Oh no! Help?

[ChickieTeacher]

I am a kindergarten teachers and a first time hatcher. I have a styrofoam incubator from TSC with a fan and autoturner. I had it running for several days to get the temperature stabilized and it was doing just fine. I put our eggies in this morning and I don't know if a student messed with the dial (probably) or what happened, but after 30 minutes it spiked to 115 degrees. I took the top off, cooled it down, and now I've got it stabilized again.

Are the eggs cooked? I checked them at 9:00 and the temperature was fine, and then at 9:30 and it was 115. Should I just throw the eggs away or could they be ok because it was such a short amount of time? I literally set them at 7:00 this morning.



Help?

 

[WalnutHill]

Where were you reading the temperature when it said 115? On the floor of the incubator, or on top of the eggs, or just the incubator's own readout?

It's possible that a VERY fresh set may not have perished with such a short exposure. At least the likelihood of birth defects is low, it will be a fail/grow at this stage.

If you have ready access to more eggs, you may want to replace them. If not, give them five to seven days...if they candle okay, then continue.

 

[ChickieTeacher]

I have a thermometer sitting on top of the egg turns at egg level. It read 115 there. I do not have extra eggs. Hopefully they will make it. Fingers crossed.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I am a kindergarten teachers and a first time hatcher. I have a styrofoam incubator from TSC with a fan and autoturner. I had it running for several days to get the temperature stabilized and it was doing just fine. I put our eggies in this morning and I don't know if a student messed with the dial (probably) or what happened, but after 30 minutes it spiked to 115 degrees. I took the top off, cooled it down, and now I've got it stabilized again.

Are the eggs cooked? I checked them at 9:00 and the temperature was fine, and then at 9:30 and it was 115. Should I just throw the eggs away or could they be ok because it was such a short amount of time? I literally set them at 7:00 this morning.



Help?

I wouldn't throw them away. I don't think that was long enough of a heat spike to damage them. I'd keep them going and take a look in a few days to see if there is any veining. Good luck! I hope it works well for you it's an awesome experience for the kids!

 

[kuchchicks]

My 1 year old did the same thing with my incubator on the last hatch. I don't know what kind of incubator you have but I took a piece of firm cardboard and tape it over top of the dial. It's a little bit of a pain to take it off if I need to adjust the temp but it kept his little hands away from it. Mine temp had spiked to above 104 (with a fan unit) for at least 4 hours (honestly think it was longer than that). I thought for sure that all of my eggs had died. But I went through the motions just in case. It was on day 7 so it made for a very long 14 days but I am glad I did not give up. My eggs hatched this past Saturday and I ended up with a 40% hatch rate. Considering everything that I had done wrong on this hatch (my humidity was way off, and then after the spike in temp I struggled the rest of the time to keep my temp where it needed to be) I thought 40% was not bad. Now I am hooked... I just got a new incubator (now running 2) and have 48 eggs that I placed on Sunday. My husband is a little freaked out but I tell him it is his fault. I grew up in Los Angeles and was dead set against getting chickens. He pushed the idea for 2 years before I gave in. We have had chickens now for 6 years and I love them. I am especially in love with Silkies, Sizzles, and Frizzles. I will say a prayer for you to St. Francis... let us know what happens. Good luck woman!

 

[ChickieTeacher]

I wouldn't throw them away. I don't think that was long enough of a heat spike to damage them. I'd keep them going and take a look in a few days to see if there is any veining. Good luck! I hope it works well for you it's an awesome experience for the kids!

I am excited. Hopefully because I just set them and it was only within a 30 minute time frame they will be ok. The kids are certainly eager for this experience.

