Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[aussie pete]

here is oz most ppl incubate at 45% humidity rite thru for good hatch rates.
consistantancy of temp is the most critical variable
best advice i have read - some humidity ,but candleling to check air cell size (sufficient fluid loss) & adjustment as required produces best hatch results

 

[Beekissed]

here is oz most ppl incubate at 45% humidity rite thru for good hatch rates.
consistantancy of temp is the most critical variable
best advice i have read - some humidity ,but candleling to check air cell size (sufficient fluid loss) & adjustment as required produces best hatch results

Thank you, Pete! That makes me feel better....I'm really working on getting the temps right this time and am going to try to be more vigilant on keeping those steady. They seem to want to be on 100 though I had wanted to keep them at 99...I'm not going to fight the nest. Just going to let it keep on keepin' on at 100.

I figure hens are out there incubating chicks in wet weather and dry without the benefit of a humidity gauge and it's possible that the first chick that hatches provides humidity for the rest of them..who knows?

 

[aussie pete]

once chicks start to hatch humidity rises ,that is why here, we don't raise humidity for lock down

 

[Beekissed]

once chicks start to hatch humidity rises ,that is why here, we don't raise humidity for lock down

That's what I'm thinking. And once they start to hatch it appears she moves them out from under her until they are a little more dry then makes them go back under. I really can't duplicate such a perfect design as a broody but it's been fun trying.

 

[dolfi]

I'm going to try to keep this nest's internal temps a little cooler...try to keep them on 99.0 this time.  I have an even dozen eggs in the nest and I let them come up to the nest temps gradually today....no impatience on my part.  Will try to turn and air them three times a day or as often as I am passing the box...not airing for a long time but just the kind of airing it would take for a broody to stand up and move the eggs or get up for poop, eat and drink but not for long periods and never for longer than 20-30 min..but most often just for a few minutes. 

This is the final nest and it has to be the one......spring hatch here we come! 

it's to much for me to catch up. I assume you're starting over. What happened and how many times have you tried

 

[theawesomechick]

it's to much for me to catch up. I assume you're starting over. What happened and how many times have you tried

Same here. This thread is moving too fast!

 

[Beekissed]

it's to much for me to catch up. I assume you're starting over. What happened and how many times have you tried

This is the third nest. First nest i was incubating at too low of temps, nothing developed. Second nest I got smarter...marginally...by placing thermometer inside a water baggy to show internal egg temps... got fried the first day due to my error and impatience and was at 108* for an unknown amount of time and seems to have killed the fertilized eggs.

Third nest is on day #2 and will hatch on the first day of spring if I don't mess anything up again. Now have thermometer inside water balloons, using deeper and more soil content under nest which is holding better moisture, dispensed with brooder pillow made of fleece and feathers and am using a smaller, lighter pillow of only feathers, using 12 eggs and all eggs broken/eaten during the collection time are showing good fertilization.

This should be the one if I don't mess it up. I'm not going out of town, so the only thing that might mess it up right now is if the electric goes out for an extended amount of time...at which time I'll use hot water bottles to try to maintain temps.

 

[autumnprairie]

 

[clankeyes]

This is better than any home school project I was going to do with my son. I was going to buy an incubator. Can't wait to see how this all turns out ! So excited !!!!

 

[Odelia]

This is the third nest. First nest i was incubating at too low of temps, nothing developed. Second nest I got smarter...marginally...by placing thermometer inside a water baggy to show internal egg temps... got fried the first day due to my error and impatience and was at 108* for an unknown amount of time and seems to have killed the fertilized eggs.

Third nest is on day #2 and will hatch on the first day of spring if I don't mess anything up again. Now have thermometer inside water balloons, using deeper and more soil content under nest which is holding better moisture, dispensed with brooder pillow made of fleece and feathers and am using a smaller, lighter pillow of only feathers, using 12 eggs and all eggs broken/eaten during the collection time are showing good fertilization.

This should be the one if I don't mess it up. I'm not going out of town, so the only thing that might mess it up right now is if the electric goes out for an extended amount of time...at which time I'll use hot water bottles to try to maintain temps.

Thank you for the run down of what happened. There are too many pages for me to have time to read them all. Good luck on this nest. I can't wait to hear that you have hatched your chicks.