THE MOTHER'S DAY HATCH-A-LONG!!!! The last day to join in and set eggs with us is April 28th.

[Tripp16]

Overall I'm just trying to get rid of some of the confusion between a DRY HATCH and a DRY INCUBATION........ (a "hatch" being "lockdown")


If you have that much of a swamp going on in there then it's a pretty good bet that the hygrometer is off...
and LEAVE THE PLUGS OUT... the hatching chicks NEED oxygen


eggs don't re-absorb moisture.. problems arise from wet bloated chicks when the humidity is too high during INCUBATION.. not hatch
there is a difference between a dry INCUBATION and a dry HATCH.. most people can't do a dry HATCH because of their incubators... the fan placement makes a big difference.. so for most people I don't suggest they attempt a dry hatch unless they will be there to monitor the hatching chicks and see if more moisture is needed


(I know you mean dry incubation and not hatch... just to clarify things...) but yeah.. the extra humidity is usually needed at hatch to help keep the membranes pliable.. for some critters (like guinea fowl) they need a drier incubation because too much humidity during incubation makes the membrane rubbery.. they they die because they can't break through it


for a dry INCUBATION most people run under 40%.. then only add water when the humidity hits into the 20's... there is a good article somewhere on it.. I'll have to hunt around and see if I can find it
for a dry HATCH I keep the levels the same as I did for a dry incubation.. which for me has been around 30 to 35%.. it has dropped down into the 20's on occasion.. but by then I usually have chicks hatch and they (the chicks) bring it back up into the 50's or higher fast...


here in the summer when our relative humidity is down around 16% I can't dry hatch without adding water .. (which isn't really a dry hatch anymore.. lol)
this spring has been pretty wet.. our relative humidity has been anywhere from in the 50's on up to high 70's.. so I haven't added any water at all during incubation.. and only at hatch if it was a clutch of turkey eggs

Arielle is right.. the air cells should be your main guide.. ignore those inaccurate frustrating hygrometers (only use them to tell you if your humidity is climbing or dropping and pretty much ignore the numbers unless it is a really good recently calibrated hygrometer).. the air cells and hatching chicks will tell you if you need to add water to the bator or not

Thank you!! This cleared up sooo much! Well I have like 4 strips of sponge and two whole sponges in the bator! plus a saucer of water. I just hope my hygrometer is off.......

 

[wolftracks]

BCM seem to be more susceptible to bacteria. It only makes sense too when considering how much longer they sit in the track before laying to pick up the extra color. In the marans club of America group I belong to, some breeders actually put a tiny amount of clorox in the water channels with the water to offset this.

I used to add clorox but I now add Oxine. Also a member of the Maranas Club, but rarely read anything lately. Love it though. Anyway I do add Oxine and I still have 3 breeds that don't hatch as well, one being the FBCMs. I'm thinking though, that even with adding bleach or Oxine, that the bacteria from other chicks hatching may be the problem. I think I'm going to try just Marans in one of the hatchers and see if that helps.

BTW....another chick is in there drying now. I hate to even remove any eggs just in case.

 

[Cynthia12]

I usually aim to keep my humidity in the 30-35 range so I have to add a little water to do this.... If it jumps to 40 I don't worry I just wait an extra day or so to add more water once the humidity drops... This time I started at 40 (aiming for 35) .... So I left it. I then read about how thick the Marans shells are and decided not to add water again as long as it stayed in the 20s.... It did. At lockdown I jacked it up to 65% .... My Marans have hatched very well... although i did have one shrink wrapped yesterday.... No idea why. I think I'm at 7 out of 10 I lockdown Marans hatched.... 1 of those was left out overnight by broody .... So I think that's pretty good... My silkies on the other hand have not faired so well this dry..... I suspect they needed a little more moisture... Out of 24 I had 11 clears? And so far 1 that pipped and died and 3 others hatch (I think) this is pre coffee so my numbers might be off a bit.

This is pretty much how I do the dry/low hatch. high 30's, low 40's...but, with this new bator, I am thinking I will go dry, because, just after setting the eggs..an hour later, I'm seeing the humidity go up. Rep. 6000 is what I just set some eggs in.

Have to say..I got rid of the turner in the Rep. I now have eggs stacked, but I could not get my temp reader inside..and I think that is important right now. Won't worry about the humidity, just won't add any water..so just the temp for now. I had it set on 100...man, those eggs were very warm to the touch withing a half an hr.. So, took them out switched shelves..turned it down..that's when I also took them out of the turner. I have it on 99 now. Better lower than higher until I get my better therm/hydrom. tomorrow!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Sounds like it is off a bit. DId you candle and look at the air cells before lockdown? If they were ontarget with no added moisture, then to add two sponges and the four strips--mine would read 75-80% and windows would be foggied with moisture. (LG)

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Setting more eggs already????

Me, too.

 

[yinepu]

Setting more eggs already????

Me, too.

lol.. I set 15 duck eggs this morning (very early).. just got in 4 goose eggs and still waiting on one box the post office lost... that will fill the waterfowl bator.. and as soon as the chicken one is empty again i'll be ordering some south american fowl for it.. and possibly some other breeds..

the box that arrived this morning looks like it was used and abused.. and then they played soccer with it... ugh... I think somewhere along the route there is a person who hates eggs...

 

[Tripp16]

No activity in the bator on day 19. I shoulnt worry (yet) right?

I always do so good until the last 3 days when they come out of the turner.

 

[Arielle]

No activity in the bator on day 19. I shoulnt worry (yet) right?

I always do so good until the last 3 days when they come out of the turner.

We'll hold your hand. Hatch day is day 21 for chickens, sometimes early, sometimes late.

I have several sets in the hatcher now. Hatch day yesterday, today , tomorrow and sunday. ALl in the same hatcher!

Gotta go check the hatcher!!

 

[BantamBabesFarm]

I am offically a new D'anver momma. Sadly, due to incubator malfunction and my own noobie errors all my first eggs didnt make it and I was really crushed. I'll have to try for some more Porcelain eggs eventually. But until then... My mothers day hatch a long chicks. I got 6 out of 30 eggs originally set. =/

 

[Arielle]

Gone an hour and more chicks are hatched.

Another OE --2 eggs left

and the cuckoo marans are hatching!!!!! 3/11 so far