Little Giant Incubation Experiment - Day 21 - Hatch Day!

[scflock]

... I have two incubators

EEK!

Okay... so I have two incubators. After most all of my first hatch was shrinkwrapped I needed to find out why~

#1. LG 9300

I checked the hygrometer in this one ( salt test) and saw that it was off by 5...so it says 50 it is really 55 in there. I made note of that during lockdown. (only use it for this purpose)

#2. Hovabator- I use this one for incubating.. and at the time didn't test the hygrometer because I needed it to reg. the temp.... BUT... After finding that almost all my chicks going into lockdown are very small celled...

I took the one that I did test... and placed it in the bator of the one that hasn't been tested - after one hour of time.....

Tested Hygrometer is showing 40 in the incubator
Non Tested Hygrometer is showing 35

Which means that the humidity in the incubator day 1-18 has actually been 45 and my non tested hygrometer is off by 10!

Does that sound crazy... it being off by so much??

Would that account for such small Air cells going into lockdown??

Is one hour sufficient amount of time to compare the two readings?

For reference... I use this one... that was suggested by many BYC members.

http://incubatorwarehouse.com/incubator-remote-thermometer-hygrometer.html

That humidity isn't way off, not enough to cause the developmental problems you are talking about. I would be more suspicious of temperature. I also believe that what a lot of people call shrink-wrapped is not actually shrink-wrap. I could be wrong, but is it even possible for a chick to become shrink wrapped in an unpipped egg? The membrane is going to be very tight against the chick, even in a healthy egg. From what I have experienced, I don't call one shrink-wrapped unless it has pipped and the membrane has dried out. I only bring this up, because so many people try to assist chicks that don't need to be assisted. I don't assist at all any more. I have only ever had one chick that I assisted live. I would much rather them die in the shell than have to cull a deformed, but fluffy, chick a few days later

 

[AmyLynn2374]

That humidity isn't way off, not enough to cause the developmental problems you are talking about. I would be more suspicious of temperature. I also believe that what a lot of people call shrink-wrapped is not actually shrink-wrap. I could be wrong, but is it even possible for a chick to become shrink wrapped in an unpipped egg? The membrane is going to be very tight against the chick, even in a healthy egg. From what I have experienced, I don't call one shrink-wrapped unless it has pipped and the membrane has dried out. I only bring this up, because so many people try to assist chicks that don't need to be assisted. I don't assist at all any more. I have only ever had one chick that I assisted live. I would much rather them die in the shell than have to cull a deformed, but fluffy, chick a few days later

I agree and disagree... I agree what many people call shrink wrapped isn't shrinkwrapped. I believe they are seeing dried/sticky/glued chick from the inner membrane being dried out, thus gluing itself to the chick and having reletively the same effect as a shrink wrap. I actually believe that is the "danger" to opening the bator at hatch and NOT shrinkwrapping. I think it is hard to "shrink wrap" a pipped chick. I think shrink wrapping occurs mostly when the air cell has become too big and the membrane collapses and tightens around the chick.
Both of my silkie eggs for this hatch didn't make it because they were "shrink wrapped" by the inner membrane. The outer membrane had also been drawn all the way down to the chick, but did not lay tight against the chick. As I removed the vast air cell. (I was amazed at how far the air cell had been drawn done after lockdown (thus the reason for the demise I believe.)


Had NOT internally or externally pipped. Not membrane was like rubber around the chick.

This one had internally pipped but was in the same circumstances as the first.
Both of these chicks were in the bottom 1/3 of the egg. That's how far the air cell had been drawn down.
I also agree that people assist when they don't need to because they THINK that the inner membrane around the chick is shrinkwrapping them, when it is not, it is naturally around the chick. There is a difference between it being tight and dry around the chick and moist and looser which is absolutely normal. I have done a handful of assists. I have never lost one that was an on time, chick. I've had three that were malepositioned (two which is questionable wether they needed my intervention or not, but I decided to go ahead with it.) I've had a couple that I helped (to less extremes) because the membrane around the pip hole (large pip hole) had started to dry against the chick's head and wing. In which case I only opened the pip a bit more and moistened the membrane and removed what was dry and stuck, put a damp towel around it and replaced it to let it finish on it's own. My very first hatch I lost one that I assisted. It was FOUR days late (my bad hatch) and extremely late. I don't think the probability is high for assited hatchers when they are that delayed.

 

[rossfam06]

So if my air cells move when I tilt the eggs at candling time should I put them in a carton to hatch to keep the air cell at the top?

