Last year I hadn't found this forum, didn't have much of a clue what I was doing while incubating and hatching eggs yet I had great success. Never more than a couple eggs that didn't make it (out of 20-40 eggs). I even hatched out a batch of wild Eastern Turkey that I read were difficult to hatch. (Neighbor ran over the nest while clipping a pasture. Destroyed part of it and knew the hen wouldn't return to a clipped field and partially squashed nest. I raised then released the turkeys as I knew it wasn't legal to have them.) Fast forward a year and here I am with a lot more knowledge, better equipment and horrible hatches. Instead of writing a novel I'll just give a list of info about my hatches;
1.) Buff Orpington/Rhode Island Red mix chicks. Set roughly 30 eggs and only had one or two not hatch. Used a Little Giant still air incubator with auto turner. Didn't know anything about humidity so I just kept the water trays filled the whole three weeks. I did know to take the eggs out of the turner on day 18 though. Monitored temp with the thermometer that came with the LG and kept it at 101.5 at the top of the eggs.
2.) Turkeys that my neighbor ran over with the tractor. Roughly 20 of those eggs and again all but a couple hatched. Same LG incubator, same temps, same deal with not knowing anything about humidity. Used the auto turner with these but didn't know how far along they were so didn't stop turning on day 18. Woke up to two chicks that had hatched while turning. Took the turner out and laid the rest of the eggs on the wire.
3.) Serama eggs that were shipped to me. Had lots of detached air cells. Same LG still air though this time I knew more about temp/humidity. I monitored my temps with three of the little aquarium thermometers and tried my best to keep the temp at the eggs top 101.5 and at the bottom about 98-99. Did have some temp drops a few mornings since my house had a wide temp swing this fall. Incubator temps got down around 97-98 and were there for maybe a couple hours. Humidity was measured with a terrarium hygrometer (not fancy or expensive) and kept at about 40% during the first 18 days, then brought up to about 70% the last three days. Had them in the auto turner and then put them in a cut down carton for hatching. Started with 22 eggs. I put 10 eggs into lockdown and all were moving and looked good on day 18. Out of 10 I had three pip and two hatch.
4.) Just got done with this hatch. Bantam Cochins, again shipped. Got a Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance and temp/humidity was monitored through it's digital display. Temp stay steady at 99.6 and humidity stayed around 35-40% the first 18 days. Brought up to 70% for lockdown. I received 12 eggs. 9 eggs went into lockdown and again all were moving and looked good. 4 eggs hatched. I opened the others today when candling revealed they weren't moving. Pics at the bottom of this post.
After my bad Serama hatch I thought maybe my LG still air was to blame. But I didn't do much better with the Brinsea. Part of me wants to think it's because the last two batches of eggs were shipped but what difference does it make if they've made it all the way to lockdown? I understand less shipped eggs will develope but why are so few making it to the point of hatching when they looked good just a few days before? Can anyone see a pattern of something that I'm not doing right? I'm setting some of my own Serama eggs next weekend so I won't have the shipping aspect to battle but I'm worried there's something I'm doing to cause such a poor hatch. The pictures below were taken just after I candled these eggs and opened the tops. Do they look shrink wrapped? I haven't opened the incubator other than to quickly add more water during lockdown (once a day).
1.) Buff Orpington/Rhode Island Red mix chicks. Set roughly 30 eggs and only had one or two not hatch. Used a Little Giant still air incubator with auto turner. Didn't know anything about humidity so I just kept the water trays filled the whole three weeks. I did know to take the eggs out of the turner on day 18 though. Monitored temp with the thermometer that came with the LG and kept it at 101.5 at the top of the eggs.
2.) Turkeys that my neighbor ran over with the tractor. Roughly 20 of those eggs and again all but a couple hatched. Same LG incubator, same temps, same deal with not knowing anything about humidity. Used the auto turner with these but didn't know how far along they were so didn't stop turning on day 18. Woke up to two chicks that had hatched while turning. Took the turner out and laid the rest of the eggs on the wire.
3.) Serama eggs that were shipped to me. Had lots of detached air cells. Same LG still air though this time I knew more about temp/humidity. I monitored my temps with three of the little aquarium thermometers and tried my best to keep the temp at the eggs top 101.5 and at the bottom about 98-99. Did have some temp drops a few mornings since my house had a wide temp swing this fall. Incubator temps got down around 97-98 and were there for maybe a couple hours. Humidity was measured with a terrarium hygrometer (not fancy or expensive) and kept at about 40% during the first 18 days, then brought up to about 70% the last three days. Had them in the auto turner and then put them in a cut down carton for hatching. Started with 22 eggs. I put 10 eggs into lockdown and all were moving and looked good on day 18. Out of 10 I had three pip and two hatch.
4.) Just got done with this hatch. Bantam Cochins, again shipped. Got a Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance and temp/humidity was monitored through it's digital display. Temp stay steady at 99.6 and humidity stayed around 35-40% the first 18 days. Brought up to 70% for lockdown. I received 12 eggs. 9 eggs went into lockdown and again all were moving and looked good. 4 eggs hatched. I opened the others today when candling revealed they weren't moving. Pics at the bottom of this post.
After my bad Serama hatch I thought maybe my LG still air was to blame. But I didn't do much better with the Brinsea. Part of me wants to think it's because the last two batches of eggs were shipped but what difference does it make if they've made it all the way to lockdown? I understand less shipped eggs will develope but why are so few making it to the point of hatching when they looked good just a few days before? Can anyone see a pattern of something that I'm not doing right? I'm setting some of my own Serama eggs next weekend so I won't have the shipping aspect to battle but I'm worried there's something I'm doing to cause such a poor hatch. The pictures below were taken just after I candled these eggs and opened the tops. Do they look shrink wrapped? I haven't opened the incubator other than to quickly add more water during lockdown (once a day).
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