I've given up hope!! GRAPHIC PICS

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
That is soo strange... I truly wish i knew what happened....

 

[Jarsheart]

Those look just like the eggtopsies I performed on 3 eggs that were overdue. I too would like to know why this happens. Everything was perfect. Mine were Silkies. What were yours ? Anyway, I am not happy with Mother Nature right now.

 

[Yvonne37894]

I found this site from the University of Minnesota extension

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/di0631.html

I've found other sites and have been reading some books on this.

We have our incubator in the house In Fl the A/C is on in the summer and the heat is on in the winter. Sometimes (spring and summer month) the heat is on in AM by noon the A/C is on. All of this has an effect on the incubator and hatchability. Also drafts and direct sunlight will have effects on the eggs.

Good luck on future hatching!

 

[BrownEggFan]

Jars, mine were mutts - ISA Brown Hybrid hens x Red Sex Link roo. I think I'm going to try hatching eggs from my RSL hens this next time around.

Yvonne, thanks for that link. My bator was in the basement that virtually never has a window / door open, so the external temp stayed very constant. I turned the eggs several times a day - never less than two.

I've installed a heat shield over the bulb in my still air unit and the temp on the digital thermometer went to 106! WHAT THE...

Anyway, I've turned that t-stat down and will try get it regulated at +/- 100 before adding anymore eggs. In the meantime, I'm working on my new forced air bator and will post a few pics of it once I get it completed. I should have it done by late this evening; I just have to run to the hardware store and get a few items. This is addicting!

Hello, my name is Paul and I'm a hatch-a-holic...

 

[sarochka]

BrownEggFan, I too made my own incubator and had trouble regulating temps after placing the heat shield right before lockdown -- so much so that I ended up removing the heat shield out of fear of killing the entire batch. All of my "equipment" was at one end of the incubator: the PC fan in one corner, blowing across the bulb toward the thermostat. The 3 eggs that were directly in front of the bulb did not hatch, whereas all but one of the others did (I set 12 eggs total). Like you, I had been rotating the position of eggs in the incubator so none would be sitting directly in front of the bulb too long. But after lockdown I didn't touch them, and that must have done them in. Good luck getting your temps steady with the heat shield in place. It's definitely what I'll be working on for next time.

 

[crossedwires]

if i were to take a guess i would say they were too close to the bulb, even tho the therm said the temp was right you tend to get hot spots near the bulb (put your hand close to one) it would also explain why it affected them all as you swapped posistions of the eggs so they all got a go in the hot spot! now the important bit NEVER NEVER EVER give up trying! you will sucede and by making your mistakes early on you will learn quickly and become adept at hatching, everyone of us makes a mess up once in a while, i been in this game 30 years and i still mess up now and then

and i am still learning.
post a pic of the new bator with some good close shots so we can take a look and maybe give you some hints and tips.
its a real downer when it goes wrong but the joy you get when you get it right is well woth the odd mistake. trust me keep trying and you will get good at it

 

[BrownEggFan]

After 3 hours, my old bator still said 103 and the t-stat was turned all the way down...that will never work. BTW - according to the memory function of the digital term, the high temp was 113.7 after putting the heat shield in place. The high during incubation was 102.3. I've pulled the t-stat out of my old bator to finish my new forced air unit and now have it up an running. I'm going to gradually adjust it over the next few days as I collect eggs from my RSLs and will be setting them on Monday if everything is steady. The eggs from today are unwashed on the counter in a egg carton big end up, just like I did last time around. Ok, here are the pics of the new bator as requested and some of the changes I made. I need to say here that 98% of the ideas I used are not mine, but have been gleaned from others here at BYC. There are too many people that I've pulled info from to name them all, so suffice it to say THANK-YOU for all the wonderful information shared here!!








There is still a heat shield (aluminum sheeting) on the bottom to protect the styrofoam from the heat of the bulb and there is a water filled jar on the bottom for a heat sink. The t-stat has been moved from the wire shelf onto the heat shield to help it react quicker to changing temps. Obviously the PC fan is new since my old unit was a still-air. I'm going to try hatching in cartons this time, so I've added a block of wood on the shelf to prop up one side of the carton and will simply move the carton from one side to the other each time they need turned (I'll probably add a turner with an exterior handle for the next time around). I drilled two holes and added short pieces of 3/4" PVC conduit for vent holes that can be plugged as necessary.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Chickenchick, it's possible your dog *found* the escapee and was bringing it back to you. Our Cleo does that since she is very concerned that the right chickens are in the right locations. Unfortunately she hasn't figured out yet that the shock will kill a tiny baby. She is gentle enough with the couple-week-old ones that they just arrive slimy and dazed.
Keep trying on the incubators and improving. We had a zero rate on our still air LG. After improvements and adjustments we are at about 60% success. We aren't buying expensive eggs or hatching a large quantity so we are happy with that. It is enough to replenish our flock.

 

[Jarsheart]

Quote:
Thanks for the reply. I was hatching 13 mutt eggs for a friend in the incubator, then my silkie hen left her nest with 3 eggs left in it. I just popped them in the incubator with the other eggs. So far, 10 out of 13 of the mutt eggs hatched (they were in the incubator from day 1). The incubator conditions were spot on

Your new incubator looks awesome. I hope that it works well for you !!

 

[pdsavage]

I am only now hatching eggs in the bator if I have no broodies,the last ones I tried hatching had a zero hatch rate(shipped eggs).Then I ordered more when I had a broody hen she hatched 7 out of 10 (shipped eggs).I trusted the broody with very inportant eggs then I did myself she did a better job then me anyway.