- Sep 7, 2014
- 8
- 0
- 7
Hey,
I can't seem to hatch these eggs past pipping. Three tries and all that came out of it was at least 6 dead in shell and a broken heart. I'm working with a R-com mini with a quail egg turner. My incubator can only hold 6 eggs but my first few attempts I've been greedy and over loaded it.
1st try: Let the r-com do it's thing without messing with it other than to fill it up with water every once it a while and turning the excess eggs by hand. I had only one egg that pipped and another egg with an internal pip. I messed up by opening up the lid and trying to save the one hatching egg because it's been over a day.
2nd try: I added tiny plastic makup lids to hold water inside the incubator to increase humidity. I didn't have a thermometer or a humidity reader but I felt it was necessary because forced air bators tend to run dryer (or so I've read). Still turning the excess eggs by hand. I only had one with an internal pip and saran wrapped.
3rd try: This time I was less greedy and only ordered 6 but my supplier was nice enough to add an extra egg and of course I had to stick that in the bator too. Added the water cups again. Also scotch taped a temperature and humidity reader to the lid. My apartment is cold at night and warm in the afternoons and as I found out the temperature fluctuates because of this. So started messing with the temperature. I accidentally let it get to 38.5 c one time.
I stopped hand turning the extra egg on the third day. Oddly enough that was the egg that almost made it. It zipped a third of the way and stopped. It may have been stuck but I waited it out. It was dead no saran wrapping and the inner lining was white and healthy with yolk completely absorbed. Another egg fully formed and made a window before quitting. Another egg was a late quitter. Almost fully formed but zero signs of life.
So, I'm currently weighing my choices. a) Cut my losses and give up. b) Try, try, try again. c) Cave in and buy a breeding pair.
I can't seem to hatch these eggs past pipping. Three tries and all that came out of it was at least 6 dead in shell and a broken heart. I'm working with a R-com mini with a quail egg turner. My incubator can only hold 6 eggs but my first few attempts I've been greedy and over loaded it.
1st try: Let the r-com do it's thing without messing with it other than to fill it up with water every once it a while and turning the excess eggs by hand. I had only one egg that pipped and another egg with an internal pip. I messed up by opening up the lid and trying to save the one hatching egg because it's been over a day.
2nd try: I added tiny plastic makup lids to hold water inside the incubator to increase humidity. I didn't have a thermometer or a humidity reader but I felt it was necessary because forced air bators tend to run dryer (or so I've read). Still turning the excess eggs by hand. I only had one with an internal pip and saran wrapped.
3rd try: This time I was less greedy and only ordered 6 but my supplier was nice enough to add an extra egg and of course I had to stick that in the bator too. Added the water cups again. Also scotch taped a temperature and humidity reader to the lid. My apartment is cold at night and warm in the afternoons and as I found out the temperature fluctuates because of this. So started messing with the temperature. I accidentally let it get to 38.5 c one time.
I stopped hand turning the extra egg on the third day. Oddly enough that was the egg that almost made it. It zipped a third of the way and stopped. It may have been stuck but I waited it out. It was dead no saran wrapping and the inner lining was white and healthy with yolk completely absorbed. Another egg fully formed and made a window before quitting. Another egg was a late quitter. Almost fully formed but zero signs of life.
So, I'm currently weighing my choices. a) Cut my losses and give up. b) Try, try, try again. c) Cave in and buy a breeding pair.