NY chicken lover!!!!

[brahmapapa]

I have the new 1588 hovabator with turners and set my eggs Sunday. I'm on day 4 approaching day 5. I am having a heck of a time with the humidity level. It has been about 30 if I don't add water but the minute I put water in it it jumps to 60. As of right now I put foil over the trays that have some water left in them, to drop the humdity. What should I do??? Pharmchickmom are you doing the dry incubating. Is that the best method? Help, I want to hatch these babies out on Easter so the girls(4 & 2) will have easter chickies. I hope I didn't mess them up

my experience with hovabators and its extensive, i have found 30% humidity is fine till day 19, then you need to bump it way up. I roll paper towels and place them all around the bator perimeter inside and keep them saturated with warm water to keep the humidity way up for the last few days. Of course this is in addition to keeping both sets of water wells full in the bottom. If you weigh your eggs as i do, 30% durring the forst 18 days usually equals the right amount of moisture loss which should be around 14-15%. Good luck on your hatch.

 

[trilyn]

They are laying if you want eggs. What are friends for, if they can't give you eggs to hatch? Just let me know the day before and I'll save them.

The babies are fine, took to the nipple waterers in a sec and found the other duckling, who looked at them like they were aliens and well..finally, they all snuggled down together in a heap! Thanks for the BR eggs...you evil enabler you!!

 

[ktblue3]

I'm the neurotic one who hatched eggs in the kindergarten classrooms! My 1588 bators did the same thing. Temp held at 100-101 but humidity was all over the place. I too added just a little at a time because, like you, if I added too much humidity, it went too high. I would leave at 4-5 PM with humidity at 40-50. By next morning when I came in, humidity was down to 17 to 25% Then I would add a little to get it back up to between 35 and 45. Sometimes I would open the bator a crack to bring humidity down. The last few days, after I removed turners,I only had to add enough to just cover the middle section. Humidity was between 65 and 75 and actually held those last 2-3 days. I was sure none would hatch with the humidity being so erratic. Temp held pretty constant except when I needed to open the bator for some reason (like for adding a tablespoon of water) 28 out of the 34 eggs that were actually fertile hatched! I was pleasantly surprised since I was sure I had done them in. So as the other hen lovers told me-don't fret too much. There are no perfect conditions. Even when you do everything right, sometimes the hatch is not good. Conversely, you can have some problems and still get a decent hatch. Praying that all will go well for your hatch and that the little ones will get to see some hatch. I know that pressure you feel when you have little ones you don't want to disappoint!
K.....

 

[sparrker]

Now are you guys using the humidity readings off the Genesis or a seperate one?

 

[Cass]

I'm the neurotic one who hatched eggs in the kindergarten classrooms! My 1588 bators did the same thing. Temp held at 100-101 but humidity was all over the place. I too added just a little at a time because, like you, if I added too much humidity, it went too high. I would leave at 4-5 PM with humidity at 40-50. By next morning when I came in, humidity was down to 17 to 25% Then I would add a little to get it back up to between 35 and 45. Sometimes I would open the bator a crack to bring humidity down. The last few days, after I removed turners,I only had to add enough to just cover the middle section. Humidity was between 65 and 75 and actually held those last 2-3 days. I was sure none would hatch with the humidity being so erratic. Temp held pretty constant except when I needed to open the bator for some reason (like for adding a tablespoon of water) 28 out of the 34 eggs that were actually fertile hatched! I was pleasantly surprised since I was sure I had done them in. So as the other hen lovers told me-don't fret too much. There are no perfect conditions. Even when you do everything right, sometimes the hatch is not good. Conversely, you can have some problems and still get a decent hatch. Praying that all will go well for your hatch and that the little ones will get to see some hatch. I know that pressure you feel when you have little ones you don't want to disappoint!
K.....

If you ever saw a broody hen brood her eggs you would not worry so much. Beleive me, they do not have anything attatched to them to indicate humidity, nor are they overly concerned about letting the eggs cool a bit. If another hen wants to jump in the nest and lay her egg, they either jump out or move over....mostly jump out, to stretch their legs....LOL...

The first time I hatched eggs I didn't even know there was a certain percentage of humidity you were supposed to maintain. The Gal that loaned me the bator said "put a wet sponge in there and keep it moist" So I did. 11 of 12 hatched. (oh and I forgot to turn them one weekend too.

So don't sweat it....do the best you can and the chicks will take care of the rest.

 

[sparrker]

If you ever saw a broody hen brood her eggs you would not worry so much.   Beleive me, they do not have anything attatched to them to indicate humidity, nor are they overly concerned about letting the eggs cool a bit.   If another hen wants to jump in the nest and lay her egg, they either jump out or move over....mostly jump out, to stretch their legs....LOL...

The first time I hatched eggs I didn't even know there was a certain percentage of humidity you were supposed to maintain.   The Gal that loaned me the bator said "put a wet sponge in there and keep it moist"   So I did.   11 of 12 hatched.   (oh and I forgot to turn them one weekend too.


So don't sweat it....do the best you can and the chicks will take care of the rest.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice Cass

 

[featherz]

I'm the neurotic one who hatched eggs in the kindergarten classrooms!
K.....

You did great! I knew you would do well. Even better, she got five NN chicks!! =) =)

Just got back from dropping my chicks off at the schuylerville auction. if anyone is going, it's got a pretty good selection of birds and it had only been open for dropoffs for about 1/2 hour - turkeys, lots of bantams and LF Pairs as well as a cute little pygmy goat. Saw someone bringing in guinea pigs also. If you see a protein powder box with chicken wire, those are my chicks. Buy them! =)

 

[Cass]

You did great! I knew you would do well. Even better, she got five NN chicks!! =) =)

Just got back from dropping my chicks off at the schuylerville auction. if anyone is going, it's got a pretty good selection of birds and it had only been open for dropoffs for about 1/2 hour - turkeys, lots of bantams and LF Pairs as well as a cute little pygmy goat. Saw someone bringing in guinea pigs also. If you see a protein powder box with chicken wire, those are my chicks. Buy them! =)

I want the goat. I really really want the goat. Ray said "Noooo" in a very loud voice. I cracked up and told him he never lets me have anything I want. I was laughing to hard to see what he was pointing at, but I suspect it was the $1200 chicken coop with over $150 worth of chickens in it. (ya think maybe?

)

 

[stonykill]

we keep thinking about a goat too. Someday there will just be one here

 

[featherz]

The goat was sooo tiny and cute.. I felt bad for it, all alone. One of the turkeys had laid an egg. The auction isn't until 9 tonight (I've never actually stayed for that, is it pretty busy?) so still time to go get that goat! Lots of d'uccles and a cage of quail too.