Three trys and no chicks....can you help me figure out why?

[GrannyPat]

Thanks for all the replies. I will try to reply to each of them here.

Yes, I had planned to get another thermometer (with a hygrometer too) because I was thinking the thermometer that came with the incubator could possibly be off.

Thanks for the link and I will read the " Hoss of a thread".

I've been getting all my eggs from wegotchickens. Some were hers and some she got from other people but I don't know who. But, I know that some of the ones she gave me were extras and at least some of hers have hatched which is what makes me feel I'm doing something wrong. She has reminded me that some of the eggs were not real fresh but I've always put them in as soon as I got them from her which as far as I know wasn't far behind when she got hers in.

Before putting the eggs in I have always marked them with an X on one side and and O on the other and I turned them from one to the other each time. The first two tries were laid on the screen but this last time I decided to leave them in the bottom half of the egg carton and I put a block of wood under one side of the incubator and just moved it back and forth instead of touching the eggs. Then, I took them out and laid them on the screen for the last three days and added a bowl of water and removed the second plug like the instructions said to do.

I have candled the eggs twice each time but to be perfectly honest I've never been completely certain about what I was seeing which is why I have never removed any of them early even when I thought I wasn't seeing what I should be seeing just in case I might be wrong. I've read about smelly eggs and eggs exploding and things like that but that has never happened. Even when I cracked all the eggs open last time (and I had 17 in that time) none of them smelled bad to me even though I had expected them to after so long since I left them in about 5 or 6 days past the 21 days just to be sure they weren't going to hatch.

Lori always gave the eggs to me in a carton with the small end down and I knew to keep them with that end down too. But, I've always put them right in the incubator after she gave them to me either that same night or the next morning. And, I already had the incubator temp up to 100 for several hours before putting them in. Although I did see somewhere on here just a few minutes ago that a still air LG should be set at 101 and still air is what I have. But, could 1 degree too low make that much difference?

So, this week I will definitely get myself a thermometer/hygrometer and check it out since I feel like it's either one or the other or maybe even both. I think some of the eggs may not have been fertile but I don't feel like all of them could have been since like I said Lori has had some of the same eggs hatch for her. About two weeks ago she was sweet enough to give me three little chicks that she had hatched and now that I think of it they may have come from some of the same eggs like she gave me. She has definitely given me a variety of different kinds of eggs and if they had all hatched out it would have been so great to have such a variety since I'm a variety type person as opposed to all of one kind.

Anyway, thanks everybody for all the suggestions. I will definitely try all of them and do a little more reading and give it another try. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, one more question.........I've seen some people say turning them twice a day like I've been doing is enough and then others say turn them an uneven number which I guess means at least three times a day. How do I know which advise to follow?

GrannyPat

 

[Katy]

If your LG is a still air the temps need to be a degree or two higher also. 101-102

 

[dbcooper02]

Carton turning in a still air incubator is not a good idea, as the air stratifies and is warmer at the top and cooler at the bottom. That's why the temp called for in a still air incubator, measured at the top of the eggs, is higher, ie 101-102 vs the 99.5 in a forced air incubator. The average temperature then, about the middle of the egg is near 99.5. Are you measuring your temperature at the top of the eggs?
db

 

[minna]

One degree would affect the hatch time, but if they weren't developed, that wasn't your problem. Do a little research on Candling, once you know what you are looking for, practice will help you understand what you are seeing. I candle sometimes on day 9 and then I candle on day 18 . On day 9 I am looking for veins. On day 18 I am looking for basically an air cell and the rest of the egg pretty full.
The reason I say an odd number is b/c if you turn them an even number you have this
turn to O in the morning
turn to x in afternoon, x all night
then the same the next day
That puts them being on x side every night, all night
when you turn an odd number of times, they are on x one night and O the next. Make sense?

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

FWIW: I have chicks hatching today in an LG incubator. I added a 3" computer fan to mine.

I collected eggs for 6 days, storing them in a cool closet in egg cartons, fat end up, and turning them 3-4 times a day by hand.

