maybe i shouldnt try and hatch

[BairleaFarm]

I dont think you did anything wrong. Chicks dont just die days after they hatch unless something wrong with them(when they have food water and heat of course). Seems to me you simply had a batch set of eggs/chicks. Dont feel bad. I killed 30 chicks a week or so ago because i miss counted the days. Hatch on and try another.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
I can only imagine how bad it feels to do so much work and put forth so much effort only to have the LG kill more than it hatches. All I can say is hatching isn't easy and it does take you awhile to get the knack of it. Mainly sorting through all the info on here and deciding if it's good info to use or worthless info. Although I understand your situation regarding why you had to buy the LG as most LG buyers fall into the same rutt, and that fine ya gotta do what ya gotta do, some that have them actually have managed to hatch one or two chicks from them. Perhaps you could find that thread they have going on the BYC, it's dedicated to all of the unfortunate LG owners who have banded together in a kinda of Oprah support group. They have all sorts of crazy way's and things you can do to make that incubator kinda sorta work like it's supposed to, and with some chinese ingenuity and a couple of big rolls of duck tape, they got it figured out.

Perhaps finding some other online resources regarding hatching can help, they can shed light on something you may be over looking as the BYCers tend to be a little short sighted and focus on only one or two simple technics, whereas some other more credible sources will focus on other ideas that will hit a nerve with your hatching and get you back on track. Hatching and raising can and is very rewarding so sticking with it will result in you getting the hang of it, sure your going to lose egg's, chicks..... so .... it's part of it, don't get discouraged.

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
I have to respectfully disagree with two of your claims.................

The first is the dry incubation method although the OP may have made a slight miss calculation the dry incubation method is a highly preferred method, your claims are baseless and your claim of 80% humidity during the last 4 day's will likely kill by drowning many more chicks. 60% humidity in the first 2 weeks is ludicris. Dry incubation should be done with 30-35% relitive humidity the first 18 days, then it should be increased to no more than 50% and it will rise slightly as they begin to hatch. I don't use a styrobator to hatch in, I prefer the cabinet models and the dry method in these work great as can be attested to by only about 400,000,000,000 Gazillion people who incubate.

Next issue is your claim about the CHINESE product, with all due respect......is this a joke or a spoof........... really........ your recommending a chinese product as more reliable than an American product. Sorry but I think everybody knows Chinese made products are junk and that is an understatement.

I really don't think quoting 'ideal' humidity figures for other folk to adopt is a good idea, as what works for one person in their climate and with their bator, won't necessarily work for another. Going by chooksandeggsAus' handle it looks likt they're in Australia, and probably in an extremely dry part of it. Obviously 60% humidity throughout the first 18 days is what works for them. S/he's not talking rubbish, as the quoted figure of 14% weight loss is pretty much spot on. Al6517 is also giving broadly sensible advice which is for the most part entirely correct. (I'd like to completely disagree with the idea that 80% humidity at lockdown will drown chicks though, as I run my lockdowns that high and even higher, and I've never drowned a chick yet.)

Anyway, Chooksandeggs and Al have both got different ideal humidities, miles apart, that work well for each of them. But if they were to swap and follow each other's humidity advice they'd almost certainly both have rotten hatches!

The only figure to quote when recommending humidity figures is 11-15% weight loss. (I always aim for 13% myself.) The correct humidity is whatever one gets your eggs to that weight loss by lockdown. If it's 15% humidity, then that's the correct one for you. If it's 60% humidity, then that's the correct one for you. But neither of them would be the correct humidity for someone else, even if that other person's incubating problems seemed identical to yours.

When having troublesome humidity problems, go buy a scale. Instant solution and worry free hatches!

 

[babigyrl22]

Quote:
I can only imagine how bad it feels to do so much work and put forth so much effort only to have the LG kill more than it hatches. All I can say is hatching isn't easy and it does take you awhile to get the knack of it. Mainly sorting through all the info on here and deciding if it's good info to use or worthless info. Although I understand your situation regarding why you had to buy the LG as most LG buyers fall into the same rutt, and that fine ya gotta do what ya gotta do, some that have them actually have managed to hatch one or two chicks from them. Perhaps you could find that thread they have going on the BYC, it's dedicated to all of the unfortunate LG owners who have banded together in a kinda of Oprah support group. They have all sorts of crazy way's and things you can do to make that incubator kinda sorta work like it's supposed to, and with some chinese ingenuity and a couple of big rolls of duck tape, they got it figured out.

Perhaps finding some other online resources regarding hatching can help, they can shed light on something you may be over looking as the BYCers tend to be a little short sighted and focus on only one or two simple technics, whereas some other more credible sources will focus on other ideas that will hit a nerve with your hatching and get you back on track. Hatching and raising can and is very rewarding so sticking with it will result in you getting the hang of it, sure your going to lose egg's, chicks..... so .... it's part of it, don't get discouraged.

x2

Don't give up! It just may take you a few tries to get it. I start my first lockdown tomorrow. I have some with a broody and some in the incubator. I am not hopeful with my incubator eggs....but from what I've read, it's all worth it once you hatch out your own successfully.

