't really see any pics that show the air cell down at the small end. I do intend to buy a better flashlight and candling again in a couple days.

 

[mstricer]

You shouldn't have air cells in the pointy end that is the bottom of the egg, all air cells should be at the big rounded end. As for a bouncing chick at day six very doubtful. Sorry, You should see a spider veining if that. I usually can't tell anything until day 10, and I have a soft touch candler. Good Luck Michele

 

[luvinrunnin]

Quote:
I realize it sounds crazy, but I SWEAR that thing was moving all around in there! I was wondering if the temp getting high?? I have worked all night, so may be delusional LOL. I did watch it for a minute or so before returning it. I do see spider veining on several.

I wish I knew how to take pics in the dark to be able to see what I'm seeing.

Thanks for responding! I was pretty sure the air cell ought not be at the pointy end. Anybody know why in the world it would do that?

I really do need to go to bed as I have to get up in 5 hrs, but will check back.

Thanks!!!

 

[WillowWoodsFarm]

The air cells should be at the top (big round end). I have had VERY active ones at day 7 during their first candling! The blobs you are seeing, MIGHT be duds but I wouldnt take them out yet, in my own opinion. When I was still new at candling, I left all of them in and then once all of my babies hatched and there were no more pips for at least 48 hours, I candled them one last time. If I was unsure about any of them, I did the float test. Then, when I was completely sure they were dead or duds, my chicldren and I did eggtopsies to see what went wrong.
As for the aircells being on the wrong end...dont give up hope because I had 2 hatch from the wrong end like that and their air cells were in the pointy end. I have NO IDEA how because they were all pointy end down in the turner! Well, good luck!

 

[WillowWoodsFarm]

Actually, come to think of it, Im not sure if their aircells were in the pointy end BUT they did hatch upside down.

 

[cmom]

I would keep the humidity on the low side until lock down then bring it up. The Genesis 1588 is supposed to come with the temp pre-set to 100 degrees which if fine. I usually keep my incubator around 100 degrees. You may want to adjust the thermostat but only turn it to decrease the temp very slightly. as long as it stays around 99 degrees to 100 degrees that would be ideal. The temp will go down some when you put the eggs in and will take about 24hrs to stabilize. Like all incubators, the 1588 requires a stable room temperature and should not be used in areas like sheds or barns. Some people I know keep their incubators in their closet. The first 17 days I keep my humidity around 40% to 50% and on day 18 raise it to 65% to 70%. Others may do it differently. This is just my opinion. I have always had great hatches.

I can relate to you. I worked many years on the graveyard shift. Now I'm retired but it took me a long time to adjust to not being up all night.

Here is a pic of some of the chicks from one of my last hatches. I use a GQF Sportsman which I think may have about the same thermostat but also have a couple of Hova-Bator styrofoam incubators.

This is what I candle with it is a shop lamp with foil inside the cardboard. It works great.

These pics are of an infertile brown egg and a Pheasant egg.

 

[luvinrunnin]

Wow, that's a LOT of bitties!!!!!! I am going to have to see if I can make a candler like that.

The bator is in a spare room, door is closed so temp does change some according to outside temp, but not like it would if it were outside. I was having trouble with the temp climbing without me changing anything. It would stay 99.7 or so for 24 hrs and then climbed once I put the eggs in.


I will candle again Wednesday night, but I know most all of them have the air cell on the pointy end. Thinking I have a lot of yolkers maybe.

I hate not knowing what the heck I am doing!!!!

BTW, I was trying to keep teh humidity between 40-50%. It's sticking around 42% right now.

Please tell me more about the sportsman. I was thinking about getting one. But not if it's just as difficult to maintain the same humidity and temp as the genesis!!! It is quite possible that I accidentally poked something with my finger to change the setting. I don't think I did, but who knows.

Quote:

 

[Chinchilla2]

Quote:
This could explain why you have movement at day 6. It may have started the development process while under storage. Was it a little dot swimming around in there? If so, that would be about right. On some eggs I can see movement as early as day 5, just a bare shadow of something, and other eggs I see growth but no movement at all until the darn thing pops out of the shell.

What humidity do you normally have with the vent out? Also what temp is the water you put in there? Warm water will evap faster and increase humidity quicker so you may need to use a little cooler water.

 

[luvinrunnin]

Quote:
This could explain why you have movement at day 6. It may have started the development process while under storage. Was it a little dot swimming around in there? If so, that would be about right. On some eggs I can see movement as early as day 5, just a bare shadow of something, and other eggs I see growth but no movement at all until the darn thing pops out of the shell.

What humidity do you normally have with the vent out? Also what temp is the water you put in there? Warm water will evap faster and increase humidity quicker so you may need to use a little cooler water.

That makes sense............It looks like a decent size shadow moving around in there! Maybe almost the size of a dime....I had kept the eggs on a table in the house. Didn't figure it was warm enough for them to develop.

I only took the vent out when it got to 55%+. And yes, I did use warm water as the instructions said to?? Was afraid I'd cool the incubator down too much if I didn't. I will use cooler water next time. I hate that I can't really tell how much water is in there.

 

[WillowWoodsFarm]

About the humidity...I dry incubate and that works WONDERFUL for me! I dont put any water in the bator for the first 18 days and it stays around 40%, give or take alittle bit; then at lock down I kick it up to about 75% but it went as high as 85%. I had great success.