I set my eggs in the incubator in egg cartons on March 1 and kept the temperature at 100 degrees and the humidity at 40%. I "turned" 5 times a day by placing a styrofoam block under one edge of the 'bator and moving it clockwise throughout the day so that each side of the incubator was raised in turn for about 4 hours per side. I added water as needed by using a syringe through one of the air holes on the top. At this point I had only one red plug in.

On March 19 I removed the block, added 2 sponges and filled the water channels. I removed the second plug. Then I candled one last time--just 2-3 eggs to make sure the air pockets looked good. Then I closed 'er up and didn't touch it again except to add water. By the end of the second day, for some reason my humidity started to drop, so I added a room cool-air humidifier and sat it next to the table holding the incubator. That raised my humidity to 65%. I have added water periodically with the syringe to keep the humidity steady at 65%. This morning (the 22nd) I got my first pip. That chick is already out and drying and the others are pipping too. Oh, and the hatching raised the humidity up to 70%.

Hopefully something in here will be helpful for you.


Best wishes,


Rusty

edited 'cause I cannot spell.

 

[Sharisr32]

I had a few Problems getting my first hatch (giggling)


A few - I cannot follow any of the rules- I dry hatch ( no water period)
I have not measured humidity in 3 years

Next is placement -- Location location location-

Try a new spot for the incubator -move it each time you get a no hatch until you find your spot and no this has no true logic it just worked for me -


I hatch in the turner I do not move the eggs and I do not shut it off

throw out everything that is surpose to be and find your way
about the only thing I do by the book is temp 100 and I never change it

 

[GrannyPat]

Just checking in to let you know I gave up this morning and broke open the 8 eggs (3rd failed hatch) I had in the incubator that should have hatched last Wednesday. I am soooo sad because out of the 8 eggs 6 of them had what looked to me to be fully developed chicks that were dead. But, I noticed something this time that I didn't last time I broke open the eggs from the 2nd hatch and that is that the membrane was very tough and thick and I had to use my fingernail to break through it so I doubt the poor little things had a chance of getting out on their own. There were no signs of any breaks in the shells at all before I broke each one of them open to look at them.

I've already searched around some online and think I found out what my problem was which is not enough humidity. But, I had the places at the bottom filled and also had a bowl of water in there too so what else could I have done? I just feel pretty much like I killed the poor little things and I don't know what I'm going to tell my little granddaughter but I don't want to tell her the chicks were fully developed and I did something to kill them. Right now I feel pretty rotten because something I thought would bring her a lot of fun and joy has only disappointed her three times now.

I was keeping the temp at 100 and some of you have told me it should be a degree higher than that for my still air LG. So, do you think that played a part in it too or was it most likely just the humidity. My guess is that if they were fully developed the temp was ok but not the humidity since they never hatched. But, that's just my uneducated guess and I would really appreciate your experienced opinions.

GrannyPat

 

[greggy]

Quote:
That Little Giant bator if it's a still air machine then the 100 degree temp would be too low. I kept my still air at 102.

 

[AHappychick]

cut out plastic cups and make extra trays for water below the grate, anywhere you can add water to it with a straw through the vent holes. Try keeping your temp at 101 if it is a still air and use the digital thermometers/hyrometers maybe 2 so that you can get a better read o the temp, it does fluctuate. whith the 2 I would split the difference in temp if there is one. stop turning on day 18 fill the extra cut out plastic cups and keep closed. hopefully you will have a hatch. If humidity drops during last few days use stray to refill trays and cups.

 

[CindyS]

I think if you check your thermometer, it will be off. If its the one that came with the incubator, they can be 4 degrees or more off! With channels filled and an extra bowl of water in there its very unlikly the humidity was low. Especially in a still air. probably more sauna like. Right now I have 10 hovabators going and not a hygrometer to be seen. But I have digital thermometers in each one and watch the temps very closley. If the chick dies in the shell, most likely it is because of improper temps. the chick develops but proper body functions are affected too much for a healthy vigerous chick. A week chick will not pip or hatch. Also if you have alot of eggs that did not develop at all ( look like fresh eggs) it has nothing to do with either humidity or temperature.