Tis Time for a March 2020 Hatch-a-long!

[UThobbyfarmer]

Y'all are probably smarter than me at this stuff I like numbers though and learning.

I'm not sure how much I'll be hatching this year. But I'm in! I would also add that where the eggs are sourced should be included. Shipped eggs should acknowledged somewhere in the date.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I was thinking the same thing. The wax impaired the ability of the egg to breath properly. I'll have to go check out the thread for pics but I remember it being a lot of wax.

But hopefully it hatches! If it doesn't at least it had a shot.

Yes, it's a lot of wax but it was a big crack too. You can see it better in the candled image but the crack really spread out.

 

[FortCluck]

Sounds good! I think it would be nice for everyone to document their actual fertility to hatch percentage and only subtract the infertile eggs and not just lockdown to hatch.

So do a fertility rate too

 

[FortCluck]

I'm not sure how much I'll be hatching this year. But I'm in! I would also add that where the eggs are sourced should be included. Shipped eggs should acknowledged somewhere in the date.

Yes definitely. I usually use local farms or mine so I'll definitely put that in my rates.

We can start collecting the data the next hatch we have. So I'll be counting the 11 eggs I put in on 3/1.

 

[julskinka]

To me, the issue is often and will continue to be people not truly knowing what humidity their area/house/incubator is. Everyone buys all of these digital hygrometers, and they're just really not that accurate. Oftentimes, not anywhere near. Humidity in incubation isn't as important to be precise about as temperature, but it absolutely does have effects.

For example, I have two GQF HovaBator 1588s. I never, ever believe their digital read out, nor am I going to go through the hassle of recalibrating them. I only rely on my wet and dry bulb readings from two dial thermometers. Currently, one of the 1588s tried to tell me my humidity was 24%, when I actually knew for a fact it was 49%; if I had altered the water content of that incubator it would have risen over 60% quite easily before the digital readout decided it was 50%.

I will participate if you like. I'm running two GQF HovaBator 2370s as incubators and the two 1588s, one as an incubator and the last as a hatcher. All four are forced-air.

This is an excellent point, actually. I know for a fact the hygrometer that comes with my Incuview isn't perfect - when I tested it it came out about 10% too low, and it loses specificity below about 18%. However, it's consistent with itself (determined by comparing it to another hygrometer), so I calibrate the humidity in my hatch based on weight loss. If I hold it at "30%" until D7, but they haven't lost the correct amount of weight by that time, then I'll drop it to 20% or 25% per my hygrometer, for example, and vice versa. Is that a true 20 or 25%? Probably not, but it doesn't matter.

Another thing to consider is that humidity is really about the average over the length of incubation (prior to hatch). It doesn't really matter if it spikes to 50% for a couple of hours one day, if it also drops to 10% for a couple of hours. And unless you've got a fancy humidity pump, or are using a hygrometer that has recall, it's going to be a lot harder to figure out what your average is.

Sorry, didn't mean to take the wind out of anyone's sails. My science-brain just likes to be difficult.

 

[Floydie]

Well the first hatch I did I followed the instructions and filled the water tray all the way and refilled it when it dried out. The second hatch I started to add water towards the end, but it was an iffy set of eggs that were shipped upside down. I'll check the air cells on day 5 and decide if I should add any water. I am in the UK we have damp autumn's and winters. Spring summer is pot luck it's either dry, mild, warm or too hot... Or it's raining all the time. Right now it's mild. But central heating dries the air when it's on... We also need to use dehumidifiers by the front door and windows. I think humidity can vary wherever you are in the world depending on individual factors. I also have 3 fish tanks that probably add to the humidity in the house.

 

[julskinka]

Yes, it's a lot of wax but it was a big crack too. You can see it better in the candled image but the crack really spread out.

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That really was a massive crack. I don't think it would have made it as far as it did without the amount you put on. It may still hatch - for some reason my legbars always look like they have tiny air cells but their weight is usually fine and they all hatch. But if it doesn't it was probably a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

So do a fertility rate too

I meant an actually hatch rate based on how many eggs are fertilized to how many eggs hatch. It's a more accurate hatch rate when you count early quitters.

 

[Mosey2003]

Yes, it's a lot of wax but it was a big crack too. You can see it better in the candled image but the crack really spread out.

View attachment 2048904View attachment 2048903

If you ever get another with the same crack in a similar spot, I'd try again but just put wax over the visible cracked area and compare outcomes.

 

[Mosey2003]

I meant an actually hatch rate based on how many eggs are fertilized to how many eggs hatch. It's a more accurate hatch rate when you count early quitters.

Yes, basically a count of eggs set minus clears. And track the amount of early and late quitters. Early quitters of course will be more a factor of temperature and breeder health/diet, late quitters mostly humidity related.

We really need to do it either with numbers alone or with numbers plus percentage because of the high number of participants on this forum that do not set very many at a time, statistic-wise. Less than 25 eggs set will really give the wrong idea if only conveyed via percent (ie 50% of 6 eggs set isn't as strong of a data point as of 50 eggs set).