Little Giant Model 9200 Still Air Incubator--general questions

[madornato]

Thanks to all of you for helping out and giving advice. My hatch did not go well. When I took my eggs out of the turner and put them on the screen, I readjusted my temp. because the eggs were lower in the LG. Should I have done that? Well, anyway, I put the probe of my thermometer in one of the vent slots on one side of the incubator--big mistake! I should have been monitoring the other side as well because I found out a day and a half later (my DH bought a second temp/hygrometer probe) that the temp. on the other side of the incubator was about 6 degrees too high. Where do you guys monitor your temps.--in the middle? My hatch was terrible. Also, a couple of the chicks that did hatch scraped their leg joints (they were trying to learn to walk) on the metal screen in the bator--their leg joints were red and irritated. Do you guys use a different kind of screen? Also, I felt like I was messing up the humidity each time I took a chick out of the bator and put it in the brooder. Any suggestions?

 

[Karrie13]

Some people will put those rubber shelf liners on the screen of the incubator to give the chick a better surface for walking and they are easy to clean and re-use. I have a thermometer on both sides of my LG - I have a forced air with a turner. I also just purchased a spot check thermometer for incubators and found that my thermometers aren't that accurate (I have two acurite models in there from Walmart), my spot check reads higher than both. I go by what my spot check has. Also calibrate your hygrometer prior to each hatch. My last hatch they calibrated at 3% off but this hatch it calibrated only at 1% off.

At hatch time, I don't mess with the temperature as I hatch in cartons so they are a little lower than the turner. I will also put two sponges in the incubator that I can reach with a syringe with aquarium air hose attached to add water when the humidity needs a boost at hatch time. This worked well for me to keep the humidity right where it needs to be during lockdown. Not always do I wet both but they are there if I need to. Also, do not open the bator to remove chicks as they hatch. Wait until the hatch is complete, they will be fine in there for 2-3 days. Opening the bator will shrink wrap the unhatched chicks and they won’t hatch. If it is absolutely necessary to open the bator do a quick spray of warm water on the eggs to help keep the humidity where it needs to be.

I am sorry about your poor hatch. Did you open any of the eggs to see what went wrong? Were they developed? Did they pip internally but didn't get any farther?

 

[madornato]

Karrie13, thanks so very much. You are so right about the shrink wrapping of the eggs when you remove the other chicks. We had 2 different chicks that could not hatch properly. One tried to get out but had chunks of eggshell stuck to its body, so we gently pulled the pieces off. She is ok but really needs a bath because her feathers are all matted down with membrane. Another egg I had kept an eye on--the chick pipped the egg about 30 hours before I decided it was time for a rescue. Poor little thing was all shrink wrapped. I had to run it under warm water to just get its wing unstuck from its head. It is doing fine, too, except that its toes are all curled up in a fist. It won't flatten it toes to walk properly. I did read on another post what to do with that if it doesn't straighten out--you have to make little "shoes" out of pipe cleaner. Anyway, I just pulled the remaining 8 eggs from the incubator not 15 minutes ago. I'm kinda scared to open them up. I'm afraid I'll find perfectly formed, ready-to-hatch chicks that did not hatch because of my mistakes. If I get the courage in a little bit, I'll take a peek. Thanks for the information. I'll know next time to leave them all in there until the hatch is finished. I did put more water in there each time I opened the bator, but I guess it wasn't enough. Also, I had that temp. debacle at day 18 that might have killed some of them.

 

[madornato]

Hey, Karrie13, I forgot to ask--why do you hatch in egg cartons? I saw a post with pics where the eggs were in cartons as well, but there was no explanation. How do the little chicks get out of the eggs and carton? Do you have to use paper/cardboard ones? Thanks again.