Valentine's Day 1st Annual Hatch Along

[Alaskan]

what is the humidity when you fill both water chambers?

 

[ochochicas]

I've only had one incubator hatch, but I increased the humidity on day 18. According to my hygrometer (which I don't think worked well) the humidity was between 60 and 65%. I wanted it higher, so I was spraying the sides with warm water once a day to get it up around 70%. Last summer I had a sticky chick hatch under a broody. The chick survived but has never been completely normal. I want to avoid that happening again! I had 20 out of 20 eggs hatch in my incubator hatch, so spraying the sides must have worked. I'll do the same thing this time. Right now the humidity is around 40%. The eggs were weighed on Sunday and are right where they should be for weight loss. I'm going to lock down Wednesday morning and should start to see pips when I get home from work on Friday!

 

[paris_r]

I am having massive issues with my new incubator. i bought 2 new ones (styrofoam little giants) both digital but one has a digital display and one is a manual knob but with digital control for stasis (as i understand it). about 8 days ago i noticed my eggs werent moving on my new turner, turns out the crimp on the motor housing wasnt well done and it popped open and the gears were disengaged. i took it back to the store and have them on the floor of the incubator. there were 2 hatching dates in there, one today at 7 pm and they were hatching early-almost 2 days early. the other incubator-the one with the digital display i do not recommend. the sensor for it is unpredictable. it is attached to a long wire and you place that on top of the eggs--but i also have a turner in there, so that height difference matters. i have 4 thermometers in there-the one it came with , an egg shaped one that is supposed o compensate for heat retention of eggs, a cheap hygrometer/thermometer combo from lowes and a digital of the same from lowes. both units have fans.

the digital display from the incubator itself disagrees with the other 3, and i can never get the sensor to agree. adding water makes a temp spike. but what i dont get is i can adjust the temp to a specific set temp and yet it will spike 4 degrees higher!!! i have a record from the digital lowes unit saying it was 104, and the egg unit says 108 (but i dont rely on this one much-i really need to calibrate them to each other). my other unit did not have this issue so i think it has to do with the sensor.

i candled some of the eggs, some had air cell issue from the getgo so i have little hope for them but others SEEM fine and are moving, anyone know if they are ok now that they wont have a latent death from the spike?

 

[ochochicas]

Temps of 104 or higher are supposed to kill the embryos. If it wasn't for too long, or if it was closer to 104 instead of 108 then you have some hope. A chicken's body temperature is around 105, so technically it is possible for a hen to heat the eggs up more than 99.5. Good luck with your eggs and keep us posted!

 

[Nedw3]

I am having massive issues with my new incubator. i bought 2 new ones (styrofoam little giants) both digital but one has a digital display and one is a manual knob but with digital control for stasis (as i understand it). about 8 days ago i noticed my eggs werent moving on my new turner, turns out the crimp on the motor housing wasnt well done and it popped open and the gears were disengaged. i took it back to the store and have them on the floor of the incubator. there were 2 hatching dates in there, one today at 7 pm and they were hatching early-almost 2 days early. the other incubator-the one with the digital display i do not recommend. the sensor for it is unpredictable. it is attached to a long wire and you place that on top of the eggs--but i also have a turner in there, so that height difference matters. i have 4 thermometers in there-the one it came with , an egg shaped one that is supposed o compensate for heat retention of eggs, a cheap hygrometer/thermometer combo from lowes and a digital of the same from lowes. both units have fans.

the digital display from the incubator itself disagrees with the other 3, and i can never get the sensor to agree. adding water makes a temp spike. but what i dont get is i can adjust the temp to a specific set temp and yet it will spike 4 degrees higher!!! i have a record from the digital lowes unit saying it was 104, and the egg unit says 108 (but i dont rely on this one much-i really need to calibrate them to each other). my other unit did not have this issue so i think it has to do with the sensor.

i candled some of the eggs, some had air cell issue from the getgo so i have little hope for them but others SEEM fine and are moving, anyone know if they are ok now that they wont have a latent death from the spike?

Good luck, I hope you have a great hatch

 

[Alaskan]

Two years back.. it is a wonder I didn't die from heart failure....

I had a HORRID incubator, that had SEVERAL big temp spikes, up to 104.