 

[Arielle]

I use an LG and a homemade.

Before hatching I read EVERYTHING here on BYC and many univeristy sites. THe bootom line is appropriate moisture loss from the eggs. By weight 13%, or view the air cell development and compare to a chart. MANY diagrams posted out on the web. I compiled this for my own use and it maybe useful to others.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=541936

Over and over I read of chicks not hatching. Making it to lockdown, then nothing. Why? Then I noticed no one tracking the moisture loss.

Dry hatching simply means not adding water to the wells of the incubator; most areas of the US have ample moisture in the air already.
TIme of year: winters are dry; or area: deserts are dry. SOme areas have too much humidity.

My first time I hatched about 50% of the turkey and chicken eggs in an LG. I learned a lot monitoring the temp 6 times a day and keeping a journal. It helped me see problems in dropping temps or change in humidity. At one point our weather was hitting 103 and the temps rose in the LG. MONITOR. Both temp and %RH. Then verify by weighing or viewing aircells.

The second try was a bust; 2 chicks arrived with Irene and survived. the remaining chicks (staggered hatch) resulted in only 5 more. THis is out of 34 eggs. BUt I know why they failed: stored too long, stored upside down and at room temp, Irene causing power outage for 5 days, %RH too high. All things I can adjust for, except Irene! LOL

THere is a reason for the eggs not hatching and chicks failing to thrive. You need to find out why and then try the set up a little differently. ANd keep notes. IT may not work as well with the changes--I've had that happen!

Do you see the chicks drinking? Have you dippied the beaks and set them down next to the water so they remember where it is? Do you put the mash/crumbles on a papertowel for easy access? I cover the shaving with paper towels for a week to discourage eating the shavings (they cannot digest the shavings). How hot is the brooder? Is there an area that is cooler for the chicks to retreat to out of the 95 degree heat? Is there plenty of space for the number of chicks in the brooder? Yet not too far for the chicks to find the food and water. The brooder get some ventilation but not a draft.

Learn from this and try again.

 

[al6517]

Gypsy : Yes it is very true that location does play a big part in humidity conditions, as my figures were just a average that is most commonly acceptable for average regions and thought it may be a good place for the OP to start at. You have to hatch a few good batches from non shipped eggs to get a baseline on what are the best conditions to use.
For example the breed I raise love a tad bit of a drier hatching condition and some other breeds may not. Measuring the relitive humidity in the hatching room is the first step, then make a few day's of dry runs with an empty bator to get your adjustments down pat before setting a clutch. I think the OP will have to work twice as hard in this attempt to get a steady incubator enviroment given his equipment handicap and being discouraged. I hope he sticks with it.

 

[Gypsy07]

Yeah, Al, you're pretty much right with everything you say. 30-35% is a good baseline humidity to start at if you're a newbie. (I start everything I'm not sure about off at 45% cause that's what I've had most success with, but I weigh and check progress at days 6 and 12 and adjust up or down as necessary.) I just think, if someone's had problems that are specifically to do with humidity, the one simple way to sort it out straight away with the next hatch is by weighing the eggs. I've seen some folk on here in areas really completely unsuited to it nevertheless being advised to try dry hatching. The result? Another failed incubation, and more discouragement. I was advised to try dry hatching myself, a few years ago before I'd figured out the mechanics of embryo development, and because I took some bad advice without thinking too much, I ended up killing an entire incubator's worth of healthy developing chicks that basically just dried out. It was extremely nasty...

The other thing I want to mention is your statement that Chinese made products are junk and that American made products are always superior. The Janoel incubators are actually quite good. They're aimed at the cheaper end of the market, but they're good quality for what they are. I don't have one myself but I've had good reports from a few people who do have them here in the UK. But apart from that, who do you think actually makes the little electronic components that go into a Hovabator? Or an RCom, or a Brinsea for that matter? I recently stripped my Brinsea down to give it a thorough clean, and every single electronic component part had a 'Made in Taiwan' stamp on it. The fan, the temp sensor, the little circuit board with the microchip thingys soldered on to it, all made in Taiwan. Which is of course the biggest part of the Republic of China. A lot of their stuff is high end top quality. Just about everything in the world that is electronic is made over there, and if it isn't, all its component parts will be!

 

[al6517]

Quote:
I know you just can't find anything made here anymore it is very discouraging, your right take things apart and all the componants come from an Asian country.

 

[Gypsy07]

I don't find it discouraging at all. My Brinsea is a top quality bator thanks to all those Taiwanese components. If it was made in the UK, it would probably fall apart as soon as it was first plugged in. I suppose it IS a shame that recent years have seen manufacturing in the West drop to what must be an all time low, but I suppose that's just the nature of capitalism. If you support free market enterprise, you can hardly complain when companies shift their factories abroad cause they can get better quality end products produced more cheaply without having to worry about health and safety or unions creating stink about fair pay and workers rights etc...

I'm not really sure where I sit on the whole situation. It makes for an interesting debate anyway!

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
x1000!