So many Questions!

[KTeacher]

Hello,
This is my first year having an incubator in my classroom. Every day I fill up the water at the bottom of the incubator, check the temp and my kids help me turn the eggs. The temp has stayed at at a safe 99.5 the whole time, but I was not told by the teacher that gave the incubator that I needed something to measure the humidity in there.
So far I have had only one egg hatch - he hatched yesterday. There was A LOT of blood. I left him in the incubator and came back to day to find him dead. Was the something that I could have done to help him? Is that much blood normal?
Should I hear them peeping by now and if i don't ( which I don't) should I assumed that I failed as a chick-mother?
My students are extremely excited and are expecting some chicks tomorrow after the long weekend.
Is it too late to run out and get seomthing that would measure the humidity?

I suppose that I should have asked these questions BEFORE I started this, but the Supply teacher that loaned me the incubator said that it was really easy. But then again, she lives on a farm...I do not.

Thank you

 

[Bill 101]

Sorry you had a bad experience. There was nothing you could have done that would have helped the chick that hatched. There shouldn't have been much blood at all. It is also to late to get a Hygrometer/Hydrometer to measure humidity. There is supposed to be a certain amount of humidity throughout the incubation process, but humidity levels vary according to where you live. A good source for that information would be the person that lent you the incubator. Actually it IS easy, but only when the proper temperature & humidity has been correct throughout the whole incubation time.

 

[KTeacher]

My coworker was in the school after me yesterday and said that a couple were rolling around. They are not moving now and she doesn't remeber what numbers were rolling around. Should assume that those rolling are dead?
Is there a simple test to tell which ones are dead?