Name Change, My First Experience with Farm Innovators Bator

[blucoondawg]

68 is high enough for lockdown. You won't down the chicks with high humidity at lockdown that happens from having to high of humidity throughout incubation. When your chicks pip that will help add moisture too. Just keep all the water wells full and as extra water as needed. Spread a paper towel on the screen and speak it if you need to, then you can rewet it by shooting water through the vent holes. The vent holes need to be kept open at this point by the way. Also maybe try turning off the dehumidifiers until the hatch is over. What was your humidity during the first 18 days

 

[fuzziecreatures]

I actually didn't think about turning the dehumidifiers off...
My humidity during the first 18 days was 24-26%. The 2 largest eggs (the ones from my Cornish X girls) were a little more developed than then other 6. Those are the 2 that are rocking. The other 6, I could see the veins near the air cell.
Are the sponges not good? Both vent caps? or just one?

 

[blucoondawg]

Sponges are OK anything like that will help increase moisture just add more if you need to. You want all the available ventilation open

 

[fuzziecreatures]

What is too low for lockdown? This morning it was 58% but my 2 eggs were still rocking. Both plugs are open. I have 2 sponges in there and I keep adding warm water to the sponges every few hours when it drops down to 65%

 

[blucoondawg]

58 is a little lower than ideal but it wont hurt anything if it dropped down for a little while. Have you read the "hatching 101" article yet? If not give it a read, at least the humidity section, it does a good job at explaining the purpose of humidity. Basically humidity controls the growth of the air cell in the egg, which happens the first 18 days of incubation, the high humidity during the last 3 days is simply to keep the egg membranes from drying and sticking to the chick or drying and toughening to the point that the chick has problems zipping them open. Dropping a little low for a short time doesn't hurt anything especially if there aren't any pips, once the chicks are pipped you want to try to keep the incubator closed and keep the humidity up, if you open if for some reason add some wet paper towels or mist the inside of the incubator, something to give it an instant boost.

Everyone worries over humidity when there are other factors that are more important, a change in humidity from time to time won't kill the chicks, doing a whole incubation with bad humidity may result in a poor hatch.

 

[fuzziecreatures]

I'm really hoping to have peeps in the morning! I've got 3 out of 8 eggs rocking but no pips yet. Tomorrow is day 21

 

[fuzziecreatures]

No peeps yet but there was a pip first thing this am and 1 egg is zipping as I type!
Humidity was at 65% first thing and increased it back up to 68% then my husband heard a quiet peeping and we have a zipping egg (not the pipped egg so this one is very determined to come out lol)

 

[fuzziecreatures]

Peeps are hatching! They started at about 11am EST. I've been keeping myself busy for the last 2 hours using the shop vac in the shed sucking up all the chicken dust. It's finally warming up outside, it was 37 this am. When I went out 2 hours ago it was only 42, now its 55 yay! I gotta get stuff cleaned up to get the big brooder down for the peeps, I'll move em out tomorrow afternoon but I want the ambient temp in the brooder up. Maybe my momma broody with her 8 eggies would like to go in the brooder. Make my life easier Save the brooder for my big batch I'm going to start

 

[Joplus]

Yay Congrats! I've got a few unhatched eggs left. Just waiting for my chicks to dry then I'll move them.

 

[fuzziecreatures]

Nice!
Woke up this am to a total of 4 peeps, 1 hatched right before I went to bed. A huge Cornish Cross mix peep. This am a freshly hatched brahma mix, and another egg zipping. 2 more with pips and 2 eggs with nothing yet.
Time for my shower and then work. I'll move the dry ones quickly when I get home so they can eat and drink. They are so cute! They stand up and look at us when we peek in the windows!