Trouble getting right temperature

[amsunshine]

This is my first time hatching any eggs. These are chicken eggs. I bought a used incubator, and also a new one. Styrofoam type--for hobbyists. Today is hatch day and I've been a nervous wreck the past 3 weeks. I have two frustrations.

#1 is not being able to find a thermometer with decimal places. The used one didn't come with one. I did find a nice thermometer/hygrometer at Wal-Mart, but again it's whole numbers.

#2 is that it's darn hard to control the temp. I've been staying at 99 rather than 100, as the optimal temp for chickens is 99.5. If I turn that dial ever so slightly, sometimes it's either 97, 100, or 102 and nothing in between. Even if I do get to 99, which I've succeeded at quite a bit, I'm never sure that that's exactly where I want to be: is it 99.4? 99.3? 99.5 would round up to 100, but 100 is too hot for little chickies.

Some of the eggs are rocking in shaking in my new incubator, the hatching one without the turner, but I don't see any pips yet. I'm fearing I haven't controlled the temp, or even gotten to the right temp, and none will hatch.

Please help, and thanks in advance. If my hatch doesn't turn out correctly, I want to know how to do it right, because I'd like to try again. Surely it isn't this hard.

 

[mnferalkitty]

I always aim for 99-100 sometimes it has been lower and in that case it just takes them longer to develop so delays hatch day by a day or 2. I dry hatch everything so I don't really pay attention to the humidity. They rock and roll for awhile before they hatch and it can take them some time to do that so don't get too worried

 

[amsunshine]

Thanks; this is helpful info. How does your dry hatch work? I always thought you HAD to have a constant humidity even in the dry method--otherwise the eggs dry out, right? Maybe I'm not understanding it correctly.

 

[mnferalkitty]

I fill up my water resevoirs when I put the eggs in and fill them back up when I put them in lockdown and thats it.

 

[amsunshine]

Thanks--what type of incubator do you have? Do you leave both vents open the whole time too? Does the humidity go too far up initially then? I'm still a bit confused on how that method works.

 

[mnferalkitty]

Thanks--what type of incubator do you have? Do you leave both vents open the whole time too? Does the humidity go too far up initially then? I'm still a bit confused on how that method works.

I have hova bators and little giants plus a leah type old wooden table top, I leave one vent open, the humdity at first makes a mist in the incubator I don't know what percent the humidity is I have never measured it. I also do not candle a lot just twice, at 10 days and the day I lockdown. I also use auto turners. This method works for me because I have found that the more I mess with the eggs and mess with temps and humdity my hatch rates are terrible. If I keep it simple and leave things alone my hatch rates are really good

 

[amsunshine]

Thanks very much. Maybe I will try it this way next time. It's the end of Hatch Day and I still haven't gotten any pips. I have a feeling I've messed with things too much, as you said.

 

[Bill 101]

Quote:
Maybe, maybe not. I would give them time. Because you have reached Hatch day & you don't have any pips doesn't mean they won't hatch
I noticed that you don't mention what humidity level you are using. While I agree that there are different methods of achieving the proper humidity for your incubator, placement & location I no longer believe that someone's humidity level will work for everyone. While I use a constant humidity level throughout the incubation & increase it at hatch, it's apparent that MY humidity levels don't work for other people. I think that for new people learning to incubate/hatch that watching the air cell increase during incubation is the best indicator of proper humidity. Checking humidity means candling, which I'm also not in favor of, but until individuals learn what humidity is necessary to get good hatches I see no other method. After a couple of cycles of incubation/hatch a person should be able to determine how much water they should have in their incubator to achieve decent hatch rates. There is little reason to have disasters if proper temperature & humidity are maintained. Proper humidity is as important as temperature, but the way we each achieve proper humidity can be quite different, there is no better way than watching &marking the progress of the air cell