oldclucks cabinet incubator build.

[jbwells30]

Need some advice. Just candled my first set of eggs from my cabinet i built. Epic failure. I know these eggs are fertile but looks like i am going to have a zero hatch. Temp and humidity are rock solid. Air flow is also very good. The only thing i can think of is the box is to tight and not getting enough oxygen in there. Would this be a factor in the chicks not developing ? Help, please!!!

 

[cmom]

Can you post pics of the eggs? Are you positive they are dead. Here is the back of my incubator. Most of the time I leave all of the vents wide open. I may close one if the humidity gets below 35%. I don't hatch in my cabinet. I use my styrofoam incubators to hatch in.

 

[jbwells30]

No question they are dead. Looks like they did not develop past week one. I have drilled two large holes now but may need to add another. I thought i had enough for good air flow but apparently not. I have 4 thermometers so i know the temp is good from top to bottom. I plan on using my styrofoams to hatch in also.

 

[jbwells30]

Also have two hygrometers also. Both steady

 

[cmom]

Do you have holes in the top part on the back of the cabinet and on the bottom so air can intake from the fan drawing it in on top (where your fan probably is) and exiting the bottom holes for circulation? My incubator is now in my garage. In the winter it can get pretty cold in there. I don't usually hatch in the winter but have started in early spring and we have had some pretty cool days and nights at times where the daytime highs are maybe mid 50's and the nighttime temperatures around freezing. I wrap the incubator but keep a light cloth loosely dropped over the back with the vents open even in the cold weather. My temperature and humidity stay good and I still have sir flow. Good luck on your next hatch...

 

[oldcluck]

Ventilation is certainly important. So is the health of your breeding stock and the way you store your eggs prior to setting in the incubator. My first big hatch was pretty disappointing but subsequent hatches are getting better and better. I think the first hatches problems were due to eggs getting too cold before setting them. How do you store your eggs until hatch day? They need to be kept at 50-65 degrees F and turned daily. Waiting more than 7 days can make problems too. I have the ventilation holes in my cabinet as i described previously. Last hatch was 70% and It looks like todays hatch may even be a higher percentage.

 

[cmom]

I store my eggs at room temperature. I have never had any hatching problems. I do set the eggs no later than 10 days from the date the earliest were layed. My last hatch 12 out of 130 eggs did not hatch. When a broody lays until she has her clutch, will be on and off the eggs several times until she is ready to start setting and sometime other birds will lay eggs in her nest when she is not on it. I usually mark the eggs. If I'm just doing a few eggs I incubate in one of the styrofoam incubators.

 

[jbwells30]

I have some smaller holes on one side but it could not have been enough. Might need to put one larger one on the top edge also. I store my eggs around 60 degrees and place them in a turner until I put them in the bator. I know the eggs are good because I have hatched some in my Styrofoam bator before I started with this one. I am just stumped but it has to be the oxygen factor. Just can not see it being anything else. I will keep after it until I figure this out but I am going to drill a hole at the top also and see if that helps.

 

[dblred0728]

Can you post pics of the eggs? Are you positive they are dead. Here is the back of my incubator. Most of the time I leave all of the vents wide open. I may close one if the humidity gets below 35%. I don't hatch in my cabinet. I use my styrofoam incubators to hatch in.

Cmom:

I was wondering too if that may not be best for me as well using my farm innovator as a hatcher and using my cabinet incubator day 1-18. That way I could have 3 different turners of eggs going about every 7-10 days.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I usually have a hatch every week. I have 2 hatches left in the incubator. After these hatches I am shutting off the incubator. I just had a hatch this morning. I use my cabinet to incubate in and my homemade hatcher to hatch in. That way I can do staggered hatches and I don't have a humidity issue. My homemade hatcher actually works better than my LGs and Hova-Bators. I only use them if I need to.