You might want to read the article "Hatching 101" here on the website, along with the assisting hatch article that accompanies it. It's written by Sally Sunshine, a BYCer here who has become our "go-to" person for hatching issues. She has a thread that she started on here, Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Eggs, that is full of folks who have had problems with their hatches, and came for assistance, and stayed put to help the next ones. It's a good thread.
Is your incubator a still air or does it have a fan?
Ron, this is why I stated what I did. Chickadoodles might want to check her actual egg temps by the thermometer that should be at the top of the eggs, to see what it reads there, which should be at ~99.5 deg F. But using the thermometer of the incubator itself, it should be at 102 deg F, since that's what is recommended for still airs. It's 99.5 for the forced fans. Unless, like me, she has a defective unit that reads 3.5 degrees lower than the set temp. On your advice, I upped my Genesis 1588 to the 102.5, and my hatch rate improved substantially, from practically zilch, to successfully getting the ones that made it to lockdown, to hatch. I've had 2 hatches since you advised me... the first one all 7 that made it to lockdown, hatched. The second, 6 out of the 7 hatched, and both on Day 21, finishing up on Day 22. I had been running to Day 25, and getting weak chicks that failed to thrive, if I got any to hatch at all. Of course, this doesn't account for the ones that are damaged from shipping issues, infertility, etc. Most of the ones that failed to develop have been ones that suffered shipping issues... detached, rolling air cells, scrambled, due to pressure cabin issues from USPS flights (I can tell when they've been on a plane, because of the airport coded labels). I've had the most success from eggs from Texas, or South Dakota... remember, I'm in North Dakota. But very little luck, if at all, with eggs from the west coast. My first successful hatch (of more than 1 bird in the hatch) was 5 Ameraucanas from South Dakota, a Lemon Barred Cuckoo Orp from PapaBrooder, and a mystery egg from McMurray Hatchery (which turned out to be a White Rock), for the 7 hatched. The second one was all FBCMs, and they came from ne Texas, out of 12 eggs received... I got 7 to go to lockdown. I received 14 more FBCMs from the breeder in ne Texas in a separate order, and 11 are alive, and they're due to go into lockdown Sunday night. I also have 2 Cochins (OR) out of 12, and 2 turkeys (WI) out of 18 alive and doing well, as well as several Lavender Orps (FL), on staggered hatches.
It is a still air. And it is staying on 100 no matter where I set it. Except over night when it drops down to 97? All the vents are open.
This bator is still air. And the temp reading I am getting is from 3 thermometers and it keeps saying 100. But for some reason every morning when I get up it's on 97. I don't know why or what to do about it. But I have just been turning it back up.
Yep, I do stop and stare at them. Each hatch is in their own brooder box in the house, so I can't miss them and make sure they've got everything they need. The first hatch is pretty skittish, but these FBCMs from the 2nd hatch... they are very outgoing and will follow my fingers around the outside of the clear large tote I have them in. They are from show quality stock out of TX, so I'm hoping to perhaps show them locally here in ND next year. I haven't taken pics of the FBCMs yet, but here's the first hatch of Ameraucanas, Lemon Barred Cuckoo Orp, and White Rock chicks. They're 4 and 5 days old in this pic.
I have my thermometers setting at the same level as the eggs and they say 100.
Good luck with your hatches
