NEED HELP

[lshrty]

We have an incubator and we started eggs in it on July 15th. Today is the 20th day and we saw some of the eggs rocking back and forth. So my daughter and I are so excited. But we already did one batch before this but they didn't hatch. Kinda of a bummer big time.
But I had some questions. We do not have himidty level checker. ( we put in a bowl of water and then we ahve been spraying the eggs with a water bottle throughout the 21 days) Should be continue to spray them today and tomorrow?

What else should we be doing... what are some signs that these chicks will hatch soon?Thanks in advance for any advice....

Sam and mom

 

[mnferalkitty]

Are these duck or chickens? Here is how I hatch eggs
I fill my water tray when I set them in auto turner
I candle around day 10 or 12 refill water tray
I candle and take out of turner day 24(for duck) and day 18(for chicken) refill water tray and leave them alone
I have never measured my humidity so I do not know what it is
I read somewhere you should mist duck eggs and the one time I tried that I had miserable hatch rate so I have never done it again.
One thing that threw me for loop when I first started hatching duck eggs is they pip then make a hole in egg and work on that hole to zip and sometimes it can take 2-3 days!!
How I bump up humidity in bator is this way
1. At lockdown I make sure water tray in bator is full
2. place 4 thick long sanitary napkins soaked in water in bator on the wire 3 folded in half in 3 of the corners and the other soaked in water kept long and placed on the wire floor underneath where the air holes are that way I can add water with a big syringe that fish aquarium tubing attached to end of syringe so I can add water to sanitary napkin if needed.
3. I try to place eggs so they are not resting on the wet sanitary pads.

 

[lshrty]

They are chickens eggs. And thank you for the advice. I haven't used the sanitary napkins this time but maybe next time. So chicken eggs are usually pretty on time for the 21 days?

I think I am on day 19 instead of 20. I set them in the incubator in the middle of the day on the 15th... so Sunday will be the 21st day.

Thank you.

 

[mnferalkitty]

They are chickens eggs. And thank you for the advice. I haven't used the sanitary napkins this time but maybe next time. So chicken eggs are usually pretty on time for the 21 days?

I think I am on day 19 instead of 20. I set them in the incubator in the middle of the day on the 15th... so Sunday will be the 21st day.

Thank you.

I always count the day after I set them as day 1, in my experience the times can vary from 20-22 days it all depends on your temp and humidity and it usualy takes chicks a good 24hrs to hatch after pip give or take a few hrs. They rest a lot and sometimes sit in a pipped shell absorbing thier yolk for a day.

I don't help any hatch whenever I have helped them hatch the outcomes were terrible and I would rather have the chick die in the shell then to have to cull it.

 

[Denise661]

We have an incubator and we started eggs in it on July 15th. Today is the 20th day and we saw some of the eggs rocking back and forth. So my daughter and I are so excited. But we already did one batch before this but they didn't hatch. Kinda of a bummer big time.
But I had some questions. We do not have  himidty level checker. ( we put in a bowl of water and then we ahve been spraying the eggs with a water bottle throughout the 21 days) Should be continue to spray them today and tomorrow?

What else should we be doing... what are some signs that these chicks will hatch soon?Thanks in advance for any advice....

Sam and mom

I heard that it's a big no no to open the bator after the 18 days (lock down)
Maybe your opening the bator too much.

 

[cluck-cluck]

I think with chicken eggs, it's safer not to mist them directly?? 'course I'm so new... But what I do is mist the incubator top letting only the light mist fall down, then close it. It eventually evaperates into the air. I do this when I open the incubator to reset the eggs to bring the humidity back up again, otherwise I have trays of water in there to do the long term job

 

[lshrty]

Thank you! I am not sure what is going on now. It is day 20 not alot of movement from the eggs today. Hmmm I hope a few of them hatch.... Kinda getting bummed again!

 

[DMRippy]

You need to get a hygrometer and calibrate it. It sounds like you should have pretty high humidity. I have not added water to my bator in a couple of months because the RH has been so high I don't need it.

If your humidity is too high the moisture in the egg cannot evaporate enough. Another thing that can happen is water can accumulate in the air cell and when they pip internally they will drown. Humidity is a VERY important thing to know. I try to keep mine between 30-40% for the first 18 days and then bump it up to at least 60% for lockdown.

If you have a bad hatch you might want to do an eggtopsy to see what is going on. Are they developed and don't hatch, are they still very wet, or just not developed. All that will give you info as to what the problem is.

Good luck!

 

[mnferalkitty]

Thank you! I am not sure what is going on now. It is day 20 not alot of movement from the eggs today. Hmmm I hope a few of them hatch.... Kinda getting bummed again!

I rarely see my eggs wiggle before they pip

 

[lshrty]

Oh okay.. that is good to know. Maybe I just caught them at a good time to see them wiggle. Man the waiting is killing me!!Tick tock Tick tock.