the Will They Hatch? thread

[BHep]

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Beth, Don't give up on them. I had 3 bouts of 70 degrees and still had hatches.
Carolyn

Thanks... now I'm fighting to stabilize.. 97....102...99...102

99 right now and better stay that way!

 

[SteveH]

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[SteveH]

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Did you use a calibrated hygrometor; and if so, what were the readings?

I had a hygrometer, but wasnt calibrated, as in, me calibrating it. My readings varied between 30-45%, then 60-70% during lockdown. Im done with this incubator, its a borrowed LG, and I need a better one next time! I think its worn out, I was having to add water all the time to keep the humidity up, I think the chicks are dried out.

I'm certainly not very experienced, but have read they can either run too damp and drown after the internal pip.....................
or too dry and shrink wrap. If you don't get a good hatch, maybe you could do a eggtopsy to see what happened; but I'm hoping they hatch!

 

[kfchickenlady]

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I had a hygrometer, but wasnt calibrated, as in, me calibrating it. My readings varied between 30-45%, then 60-70% during lockdown. Im done with this incubator, its a borrowed LG, and I need a better one next time! I think its worn out, I was having to add water all the time to keep the humidity up, I think the chicks are dried out.

I'm certainly not very experienced, but have read they can either run too damp and drown after the internal pip.....................
or too dry and shrink wrap. If you don't get a good hatch, maybe you could do a eggtopsy to see what happened; but I'm hoping they hatch!

Thanks, but...eggtopsy results on all three: shrink wrapped!!!

 

[RareBreedFancier]

As I said on the Valentine's Day thread...
I have babies!

Three pale chicks and four black chicks out so far.

3 eggs left at the moment but they could well come out tonight or tomorrow. One has the air cell at the wrong end so don't know how that's going to go.

I'm terribly excited to tell you all my first hatched chick was also from an egg I'd not have normally set. It was a torpedo shaped egg I assume was from a pullet. I've read many times those shouldn't be set because they never hatch but I thought "Oh why not just try it?" Little chicky was lucky, I was going to use that egg for a cake before I decided to give it a chance.

Should also note when I pulled the first 4 out to put them in the brooder 3 of them were down on their hocks. Dosed all four of them with the infant vitamins, tucked them under the Eco-Glow and a couple of hours later all 4 are up and running around.

My ginger chick that was down 36 hours ago is still wobbly but is up and about, eating and drinking so

it keeps doing well.

 

[funkyfeathers]

Had 3 cracked before bed, 2 never completely made it out, but one Turken is running all over the other eggs in the hatcher.

I told it through the glass to peep really loud, and maybe some friends will crack out to join it.

 

[SteveH]

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[SteveH]

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I'm certainly not very experienced, but have read they can either run too damp and drown after the internal pip.....................
or too dry and shrink wrap. If you don't get a good hatch, maybe you could do a eggtopsy to see what happened; but I'm hoping they hatch!

Thanks, but...eggtopsy results on all three: shrink wrapped!!!

Guess you now know to run higher humidity next time.

 

[averytds]

First hatch of the year we got 2 out of 18. We also had crazy weather (radical temp/humidity swings) around hatch, so I wrote it off.

Set another batch the evening of 2/12. Temps have been between 99.4 and 100.9 the entire hatch on my one that records those things. Forced air. Humidity has been 35%-45% throughout, 68%-75% for lockdown. 10 went into lockdown that were all possibles (Marans). One pipped the evening of 3/4 but didn't hatch until sometime after 2 this AM. There are 3 others pipped now, but nothing from the rest. I've got 4 thermometers in there full time, digital and mercury. They are all within 1 degree of each other all the time. The one that records highs and lows is always the lowest of the 4 and runs generally 99.6-100.4


If 99.5 is the target for forced air and I'm meeting/exceeding it and there haven't been any prolonged lows, then why is my hatch so late?

Shouldn't things have been in full swing yesterday? Is it simple miscalculation of the dates? I know I put them in the evening of 2/12 as I wrote it right on some of the eggs so there wouldn't be any guessing involved or looking for notes later. Last year we had plenty of activity the day before (at least pips) and babies out either the day of or just before. After our losses from the 1st hatch this year I'm

and them not doing anything until day 22 is killing me.

 

[kfchickenlady]

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Thanks, but...eggtopsy results on all three: shrink wrapped!!!

Guess you now know to run higher humidity next time.

yes, not to mention an incubator that hold the humidity!!!! Oh well, the 2 chicks that hatched are beautiful, check them out!