It's official- I'm the worst hatcher ever! -Updates-

[77horses]

Thanks everyone. Finally got internet from my dad's house, so now can post from here!

That may be good news, but I found bad news when I got here. Both All of the eggs that were suppose to hatch were leaking and rotten.

The only once left was the small Bantam egg, which looks like it is dead(after candling) but I'm not sure so it's still in there. I cracked the 3 rotten ones open and all had almost completely developed chicks in them(still small and had full yolk sack. Looked like they died a somewhere past day 12 at least).

But we have decided to try one last time for the year.

lately the temperature outside has been colder than usual, but not too cold, so the temp. in the bator has been just about perfect. around 101.9*F is the highest it goes sometimes, and the lowest is around 99*F. Right now it's staying around 100*F and humidity is around 35%(we are trying the dry incubating method). We have the Bantam egg in there, along with a RIR/Red Star egg and a Buff Orp/Splash Cochin egg. Hoping to hatch out more Bantam eggs, since we haven't tried that yet. We have a Bantam Cochin hen and Splash Cochin rooster who share a coop together, so we want to hatch some of her eggs. But she hasn't laid any recently, so we are still waiting.

Hopefully we will get at least one egg to hatch! So far, so good.

Wish the eggs and I luck! Hopefully the outside temp. is more steady this time.

 

[catwalk]

Do you have a basement, or interior closet, that you could put your incubator in? I'm right with you on the homemade bator issue. What I saved up front, I more than paid for in eggs that don't hatch! I just bought a thermostat that I am trying to wire https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=240238
I'm going to put the bator in the basement, then I'm gonna hatch out the most birds ever!

 

[Highland Moongazer]

I know how you feel. Right now it fluctuates ~25 degrees between day and night (55-80), and it's literally killing my hatch rate. Even in a closed off room, the fluctuation is still more than enough to throw the bator into a bad temperature.

The one that did hatch came out early and is super spraddle.

 

[77horses]

Ugh! It would be a great if someone invented an incubator that would be specifically designed for hatching eggs; like you could set it for chicken eggs, duck eggs, etc. and it would know the right temp. and humidity. For example if you had chicken eggs, just push button to put it on "chicken egg mode" or something, and it would regulate the temp. and humidity perfectly and would automatically change temp. and humidity, stop turning the eggs, etc. on day 18. That would be so cool! It could be called "The Smart-Bator"!

But imagine how much that would cost?

But anyway, our Bantam Cochin pullet just laid her egg finally and it's in the bator!

Temp. has been around 98*F because it's kinda cool outside right now. Once it warms up outside the temp. in the bator should warm up, too.

 

[mamahenny]

I got a real expensive incubator from my school (you know like $500) and it was automaticly set to chicken hatching. there is an alarm if it goes to high or to low and lets you know if the power went out. It came with great instructioons and was really awesome! It also included a automatic egg turner. You could buy a humidity pump to control humidity. temp and humidity were plainly shown on a screen and there was a vent you could adjust. I believe it was called a brinsea actagon 500 or something another.. I am sure it would help your hatch rate!

 

[walkswithdog]

If you're having oozing eggs, first clean the bator thoroughly. Don't reuse any porous objects from prior hatches, like cloths or sponges. Be sure to clean any thing metal as well.

One - use a jar/s or gallon jug full of water (sealed)to help slow your swing.

Two - get/make/use a water wiggler - fake egg and thermometer and probe - and calibrate it so you KNOW what temp the inside of your eggs are. NOT the air temp.

Air temps vary. Widely at times. While you'd prefer consistency sometimes that's not going to work for you. What you want is a consistent temp inside the eggs. 99.5-100.5 works. I keep my swing from 99.5-100.

Ventilation is an often over looked part of this deal. Air holes should allow excess heat out and a GOOD supply of clean air in. Without sufficient air to hatch with, chicks that were FINE until 18 days suffocate and die at hatch.

There is an ENTIRE discussion on adequate ventilation under the "READ ME on Hatching thread for a reason.

The post office is NOT x raying your eggs - welcome to rumor.

Shipping all by itself is hard on eggs between the harsh handling, unpressurized containers and heat index.

Shipped eggs often need extra moisture - weigh or candle to check proper air cell or excess air cell development.

Shipped eggs even with extra moisture can need help at hatch. Read the helping thread in case.

Stabilize your temps with jars or gallons - get a wiggler set up, know your humidity. Check your ventilation. Make sure it's CLEAN now.

Adding eggs before you stabilize things is just killing them and in desperation repeating the same mistakes.

Make the additions of jars, any additional ventilation, and a wiggler and then work at stabilizing things without eggs for days before you add eggs. Make a log, keep track.

Things will get weird when you add eggs that aren't up to temp IGNORE THAT. If temps were stable before you added eggs - leave it ALONE and wait for a day before you touch anything at all. And then fiddle in itty bitty tiny infinitesimal bits. NOT as much as you want to. Fix it tiny and slow not fast.

An air temp of 106 is NOT disaster. Several hours of interior egg temp like that would be not so good but as an air temp it's nothing to sweat and panic over.

Clean.
Manage swings with water jars.
Ventilate properly. Read up on ventilation.
Get a water wiggler, calibrate it and use it. Make a log.

Above all stop panicking. Make small gradual changes.

Air temps can go down and up significantly without actually harming interior egg temps.

Candle or weigh eggs to check development and air spaces.


You are not the worst hatcher. You have simply not yet learned how to use what you have.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Thanks so much for all the info!

Humidity- Has not been much of a problem. We use a towel, get it soaked with warm water, and put it in there. We have to resoak itabout every 2 days. By doing this, the humidity stays around 35-40%. By day 18-19, we add another towel and humidity goes up to around 50-60% for the last days of hatching.


Temperature- Has been changing a lot, but now that the outside temp. is steadier than the past weeks, it has been around 98-101*F (98 on cool mornings/evenings, 99-101 in afternoons).
We have been using a water wiggler(ziplock bag filled with water and folded, with a digital temp. probe stuck in between the fold. You say that it's OK for AIR temps to fluctuate, but what about temp changes INSIDE the egg???

Ventilation- This MIGHT be one of the problems. I have a small door(with a window) on the top of the larger door of the cooler, and we crack this open about an inch to keep temps from going too high(and if temps are too cool, I shut the small door a little and it makes temp go back up). I've worried that with this door open, there isn't enough ventilation.

Ugh I guess I should have made the bator better before putting eggs in it. That makes me a bad incubator builder, not a bad hatcher I guess.

 

[BlueEngineFarm]

What happened with the egg left in the bator? anything so far.
Lynne

 

[lavacaw]

Quote:
There is one...it's the brinsea mini advance...Only problem is it holds only 7 eggs. ( I am told the new brinsea 20 holds 20) My first hatch I got 5 out of 7 and the next batch is due next week. All you have to do is keep the water holder filled halfway until day 18 then completely filled. It does everything else.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
The small Bantam Cochin egg is still in the incubator, along with 2 Red Star eggs, 1 Buff Orp egg, and another Bantam Cochin egg.