"To help or not to help; that is the question"!

[AmyLynn2374]

however I would like to improve my success rate.
Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Well, to get ideas on how to improve your success rate, we need to know a few things. Are your thermometers/hygrometers calibrated/checked for accuracy? (That is a very important first step to increasing success.) Is your incubator a still air or forced and what brand/model is it? What are you currently using for temps during the first 17 days and at lockdown/hatch? What are you using for humidity levels for the first 17 days and at lockdown and hatch? Do you do eggtopsies on the non hatchers, and if so what are you finding? (IE, wet chicks with extra fluid in the shell, shrink wrapped chicks, chicks that died before or after lockdown?) All these answers will help determine why the lower success rate and possible things to try to higher your success rate.

 

[Rockythgr81]

My incubator is a Farm Innovators from Tractor Supply and is forced air. I have the IncuTherm digital Thermometer/Hydrometer. I am not sure how to calibrate it but I have put several thermometers into the incubator and they all seem to be within a degree or two. I try to keep the temp at 99.5 for the duration but it sometimes fluctuates as high as 102. The humidity is my biggest problem to regulate I try to keep it in the high 70's until just before hatch but it tends to stay around 68 to 70 this last time it has gotten up to around 80 while they are actually hatching. I haven't done the "eggtopsies" yet but will on the ones that don't make it, although I am not sure how to interpret the results. As stated before though I have peeled away one that the chick "looks" fine but is obviously dead in the egg.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My incubator is a Farm Innovators from Tractor Supply and is forced air. I have the IncuTherm digital Thermometer/Hydrometer. I am not sure how to calibrate it but I have put several thermometers into the incubator and they all seem to be within a degree or two. I try to keep the temp at 99.5 for the duration but it sometimes fluctuates as high as 102. The humidity is my biggest problem to regulate I try to keep it in the high 70's until just before hatch but it tends to stay around 68 to 70 this last time it has gotten up to around 80 while they are actually hatching. I haven't done the "eggtopsies" yet but will on the ones that don't make it, although I am not sure how to interpret the results. As stated before though I have peeled away one that the chick "looks" fine but is obviously dead in the egg.

Are you saying that you are keeping the humidity in the high 70's during the first 17 days of incubation??

 

[nicktrkula]

Post the pictures on here and we can help

 

[AmyLynn2374]

This is a good thread to look over for eggtopsy help.https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/363717/eggtopsy-what-happened-to-my-egg-graphic-pictures Very graphic, but gives you an idea of what may be the causes of what conditions that you may see.