Poor hatch rates-What am I doing wrong?

All Great Posts and tons to think about in different locations. I like the baking cake correlation. I am in SE Kansas. I read to keep humidity about 30% and then raise to 70% at lockdown. I have a Styrofoam incubator, with egg turner, still air. The temp does go up and down in it with the ambient temps in the room. I keep a thermometer in it to check. I don't have a hygrometer. I have to add water in the bottom and open small extra air hole in the top of the incubator to increase/decrease humidity. can be challenging. I have had about as good of luck though as with the hens hatching their eggs.
Every year it seems when I was trying to hatch in the house incubator, storm would come and knock our juice off for 3-4 hours, That never turned out well for hatching. Sometimes it would happen when the chicks were a day or two from hatching. NOW we have a back up generator that kicks on if the Electric is off for 30 seconds and runs until Electric comes back on. That is what saved my hatch this time. Elec went off at 10 pm until 2;30 am. But we had power. :celebrate
 
That makes sense. My eggs are all from my flock but the chicks were from out of state. My quail on the other hand were originally purchased from a local breeder. With as fast as quail mature I'm sure he had several generations that were hatched locally.

I did a bit of research and it seems I have two main things working against me. The thinner air means the eggs are getting less oxygen and losing moisture faster. So I can decrease humidity to increase oxygen levels but then there is more moisture loss. I can increase humidity to reduce moisture loss but that reduces the oxygen levels. I could add pure oxygen to the incubator but that's a fire hazard (and probably really expensive). It seems like I am going to have to experiment on my hatches. I'll have to track weight loss in the eggs and make adjustments instead of just trying to keep the humidity consistent. Looks like I'll be starting a hatching journal.
 
Excellent Ideal :thumbsup We have discussed the altitude problem many times . One member had rapid air cell growth and increased the humidity to off set the rapid moisture loss . Just be sure your thermometers are correct . Calibrate them every so often . Eggs will be cloudy before they have visible blood veins . Dark blue eggs are hard to candle sometimes and cloudy is what you look for . So if the eggs appear cloudy on day ten then they started to develop and quit .Sometimes they just quit . Make a mental note of what they looked like at set. You do candle before set don't you ? I do just to make sure I'm not setting cracked eggs . What kind of incubator do you have ? The heating element in LGs and farm innovators and most small incubators is a spring wire incased in ceramic inside a aluminum tube . When the power is shut down the element will continue to radiate heat for a short period of time some as long as four minutes . They can and do malfunction . That doesn't mean yours is. We have known more than one member to have 100% hatch rates in Styrofoam incubators. Still air hand turning . Some eggs are more porous than others and will lose moisture faster . Per set candling will allow for an extra look or two at those . You see there are many things that can affect your hatch rate . But by the by you will figure out what works best for you most of the time . I have a 100% hatch rate . Yep a 100%of my hatches have not hatched at a 100% :lau 79% has been my best so far unless I lie ;) Happy hatching
 
I use a Hova-Bator. I don't normally candle before setting. Doing even more research it seems like high levels of Co2 are also a concern. I found a very interesting thread here on BYC where other members discuss their hatching experiments at high altitude. I haven't gotten through it all but I have already learned some interesting things.

I was so confused about what I was doing wrong since I was averaging 83% with my quail eggs. I hadn't even thought about the high altitude being part of my problem. I'm so grateful it was mentioned. Now I just have to figure out what will work for me.
 
X2

I incubate at 20 to 35 percent. So I usually don't add any water. Til lockdown then raise to 70 plus.

When I tried 50 during incubation I had a lot of fully formed chicks but dead.

I usually do quail, chicken, pheasants and Turkey's. This way.
I am in the middle of my 3rd egg set. I have the the same type incubator described here. I have left mine dry and the humidity stays between 20-30%.
This has been my best run so far as I was keeping my humidity too high from set to lockdown. I had 6 out of 12 that I lost fully formed as well.
 
I'm sorry, but you are way, way over-thinking things. All this stuff may be fine for a serious hatching operation to maximize production, but for basic backyard keeping, I think you are getting a bit too technical.

Have you ever watched a broody hen hatch chicks? I had a hen (one of a about 30 just so far, some still sitting) this spring lay beside eggs, not even covering them, with other chicks already hatched, running around taking care of those, while others were hatching. Outside, in a messy brooding box.

Never mind. We all have what works for us, so i don't mean to criticize. Just don't want your info to scare newbies into thinking they are doing everything wrong.
Thank you... I keep getting reassured that eggs are more hearty than one is let to believe. off subject: One think I have learned as golden rule. Do not stagger a batch in an incubator!! 4/12 made it, which I feel very lucky about.
 
I'm sorry, but you are way, way over-thinking things. All this stuff may be fine for a serious hatching operation to maximize production, but for basic backyard keeping, I think you are getting a bit too technical.

Have you ever watched a broody hen hatch chicks? I had a hen (one of a about 30 just so far, some still sitting) this spring lay beside eggs, not even covering them, with other chicks already hatched, running around taking care of those, while others were hatching. Outside, in a messy brooding box.

Never mind. We all have what works for us, so i don't mean to criticize. Just don't want your info to scare newbies into thinking they are doing everything wrong.
Thank you... I keep getting reassured that eggs are more hearty than one is let to believe. off subject: One think I have learned as golden rule. Do not stagger a batch in an incubator!! 4/12 made it, which I feel very lucky about.
 
:plbb
I use a Hova-Bator. I don't normally candle before setting. Doing even more research it seems like high levels of Co2 are also a concern. I found a very interesting thread here on BYC where other members discuss their hatching experiments at high altitude. I haven't gotten through it all but I have already learned some interesting things.

I was so confused about what I was doing wrong since I was averaging 83% with my quail eggs. I hadn't even thought about the high altitude being part of my problem. I'm so grateful it was mentioned. Now I just have to figure out what will work for me.
Good incubator and now you see the light :thumbsupTrial and error . From our friends and other members we have heard how hard it can be . Here heat and humidity are the battle . But still I have a broody on eggs now and two more on golf balls bond and determined to hatch them :lau

I absolutely hate losing fully formed babies.:hit:hit
IKR you candle at lock down and see a very active chick and it just doesn't make it out . And after hatching bunches and bunches and bunches of eggs it still gets to you . Part of hatching :hugs
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom