So, I have a homemade bator out of a worm cooler.
My first hatch I had about 50%, ran at about 99 degrees and low 30% humidity for the first 18 days, bumped up to 60% for the rest. I had a real problem keeping any humidity in it, in fact, I have to add water daily to it. I had to help a few chicks that got stuck, lots of them looked like they had problems getting out, one pipped and died. I opened a bunch, there were a lot that looked dried out, and a whole bunch that look like they got about halfway in development, then died.
My next hatch was even worse! I did loose power last week for about six hours, so I am sure that did not help.
I had a bunch of shipped eggs that 90% of them never developed, of the two I thought might hatch, neither did.
It did seem easier for about the first 5 chicks to get out, but my hatch was pretty staggered, I had two hatch yesterday afternoon (Day 21) and three hatch today. One is still in there, not sure that it is going to make it out of the membrane or not. Two have already pipped and died, they looked dried out too.
Do I need higher humidity? I ran it this time at 40% and tried to get it over 60% for the last few days, only I need to add water constantly to keep it over 60%. I have two containers of water in there, it seems like it dries out in there very fast, I put a wet coffee filter over that last poor egg, it keeps drying out really fast!
Suggestions? It needs to work for at least one more hatch before I can afford a "real" incubator!
On the plus side, I picked up some new hens and they said they had been trying to go broody.
My sis in law says they have a ton of broody hens too, only she is three hours from me!
My first hatch I had about 50%, ran at about 99 degrees and low 30% humidity for the first 18 days, bumped up to 60% for the rest. I had a real problem keeping any humidity in it, in fact, I have to add water daily to it. I had to help a few chicks that got stuck, lots of them looked like they had problems getting out, one pipped and died. I opened a bunch, there were a lot that looked dried out, and a whole bunch that look like they got about halfway in development, then died.
My next hatch was even worse! I did loose power last week for about six hours, so I am sure that did not help.
I had a bunch of shipped eggs that 90% of them never developed, of the two I thought might hatch, neither did.
It did seem easier for about the first 5 chicks to get out, but my hatch was pretty staggered, I had two hatch yesterday afternoon (Day 21) and three hatch today. One is still in there, not sure that it is going to make it out of the membrane or not. Two have already pipped and died, they looked dried out too.
Do I need higher humidity? I ran it this time at 40% and tried to get it over 60% for the last few days, only I need to add water constantly to keep it over 60%. I have two containers of water in there, it seems like it dries out in there very fast, I put a wet coffee filter over that last poor egg, it keeps drying out really fast!
Suggestions? It needs to work for at least one more hatch before I can afford a "real" incubator!
On the plus side, I picked up some new hens and they said they had been trying to go broody.