It never works...

[iluvwyandottes]

I tried to hatch eggs twice, but they never hatched. I don't know if I did something wrong. The temp. was always 100, humid. was never below 60, and they were all fertile did I do something wrong?

I also had a working turner that I turned off on the 18th day both tries. Please help me.

 

[milleryardchx]

60 percent humidity the first 18 is high i keep mine in the 40s the first 18 days then go up to 60s low 70s had no issues on my first hatch everything that was fertile hatched. also

 

[killer]

what kind of bator? homemade or ?... did you have any temp spikes? what kind of eggs?

 

[iluvwyandottes]

It was a Hovabator still-air i bought, i don't think it had any temp spikes, 1 batch was EE's, marans and RIR's, the second was white leghorns

 

[TerriLaChicks]

I agree with Milleryardchix--I run my humidity in the 40s & have had successful hatches since doing that. I have a 1602 Hovnabator & auto-turner. What do you have? What are you trying to hatch?

edit to say: saw your response.---my husband added a small fan out of an old computer to my bators to make them forced air & I think that helped also.

 

[dancingbear]

Humidity is only supposed to be 50-60% for the last three days. Prior to that, they must be able to evaporate a fair amount of moisture, so there will be air to breathe when the chick is near hatching.

If you do a BYC search and read about the air cell development and humidity, you'll see what probably went wrong. If a chick tries to pip into the air cell, and instead hits fluid, it will drown.

You didn't say where you got your eggs. You said they were all fertile, did you determine that by candling, or opening the eggs after they failed to hatch? Not just taking somebody's word that the eggs were all fertile? Sometimes a person may assume fertility, and they can be mistaken.

Were these shipped eggs, or eggs obtained locally? Like your own hens, or from somebody nearby? Shipped eggs can be harder to hatch than unshipped, and often have a much lower hatch rate, due to damage from the package being bounced around. I had two 0% hatches this year from shipped eggs. I have had good hatches from shipped eggs, too, but be aware that this can happen.

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Yes, lower the humidity down to around 40%...figure out how to create less water surface in the incubator. Last 3 days you should up the humidity back to your 60% reading.

Also, your temperature is a touch low for still-air incubation. Most still-airs run between 101-102F degrees...probably 101F would be fine.

As dancingbear stated...shipped eggs can be tough to hatch. Most folks are happy with a 50% hatch with shipped eggs.

ETA: Also, be sure that adequate ventilation is allowed for...as the embryos develope they require more and more oxygen.

Ed

 

[walkswithdog]

Never is a longer time than twice.

Your temps are as was said too low for still air and your humidity too high.

Did you remove the plugs the last three days?

Between low temps and drowning yeah you'd have bad hatches.

Air flow/ventilation are really important. Those plugs need removing at the end.

 

[bigkford]

Ok here is my question? I have a hova bator and two homemade ones. Here is my question, My temp is running 99.5 to100.9, humidity is 40 to 45 sometimes drops to 37. What am I doing wrong? I turn them 5 times a day and out of 36 eggs I got 2 chicks. also this is out of both hova bator and home made. Both air