Need help - terrible experience incubating

[MROO]

That's an interesting idea. We're definitely going to to use much lower humidity until the end on the next try.


We definitely won't, and we're going to make sure the place we get them doesn't wash them either.


I like this idea, but sometimes (not always) someone will peck open someone else's egg. I'd think about something where we set up a nesting box in a triage cage and put some fertilized eggs in there. We have one hen that will sit on eggs for a while but never very long. My wife doesn't think she's broody enough to bring eggs to completion, but we could certainly try it. That said, I also like the notion of our being mom to new chicks that are used to our voices. We've only ever had day-old chicks and I have to think being quieter and never being shipped will yield calmer hens. Ours are calm aready, but I feel like we could end up with even calmer hens that don't mind petting, as opposed to the current batch that don't like being petted, but are happy sitting on our knees or eating out of our hands.

Most don't really care for what we think of as "petting," stroking them along their backs and side. That sort of physical touch is usually associated with breeding, so the hens move away from it. Try gently rubbing around their head and necks, instead. If you can gently free up pinfeathers, you're way ahead on the path to friendship - that's how birds mutually groom. Once your girls are comfortable sitting still for that, "cuddle-petting" just comes naturally!

 

[Kiki]

That may well be. I'd welcome suggestions for something better. The link in your original post seems to no longer be valid. I'd love a recommendation for something with an automatic turner, good airflow (this says it has airflow but it wasn't strong if it was there), and a reliable hygrometer. I'm assuming they're sold somewhere, but it's also conceivable there aren't reasonable incubators available for sale.

Are the digital thermometers you're mentioning things that sit inside the incubator? I think I'd need a far larger incubator to get them in near the eggs, and the way the turner worked in this one I think it might be a challenge even with small thermometers. I've gotten a couple USB-connectable thermometers but I'd have no way with this design to get them into the enclosure. I'd welcome advice. But ideally I'd like to find an incubator with these functions self-contained and reliable.


It was saying 60% up until we locked down, and then we moved to 70%, assuming the hygrometer wasn't completely confused. Are you saying it was too low based on symptoms? The display said we were on the mark, but I don't trust it.


We didn't wash them but they didn't look soiled. We'll wash the next batch.


Thank you. It was all quite sad.

Get the 3 pack of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Govee-Hygrom...ocphy=1026481&hvtargid=pla-2281435179298&th=1

 

[ChibaPet]

Get the 3 pack of these:

Ah, I appreciate the advice, but Inkbird ITH10s were suggested earlier and I have a six-pack coming. Should work. And our new incubator arrived today. We're going to wait for the thermometer/hygrometer units to come in so we can make sure all the numbers agree for a couple days before we start more eggs.

I will keep people apprised of how it goes, and I'll probably post pictures in here.

 

[FiveMileCreek]

Incubator prep and test...
I use a meat thermometer or a simple outdoor small mercury one to check the temp is accurate on the incubator. Hygrometer to see how accurate the Incubator is as well. I have one incubator that is 4° off, so I set it lower so it's the right temp.
You can have all this tested in a couple hours or a few days, entirely up to your time frame.
Make note of the difference so you know what to set the temp at and what the humidity is compared to what the incubator says.
Egg prep...
If you buy shipped eggs... Need to let them rest 4 days to a week before incubating. I use foam egg cartons to store my incubating eggs. ALWAYS put them round end up! Keeping the air pocket in the right position is very important for a successful hatch.
Store in a cool location 60-70°, so they don't start to incubate, but not cold enough to kill the fertility.
I like to set eggs in luke warm water to make sure they are hydrated well before putting in incubator. The will lay on their side if well hydrated, they are ready to go. It they stand up, let them soak a minute or two more. If they never lay down, there is a good possibility they have a crack and those will go rotten.

 

[FiveMileCreek]

Incubation...
Eggs start on the Day after you put in incubator. So Day 1 is Day 0.
Count 10-12 days out: Candle this day.
I use a led flashlight, place pointy end in flashlight opening. I cup my hand around flashlight and egg to create a good seal to direct light. Twist egg as needed to get a good view. Blood veins are what you want to see. If you see a blob and not a single blood vein, it's dead. Those will go rotten and can contaminate and kill the healthy ones if it leaks. So if no veins it's trash.
If you can see all the way through the egg, absolutely nothing in there, throw it out. It's not fertilized.
Day 18 is lockdown... This is technically Day 19 if you count Day 1 as 1 and not 0. It usually is 3 days before they start to peep, so be patient. I've had some hatch on Day 20 and some on Day 25. 3 days to peep, 3 days to hatch.

 

[FiveMileCreek]

Temp... 99-100°
Humidity... 45% till lockdown, then 60-65% during lockdown.
Some do a dry hatch if you live in a humid location. Which means don't add any water, let your environment keep it where it needs to be. When they start to hatch the humidity will rise about 5-10% naturally. So add a small amount of warm water to tray to get humidity to around 60%.
Note: You can spritz the eggs with WARM water once a week till lockdown to make sure shells keep a good hydration.
Hatching...
Write down day first chick hatches. They can go 3 full days before they need to eat and drink. If you haven't fully hatched and you have 3 day old dry fluffy chicks, need to remove them quickly to keep other eggs from drying out.
Water... I mix 1 Tablespoon of granulated cane sugar with a gallon of comfortably warm water. Dip each chicks beak tip twice and let them swallow, this helps to teach them to drink.
Food... Chick starter crumbles. Should NOT need medication unless the environment they are placed in isn't clean of bacteria or they present issues of being healthy.
I like to use paper towels for the first week, to keep an eye on poop. Plus newborns like to peck up the crumbles I sprinkle on the paper towels when teaching them to eat.

 

[FiveMileCreek]

Eggs need to be 7 days or less. Anything older has a poor hatch rate. I'd be leary of buying eggs from the one you did just due to poor fertilization and possibly cracked eggs if they were oozing.
Let me know if I left anything out or if you have any questions!
Best of luck!

 

[Tex452]

Eggs need to be 7 days or less. Anything older has a poor hatch rate. I'd be leary of buying eggs from the one you did just due to poor fertilization and possibly cracked eggs if they were oozing.
Let me know if I left anything out or if you have any questions!
Best of luck!

I agree with this, I try to get them in the incubator no more than 3-4 days after they were laid.
One of my batches i have set now , I had to wait 6-7 days before setting them because both incubators were full, and I had to wait on one to hatch.

 

[FiveMileCreek]

I agree with this, I try to get them in the incubator no more than 3-4 days after they were laid.
One of my batches i have set now , I had to wait 6-7 days before setting them because both incubators were full, and I had to wait on one to hatch.

They say you can do up to 9 days, but key is to keep them comfortably cool, store them round end up, and rotate them atleast twice a day to keep them from settling.
I put them in egg cartons stacked in a box and just pivot the box left and right (morning and night) with a book under one end.

 

[Tex452]

They say you can do up to 9 days, but key is to keep them comfortably cool, store them round end up, and rotate them atleast twice a day to keep them from settling.
I put them in egg cartons stacked in a box and just pivot the box left and right (morning and night) with a book under one end.

That’s what I did.