Low hatch rate! what am I doing wrong?

[Beccaz]

I've had chickens and a small homestead for years. My husband ,kids, and I recently moved to Virginia! I just tried my first hatching a few weeks back with not much success out of 16 eggs only 2 hatched three days apart. My current hatching I put out 12 eggs I had one hatch on day 18 it is now day 23 and nothing else has hatched I'm using the ProSeries digital incubator model 4250 by farm innovators not a super expensive machine but not one of the cheapies either not sure what I'm doing wrong the entire time my temperature said 99.5-100. Humidity for the first 18 days was hovering around between 50 and 60 on day 18 As soon as that chick pipped I bumped the humidity up to you 70-75 So I don't understand why I have such a horribly low hatch right what is going on ? I do not wash the eggs before I put them in the incubator Please help

 

[moutainMan]

If this is a still air incubator, your temps are a little low. For a still air, temp should be about 102. Also, your humidity is really high for days 1-18. I keep mine around 30-35 for the first 18 and then bump to about 55-60 for the last three days. The low temp explains why your chicks are hatching at weird intervals. Ill bet if you crack some of the unhatched eggs, you will see that some have drowned trying to pip because of the high humidity.

 

[Beccaz]

If this is a still air incubator, your temps are a little low. For a still air, temp should be about 102. Also, your humidity is really high for days 1-18. I keep mine around 30-35 for the first 18 and then bump to about 55-60 for the last three days. The low temp explains why your chicks are hatching at weird intervals. Ill bet if you crack some of the unhatched eggs, you will see that some have drowned trying to pip because of the high humidity.

i'm using an incubator with a fan inside of it and the directions say ideal temperature for incubation is between 99.5 and 105° and then it says to bump up the humidity up to 70 during hatch time and it says that during incubation humidity should be set to 55 to 60° I'm so confused and so sad

 

[Beccaz]

i'm using an incubator with a fan inside of it and the directions say ideal temperature for incubation is between 99.5 and 105° and then it says to bump up the humidity up to 70 during hatch time and it says that during incubation humidity should be set to 55 to 60° I'm so confused and so sad

Sorry temperature between 99 and 100 Not sure why it typed in 105

 

[moutainMan]

So youre temps are pretty good then. The humidity that you are running is very high to me.

 

[junebuggena]

Do you have a separate thermometer and humidity gauge inside the incubator or are you relying on the built in ones? Also, humidity is not a set number. It's something that you need to be monitoring and adjusting constantly. 55 to 60 is pretty high for chicken eggs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

 

[Beccaz]

Do you have a separate thermometer and humidity gauge inside the incubator or are you relying on the built in ones? Also, humidity is not a set number. It's something that you need to be monitoring and adjusting constantly. 55 to 60 is pretty high for chicken eggs. 
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

I do have a separate thermometer inside but not a separate humidity gauge I am relying strictly on the directions that came with my incubator which I am quickly learning are incorrect directions! So are you all thinking humidity around 35% for the first 18 days and then what do I bumped the humidity up to ?????

 

[junebuggena]

Read the link I posted carefully. Humidity is not a set number. It's something that you must figure out for yourself, under your conditions/environment. What works for one person may not work for another, even if they are using the same exact incubator. The only way to figure what humidity works best for you, is trial and error. Monitor and track those air cells, and adjust accordingly.

 

[Beccaz]

Read the link I posted carefully. Humidity is not a set number. It's something that you must figure out for yourself, under your conditions/environment. What works for one person may not work for another, even if they are using the same exact incubator. The only way to figure what humidity works best for you, is trial and error. Monitor and track those air cells, and adjust accordingly.

that makes me sad because it means more chicks will die before I figure out what my humidity should be set at

 

[junebuggena]

I've been hatching for 2 years now, and I'm still trying to get in perfect. Humidity is the hardest part of incubating. Even the time of year, or the breed/type can affect it.