Topic of the Week - Hatching Eggs

[abbysilkys]

Make sure all the water wells are filled and if needed you can add a small glass bowl with water and maybe even a sponge with it. Lower humidity will just cause the egg to lose more moisture and allowing the air cell to grow larger in size. Mainly temperature affects when the eggs will hatch. Hope this helps!

 

[WillGriffin03]

In my incubator there aren't any water holders, I've tried a damp cloth which didn't work so a sponge?

 

[mommakatx2]

In my incubator there aren't any water holders, I've tried a damp cloth which didn't work so a sponge?

Humidity works off of surface area and while a sponge might work, I would worry about it harboring bacteria in the long run. Try a shallow dish with water. I don't know what kind of incubator you have but in my Hovabator it doesn't take a lot of water to maintain 30-35% humidity.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Anyone have any tips about maintaining humidity?  If my humidity is low would my hatching be postponed for a while?

In my incubator there aren't any water holders, I've tried a damp cloth which didn't work so a sponge?

For incubation or hatch? During incubation if you are not in a high elevation I recommend starting with a low humidity to begin with. Around 30-35%. During the late spring summer, I can usually achieve this dry. When we have lower, dry humidity in the house I add a wet sponge. For 2 1/2 years this has been my method. Sponges. In my opinion, the best way to control humidity. I buy dollar store sponges, never use a dirty house sponge used for cleaning. During the first 17 days if it doesn't stay above 25% I add a wet spong which usually hold it there-ish.

Do you have a home made incubator or a cheapy mini bator?

For lock down, if you have a home made incubator and enough room you can add a long container of water and put sponges in it. This gives you the surface area you need to raise humidity, but protection for the chicks so that they don't flip into a full container of water and drown.

If you have a mini bator with very little room, the best you can do that I can think of is sponges.

 

[JaeG]

I've just hatched Japanese quail in an incubator (usually I use a broody bantam) and mine have popped out a little early, on day 16. I think it's because it was stinking hot day and night when I was collecting enough eggs to incubate, so they were probably developing a bit before they even hit the incubator. I've also had them take 18 days to hatch before.

I helped one as it had been trying for 36 hours so was a bit exhausted. Another I could see was drying out. I open up the shell enough so that they can push themselves out. I've not yet had a chick malpositioned in its egg before (I'll be searching BYC for information if I do come across that situation). Being a cheap incubator I kept having to remove the whole top to get chicks out so I got my humidity up around 80% to try and compensate.

A hygrometer is essential as I followed the instructions and filled the inner well of the incubator, but I found that made the humidity much too high. I only needed a cup of water for the first part and that kept the humidity at 50%. Quail eggs are small so I don't think I could do a dry hatch with them.

I've been whipping babies out pretty soon after they hatch as the eggs are from 3 different groups and I wanted to try and keep track of who came from where. Plus they start eating pretty quickly after hatch, some of them even while still pretty damp. They have dried off in the brooder just fine and are super adorable (as all chicks are).

 

[EmmaKnight]

I am me new hatching eggs because I recently got interested into doing so. What if the chicks hatch whilst I'm out during the day? I'm concerned about this because if the chickens hatch and are in the incubator still, will it harm them? Do I have to take the eggs out at a certain time or day and place them under a heating lamp? Please help I really want to succeed on this!

*Edited by staff*

 

[JaeG]

Quote:Chicken chicks can last up to 3 days on their absorbed egg yolk so they will be fine in your incubator until you get home. Your incubator needs to be set at 99.5 degrees F if it's fan forced. Still air is a degree higher I think (I work in Celsius so I'm easily confused where temperature is concerned but I looked up the 99.5F). Humidity needs to be 40-50% for the first 18 days then bumped up to 65-75%. Some people like it higher so don't worry if it gets higher than that. Candling eggs is fun - it's so amazing seeing that baby developing. But it's tricky if you have dark eggs or blue/green eggs. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help you.

 

[casportpony]

@EmmaKnight , Welcome to BYC!

 

[abbysilkys]

I am me new hatching eggs because I recently got interested into doing so. What if they hatch whilst I'm out during the day? I'm concerned about this because if the chickens hatch and are in the incubator still, will it harm them? Do I have to take the eggs out at a certain time or day and place them under a heating lamp? Please help I really want to succeed on this!

Don't worry too much. I'm concerned too because I'm going to be gone most of this weekend and my chickens are supposed to hatch this Sunday. I made my own incubator to where I will set them to where the temp will be 99.5 but when they hatch they can move around to colder and warmer areas. Good luck with hatching!

*Edited by staff*

 

[ChickenGoesRuff]

I had a hatch on Thursday-Saturday. I tried to leave my chicks in the incubator for a day after hatch, but a few, namely the first one that hatched(we call him Destroyer), went on a rampage through the incubator and kept knocking over the other eggs. I had a brooder set up right next to the incubator, so I held him under the heat lamp for an hour until he dried and put him in the brooder and re-positioned a few eggs (pip was towards ground). I ended up just removing the chicks after they hatched and putting them in the brooder after making sure they are mostly dry and hatched. All but 2 fertile eggs hatched, and I had 24 chicks that seem to be doing fine. I had to assist 2 of them, (one had an extra membrane that had dried, also had problems with the umbilicus-helped at 36 hours after pip/zip without progress).