South Carolina

[RockerHen]

Better have the eggs not hatch than have chicks hatch that you have to put down that happened to me one hatch, the humidity got messed up somehow near the end of incubation and the chicks hatched with badly twisted legs. Horrible experience.

 

[HBruemmer]

Better have the eggs not hatch than have chicks hatch that you have to put down

that happened to me one hatch, the humidity got messed up somehow near the end of incubation and the chicks hatched with badly twisted legs. Horrible experience.

That does sound awful!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Yes, there can be all sorts of reasons why eggs do not hatch. Give them another day or 2, especially if they are dark. I let mine go to day 24 before pulling them out.
Did you candle? Have they grown at all or are they clear? Sorry if you have already said but I am on many forums and try to help a lot of folks.
Your power going out for a few minutes during incubation or even in the last day or two will not hurt unless your temp spiked when it came back on. I always use a power surge protector on my bators.

Once you are sure they are not going to hatch pull them out and open them. See how far along they developed, if at all.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Still not a pip! I bought a new more expensive thermometer/hygrometer and slipped it into the incubator today. (I stuck a towel in the dryer first and draped a hot towel over the opening so no cold air would get in to the incubator when I added it!) 100 degrees F, 63% humidity. Should be good for hatching, right? No big spikes or drops in temp that I know of, the thermometer stayed pretty constant during the three power outages we had. They were only a few minutes each. I have a Hovabator with a fan. I thought two of the eggs wiggled a bit, but at this point it could be my imagination.

Has anyone even heard of 0% hatch rate? I know at least some of the eggs were fertile and intact, Heidi brought them to me!

Heather, unfortunately I have myself had 0 hatch rates in a Hovabator. It can be hard to get eggs to evaporated down enough if you are putting any water in the incubator during the first 18 days. That is my biggest problem with my Marans eggs in my cabinet incubator and multiple hatches. I keep spiking the humidity up for multiple hatches and the eggs do not evaporate enough for the chicks to get out. I would have thought you would get some of the Doms or the Cochins though to hatch with that theory. Other than that thought I really do not know what could have gone wrong if there was not a temp spike or a really strong humidity spike(which does not seem like the case). I am really sorry....

If or when you want to try again we are here with lots of eggs!

 

[HBruemmer]

Yes, there can be all sorts of reasons why eggs do not hatch. Give them another day or 2, especially if they are dark. I let mine go to day 24 before pulling them out.
Did you candle? Have they grown at all or are they clear? Sorry if you have already said but I am on many forums and try to help a lot of folks.
Your power going out for a few minutes during incubation or even in the last day or two will not hurt unless your temp spiked when it came back on. I always use a power surge protector on my bators.

Once you are sure they are not going to hatch pull them out and open them. See how far along they developed, if at all.

I candled the eggs at 16 days (I think) and found 26 that I felt sure were well developed plus others that I couldn't tell because they were so dark. I do have a surge protector on there.

 

[HBruemmer]

Heather, unfortunately I have myself had 0 hatch rates in a Hovabator. It can be hard to get eggs to evaporated down enough if you are putting any water in the incubator during the first 18 days. That is my biggest problem with my Marans eggs in my cabinet incubator and multiple hatches. I keep spiking the humidity up for multiple hatches and the eggs do not evaporate enough for the chicks to get out. I would have thought you would get some of the Doms or the Cochins though to hatch with that theory. Other than that thought I really do not know what could have gone wrong if there was not a temp spike or a really strong humidity spike(which does not seem like the case). I am really sorry....

If or when you want to try again we are here with lots of eggs!

Thanks for the encouragement Heidi. I bought my own styrofoam incubator a couple weeks ago. (Not a hovabator, but a farm innovators with a built in thermometer and hygrometer) and I have some eggs in it that I set on Christmas Eve. But now I think the thermometer on it is off. Two other thermometers show a temp of 103 when the read out on the top says 100. I'll know in a couple of days what went wrong with this hatch (my guess is humidity) and hopefully I can correct on the next one. I put a little water in the first couple of days, but have since been letting it run down dry, the hygrometer is still reading 30%.

 

[Avonshire]

Well my eggs were shipped so that is one strike. I also think my eggs were pullet eggs so that is strike 2. Then u add in that there are only 4 eggs and the bator being turned off at the end. I just did not have good odds. I was doing it as a test hatch. Oh and at the beginning I had some high temp spikes of 113. I do think there was some development. I am tempted to open them but I am so soft hearted about the babies that I am not sure I can handle the images.

I have had them hatch ill too and that was far worse than throwing away an egg that did nothing. I am going out of town tomorrow. If I am not here my humidity will not stay up. This is day 22. I can't decide if I should throw them out or leave the bator on. What would you all do?

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Well my eggs were shipped so that is one strike. I also think my eggs were pullet eggs so that is strike 2. Then u add in that there are only 4 eggs and the bator being turned off at the end. I just did not have good odds. I was doing it as a test hatch. Oh and at the beginning I had some high temp spikes of 113. I do think there was some development. I am tempted to open them but I am so soft hearted about the babies that I am not sure I can handle the images.
I have had them hatch ill too and that was far worse than throwing away an egg that did nothing. I am going out of town tomorrow. If I am not here my humidity will not stay up. This is day 22. I can't decide if I should throw them out or leave the bator on. What would you all do?

It depends on how long I was going to be out of town. Is there someone that can check on them in about 2 more days and turn the incubator off if there are no chicks? The 113 would kill most developing chicks if it lasted more than a short time. Over 104 will kill a developing embryo.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Thanks for the encouragement Heidi. I bought my own styrofoam incubator a couple weeks ago. (Not a hovabator, but a farm innovators with a built in thermometer and hygrometer) and I have some eggs in it that I set on Christmas Eve. But now I think the thermometer on it is off. Two other thermometers show a temp of 103 when the read out on the top says 100. I'll know in a couple of days what went wrong with this hatch (my guess is humidity) and hopefully I can correct on the next one. I put a little water in the first couple of days, but have since been letting it run down dry, the hygrometer is still reading 30%.

The 30% humidity will not hurt them but ever couple of days you can put a little water in and raise it a little then let it drop again, of course raising it at 18 days. I try to keep my humidity in the cabinet incubator at 40 when I am not hatching and that works well for me except with the Marans.

 

[HBruemmer]

The 30% humidity will not hurt them but ever couple of days you can put a little water in and raise it a little then let it drop again, of course raising it at 18 days. I try to keep my humidity in the cabinet incubator at 40 when I am not hatching and that works well for me except with the Marans.

I'm hoping to leave it on the dry side since I am hatching marans. I still don't have a single pip. I am going crazy. I am so tempted to open one, but if I did and ended up killing a chick that could otherwise live it would really bother me. I think I am running out of hope. It just seems so odd to me that not one would hatch.