I don't know about yours, but my thermo/hygrometer on the control panel does not match the readings from other sensors that I put inside. Honestly at this point, I don't know which one is more accurate, the control panel readings or the meters that I put inside the incubator. There is about a 10 point difference between the control panel readings and the sensor readings from inside. I am finding it very frustrating to try to figure out just exactly which one is correct. Am basically just having to experiment and see that if the control panel isn't correct in its readings, I am trying to figure out exactly what temp and humidity to set it to - even if the readings are technically too high or low - to get this thing to work at its best.Yes, I just finished a hatch. 30 eggs and only 10 produced live chickens. 18 had chicks glued to their shells. It was pretty heartbreaking, especially since 8 of those eggs were from Sandy, who was killed by a fox. I really wanted some offspring of hers. I only hatch once a year and this was my second time to do it. I was hoping for at least 12 hens and had overstocked in preparation for half being boys. I'm thinking of trying a few eggs in a "dry" hatch, just to see if it would be any different. I'm not a person who likes to fuss with a ton of details.
With this incubator, filling the middle tray puts humidity at 47-52%. Filling all the trays puts it at 87+%. I'm guessing that that was just way too much humidity for my eggs. Hopefully, I'll get enough chicks so that when they get merged with the current chicks, they can group together to battle the bullying when the pecking order resets.
Have only had two deaths with eggs that went into the Genesis, one egg was put under a hen several days before hatching and the other never even pipped. That one was in a funky egg, but I was kinda desperate because the hens had slowed down on laying, so I don't know if it was an egg/chick deformity problem or an incubator problem.
What I am trying out now is a new humidity water pump that is similar to what I have on our Brinsea incubator. It has a sensor and it literally pumps water into the incubator onto a sponge paper. It's been doing great with keeping the humidity at a more constant level rather than the fluctuations I was getting from the Genesis water trays. I really dislike the set up in the Genesis because half the time I couldn't tell if there was even water in the thing without opening it up and messing with it. One second it was full and then it would be dry and it was just a pain. So this humidity controller has been a lot better so far with the eggs I have in there now. Here is where I got it: http://www.poultrysupply.com/1588.php
Here's some stuff about hatching issues: http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_pipped.html
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/eggs/res24-00.html
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1090/2902-1090_pdf.pdf
With chicks sticking to the shells, I am wondering more if the humidity was too low or there was a turning problem. If the humidity is too low, that makes me think that your control panel readings aren't necessarily correct either. I know the one we have has a LOT of fluctuations in the readings, literally minute by minute as I stand and watch it, compared to our other incubator that rarely fluctuates readings and that is mostly if I open the thing up.
One thing you might do, although it's a pain, is do smaller hatches until you can figure out your machine. That is what I have done and I still am not entirely sure of just how "off" the Genesis control panel readings are. It's been a lot different than the little Brinsea we have that is just stick the eggs in and forget them till they hatch.