Newbie here!

[TwoCrows]

This chicken hatching is getting addictive. My wife thinks I've gone nuts. I'm just stubborn. My pastor hatched 4/7 of the same eggs that I've apparently failed at (He did pray over them!) He used one of those little Brinsea round incubators.

Hatching is VERY addicting. Something about the magic of it all. We all joke about Chicken math, we being enablers to hatchers, needing an intervention,

Always get your eggs from a reliable source, not off ebay or a stranger. You do not know what bad genetics they are carrying which is everything in a poultry flock. Even hatching issues are handed down through the generations. So use a professional hatchery of some sort. Shipping is very hard on eggs and make sure you let shipped eggs rest for 24 full hours, large end up, before setting in a PRE WARMED incubator. ALWAYS use two thermometers...(the one on the machine and put one inside the machine...machines go out of calibration easily). Use a humidity gauge as well, up your humidity about 10% to 15% at lock down and make SURE to open all vents wide at lockdown.

 

[Hens Solo]

my chinese incubator had 2 round vents on top. I did NOT open them during lockdown. Could this be one of my problems?

 

[TwoCrows]

my chinese incubator had 2 round vents on top. I did NOT open them during lockdown. Could this be one of my problems?

Oh absolutely!! Not enough oxygen is a huge problem at hatch. They need massive amounts of air once they have externally pipped. This very well may be your issue. I leave vents cracked to half way open all throughout the first part of the cycle. At lock down it is imperative to open vents all the way.

 

[Hens Solo]

Happy days are here again!2 pips appearing at 6pm on day 22!

 

[TwoCrows]

Happy days are here again!2 pips appearing at 6pm on day 22!

Yay!!!!! Fabulous!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Now just let them sit. They can sit in this state for 24+ hours detaching from the inside shell and absorbing the last of the yolk. They will bust out when ready!

 

[TwoCrows]

And do not open the incubator at this stage! It can dry them out and they stick to the shell and die. So hands off!

 

[Hens Solo]

will do! just fighting to keep humidity above 60%

 

[TwoCrows]

will do! just fighting to keep humidity above 60%

Do your best, 60% is ok. If your vents are open to the inside of the machine, you could feasibly spray some water into the vents to up the humidity if it drops below 60%.

 

[Hens Solo]

Just 1 hatch, pipping to hatch in less than an hr. running roughshod over rest of eggs!