 

[fiset94]

I agree and disagree... I agree what many people call shrink wrapped isn't shrinkwrapped. I believe they are seeing dried/sticky/glued chick from the inner membrane being dried out, thus gluing itself to the chick and having reletively the same effect as a shrink wrap. I actually believe that is the "danger" to opening the bator at hatch and NOT shrinkwrapping. I think it is hard to "shrink wrap" a pipped chick. I think shrink wrapping occurs mostly when the air cell has become too big and the membrane collapses and tightens around the chick.
Both of my silkie eggs for this hatch didn't make it because they were "shrink wrapped" by the inner membrane. The outer membrane had also been drawn all the way down to the chick, but did not lay tight against the chick. As I removed the vast air cell. (I was amazed at how far the air cell had been drawn done after lockdown (thus the reason for the demise I believe.)


Had NOT internally or externally pipped. Not membrane was like rubber around the chick.

This one had internally pipped but was in the same circumstances as the first.
Both of these chicks were in the bottom 1/3 of the egg. That's how far the air cell had been drawn down.
I also agree that people assist when they don't need to because they THINK that the inner membrane around the chick is shrinkwrapping them, when it is not, it is naturally around the chick. There is a difference between it being tight and dry around the chick and moist and looser which is absolutely normal. I have done a handful of assists. I have never lost one that was an on time, chick. I've had three that were malepositioned (two which is questionable wether they needed my intervention or not, but I decided to go ahead with it.) I've had a couple that I helped (to less extremes) because the membrane around the pip hole (large pip hole) had started to dry against the chick's head and wing. In which case I only opened the pip a bit more and moistened the membrane and removed what was dry and stuck, put a damp towel around it and replaced it to let it finish on it's own. My very first hatch I lost one that I assisted. It was FOUR days late (my bad hatch) and extremely late. I don't think the probability is high for assited hatchers when they are that delayed.

Your chicks looked like my shrinkwrapped chicks... they def. didn't pip- the head was not even pointed up to the aircell area.... My average humidity level here in Mass this month.. is about 65-70 ... When I let all the water out of the bator... it was running at about 45-47 dry. I will keep checking the air cells on the eggs and add sponges if the aircells start to look too large. The bators are in our finished basement... and because I had a Humidifier in the room.. it added alot more moisture in there- ( I haven't used the humidifier in 2 days)... I am now considering putting in a dehumidifier seeing that maybe *that* is the problem for the small air cells... I just don't know what to do anymore.

 

[fiset94]

So.. I went to both the bators this morning and found the humidity at 17 and 12... which means... 22 and 22 LOL - I added a couple of wet sponges and I am going to try to keep the humidity level at 30 - while watching the Air Cells... I will check them again tonight.

On a sad note.. I have Silkie/Polish in the incubator and after 6 days I still don't see any veining.. This is the third batch that I bought from the same seller off Ebay.. the first two never had veining either.. the seller said that it had to do with the P.O.... but Three times? What do you think?

 

[fordguy32]

I have a little giant model 9300 can anyone please tell me how I can get the temperature to go up because it want go up at all it stays around 93 degrees

 

[rossfam06]

So.. I went to both the bators this morning and found the humidity at 17 and 12... which means... 22 and 22 LOL  - I added a couple of wet sponges and I am going to try to keep the humidity level at 30 - while watching the Air Cells... I will check them again tonight.

On a sad note.. I have Silkie/Polish in the incubator and after 6 days I still don't see any veining.. This is the third batch that I bought from the same seller off Ebay.. the first two never had veining either.. the seller said that it had to do with the P.O.... but Three times? What do you think?

Yeah I think its the person whose eggs might not be as fertile as they think. Ibought my eggs from a rare breed page on facebook and bot senders sent me two and three extra. So far I have had three infertile and two quitters. In five days the remaining 12 go into lockdown. They all look good. *fingers crossed*

 

[WVduckchick]

I have a little giant model 9300 can anyone please tell me how I can get the temperature to go up because it want go up at all it stays around 93 degrees

Have you double-checked the thermometer? Or tried different thermometers? Your heating element could be going bad... I'm sure there are other possibilities, but those are the first things that come to mind for me.

 

[narragansett1]

so i have 9 eggs saved up and i just ordered a dozen so hope those get here by tomorrow so ill be setting all these eggs tomorrow i moved the incubator to a room with a much stabler temp so fingers crossed

 

[narragansett1]

i no with mine if i move the probe just an inch i get a different temp..