Lockdown question?

[kslizza]

I'm only on day five of my first ever incubation, so I've been reading everything I can. This article addressed your question exactly in the last paragraph or two: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubation-cheat-sheet.

 

[MissBroodyHen]

Omg I'm soo happy just candelled one of my Batam Cochin Eggs in the bator. On day 3! And not only seen the embryo spider but actually saw the heart Beating!!! There's hope!!! I'm so happy. Omg!! Yay!!!!!

 

[MissBroodyHen]

 fingers are crossed!  Started out with 39, now down to 13.  They all look pretty swell though in there.  I bet 10 will hatch

So what's the update? I'm on day14!! Doing a candling sesh tonight. Got them set in a new bator. And seems to be working a DREAM !!
How's yours? Anything?

 

[mshuntjump]

Only two of them all hatched, and one I had to put down. It was the many temperature spikes I had, I guess.

 

[MissBroodyHen]

Ok. First off what incubator have you got? What humidity level have you been setting everything to? And do you live above a 1000 feet?

 

[mshuntjump]

I have a little giant still air. My humidity was 64% at lockdown. I live in Collierville, TN.

 

[MissBroodyHen]

Ahh there is your problem right there!! Your Temp is WAY TOO LOW! You are using a still air at 100, that will never work. What is happening is the upper part of the egg is getting hot but there is to many cold spots in the incubator lower down. Oh god. I wish I had asked you before!!
Right get yourself some more eggs! If you have it in you. Get your temps right up to 102.0 - 102.2 this is to say 98c. I have just had this same convo with someone else and turner or not you do not have a forced air then you need HIGH temps!! Try getting some rocks and placing these in the bottom well of the bator more like little stones pebbles. And this will help maintain heat also when candiling or anything. Next, Half way through incubation your eggs wil start making theyre own heat turn down the incubator till it gets back to 102.0 temp spikes happen often when the eggs start making they're own heat. So you need to watch daily after about day 10 i believe and lower then. And when you go to lockdown bring your humidity way up to 75-80 percent. And bring your temp down by half a degree.
You should also be placing your bator in a warming room so that it already has some heat to go by. If you can figure out what your humidity is in the room they're in I would try and not add water to the bator to start with. Try and keep a range around 25-30 percent. If your home is above 50 do not add any water. I'm going to look at the reason for mountain areas as this could have something to do with it.
Also when you got rid of the eggs did you look inside them? They may well were not ready to hatch. They could have just been really late to develop. What day did those two hatch?

 

[mshuntjump]

Day 19.