My 1 year old did the same thing with my incubator on the last hatch. I don't know what kind of incubator you have but I took a piece of firm cardboard and tape it over top of the dial. It's a little bit of a pain to take it off if I need to adjust the temp but it kept his little hands away from it. Mine temp had spiked to above 104 (with a fan unit) for at least 4 hours (honestly think it was longer than that). I thought for sure that all of my eggs had died. But I went through the motions just in case. It was on day 7 so it made for a very long 14 days but I am glad I did not give up. My eggs hatched this past Saturday and I ended up with a 40% hatch rate. Considering everything that I had done wrong on this hatch (my humidity was way off, and then after the spike in temp I struggled the rest of the time to keep my temp where it needed to be) I thought 40% was not bad. Now I am hooked... I just got a new incubator (now running 2) and have 48 eggs that I placed on Sunday. My husband is a little freaked out but I tell him it is his fault. I grew up in Los Angeles and was dead set against getting chickens. He pushed the idea for 2 years before I gave in. We have had chickens now for 6 years and I love them. I am especially in love with Silkies, Sizzles, and Frizzles. I will say a prayer for you to St. Francis... let us know what happens. Good luck woman!

I have covered the controls now, thank you for the great idea. My husband is also excited about the idea of having egg layers in the yard. I was skeptical but now that I've got the eggs I'll be very sad if I don't get any to hatch.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My 1 year old did the same thing with my incubator on the last hatch. I don't know what kind of incubator you have but I took a piece of firm cardboard and tape it over top of the dial. It's a little bit of a pain to take it off if I need to adjust the temp but it kept his little hands away from it. Mine temp had spiked to above 104 (with a fan unit) for at least 4 hours (honestly think it was longer than that). I thought for sure that all of my eggs had died. But I went through the motions just in case. It was on day 7 so it made for a very long 14 days but I am glad I did not give up. My eggs hatched this past Saturday and I ended up with a 40% hatch rate. Considering everything that I had done wrong on this hatch (my humidity was way off, and then after the spike in temp I struggled the rest of the time to keep my temp where it needed to be) I thought 40% was not bad. Now I am hooked... I just got a new incubator (now running 2) and have 48 eggs that I placed on Sunday. My husband is a little freaked out but I tell him it is his fault. I grew up in Los Angeles and was dead set against getting chickens. He pushed the idea for 2 years before I gave in. We have had chickens now for 6 years and I love them. I am especially in love with Silkies, Sizzles, and Frizzles. I will say a prayer for you to St. Francis... let us know what happens. Good luck woman!

He created a monster!! lol Yup, his fault!

I am excited. Hopefully because I just set them and it was only within a 30 minute time frame they will be ok. The kids are certainly eager for this experience.

I have covered the controls now, thank you for the great idea. My husband is also excited about the idea of having egg layers in the yard. I was skeptical but now that I've got the eggs I'll be very sad if I don't get any to hatch.

If something happens and knock on wood it doesn't, but don't give up. For one, the styrofoam incubators are tricky to get a good hatch from, especially in classrooms. My first hatch bombed and I wasn't going to try again but I am so gad I did because I have had nothing but good hatches since. I am going to butt my nose in here and ask a couple questions (because I so want to see you have a good hatch). Is your thermometer and hygrometer checked for accuracy, and what (perecentage) are you using for humidity for the first 17 days?

 

[ChickieTeacher]

If something happens and knock on wood it doesn't, but don't give up. For one, the styrofoam incubators are tricky to get a good hatch from, especially in classrooms. My first hatch bombed and I wasn't going to try again but I am so gad I did because I have had nothing but good hatches since. I am going to butt my nose in here and ask a couple questions (because I so want to see you have a good hatch). Is your thermometer and hygrometer checked for accuracy, and what (perecentage) are you using for humidity for the first 17 days?

I have a thermometer and hygrometer separate from the incubator. We have a pet snake in the classroom and I attached his gauge to the top of the egg turner where the eggs are sitting. The incubator is about 35% humidity right now.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have a thermometer and hygrometer separate from the incubator. We have a pet snake in the classroom and I attached his gauge to the top of the egg turner where the eggs are sitting. The incubator is about 35% humidity right now.

Cool. That's a good number. I see so many people go by the manufacture instructions or a well meaning friend and run humidity 50% or higher during the first 17 days, only to have next to nothing hatch and finding internally pipped/dead chicks in shell due to drowning. It's so sad. I push the low humidity incubation for the styrofoam incubators especially, because they are so much more successful, (in most cases.)

 

[ChickieTeacher]

Today is Day 7 (I think!) and I candled about five of my dozen eggs. All eggs have veining! I am so excited!!!



I know the quality is pretty bad, I was taking the pic with my cell in the dark. But veins!