Out of maybe 20 eggs, (local, not shipped) I still managed to hatch I think its was 7. VERY vigorous chicks.

I guess I just killed off all of the weak ones.

 

[misfitmorgan]

i have been letting my bator run at 0% humiditiy for 4 or 5 days now because i keep getting sticky chicks...basically i havnt added any water at all since Feb 4th. i hope the hatch comes out well with the dry hatch method....i know the wet one was not working for me.

Anyone who Set on the 24th....Lockdown is tonight for you.

If you were naughty like me and set on the 25th, lockdown is tomorrow

Set Lockdown
1/24 2/10
1/25 2/11
1/26 2/12
1/27 2/13
1/28 2/14
1/29 2/15
1/30 2/16
1/31 2/17

Remember anyone who joined the Worst/Best contests by sending me their PMs before the deadline your chicks MUST be hatched or not by 2/21 at the absolute latest.

The contest prizes and winners will be announced on 2/22. (i do not know when Dragonclaw is doing his prize for Guess The Total)

Do not forget if you have not entered the "Guess How Many Eggs Were Set By All HAL Members Total" Contest there is still time to PM your guess to @DragonClaw01

 

[misfitmorgan]

Hi peeps, can I join you? I set 24 Lavendar orpington shipped eggs from 2 different farms the night of the 23rdThis will be my second attempt at hatching lavendar orpingtons. The first resulted in some mutts ( bad luck on eBay). This time I have some great fertile eggs from Garry Farms and a couple of incubators that I have to baby to keep the temps right
So can I have you double check my math please:yiipchick lock down should be the 11th? I'm trying to keep my husband away from my incubators so he doesn't see how many eggs I have in there (more than 24 as some are hatching later)

so I can't ask him to double check my math....also he will start asking me " so what is your strategy with the chickens"??? Strategy! Is he crazy

Your Eggs should have been taken out of the turned and put on lockdown last night. Get them out of the turners and bump up your humidity if your not doing dry hatch. Set 1/23 Lockdown 2/9
You never count the day you set on because it is not a full day, you start the day after and count 18 days....hatch is the day after you set and count 21 days. The chart in my post below should help you with chicken math. It gets all of us...i am guilty of putting eggs in lockdown early and late

i have been letting my bator run at 0% humiditiy for 4 or 5 days now because i keep getting sticky chicks...basically i havnt added any water at all since Feb 4th. i hope the hatch comes out well with the dry hatch method....i know the wet one was not working for me.

Anyone who Set on the 24th....Lockdown is tonight for you.

If you were naughty like me and set on the 25th, lockdown is tomorrow

Set Lockdown
1/24 2/10
1/25 2/11
1/26 2/12
1/27 2/13
1/28 2/14
1/29 2/15
1/30 2/16
1/31 2/17

Remember anyone who joined the Worst/Best contests by sending me their PMs before the deadline your chicks MUST be hatched or not by 2/21 at the absolute latest.

The contest prizes and winners will be announced on 2/22. (i do not know when Dragonclaw is doing his prize for Guess The Total)

Do not forget if you have not entered the "Guess How Many Eggs Were Set By All HAL Members Total" Contest there is still time to PM your guess to @DragonClaw01

 

[ochochicas]

i have been letting my bator run at 0% humiditiy for 4 or 5 days now because i keep getting sticky chicks...basically i havnt added any water at all since Feb 4th. i hope the hatch comes out well with the dry hatch method....i know the wet one was not working for me.

Can you elaborate on this? Sticky chicks hatch "sticky" due to having too dry conditions during lockdown. The fluids from the egg dry on them and form a sort of crust. You can wash them with warm water and dawn dish soap (be sure to rinse well and keep them warm to dry thoroughly). Running the incubator at too low of a humidity before lockdown can cause shrink wrapping, which is even worse than sticky chicks.

I had a sticky chicks hatch under a broody last summer. She was the last one to hatch and I think the hen had already got off the nest so the humidity dropped and she was sticky. She seemed fine otherwise. It looked like she was wet for a long time and I started to wonder why she wasn't drying. Upon touch her, she was dry but her feathers were hard like they had been painted with clear fingernail polish. She washed off fine and joined the rest of the chicks.

 

[gimmie birdies]

humidity is most important at hatching time.