Very small air cells on day 16 - Please help me save these babies.

[Arielle]

You can put in a fan. Any thing small enough to fit in without blowing on the eggs directly and a hole which will allow the moist air to leave.

I often have staggered hatches in one incubator with no problem. I even have chicks hatch that I have fogotten about. LOL Had 5-6 show up overnight--what a surprise and of course it was on a day when I was already flat out busy for the day.

Walmart has a smallish fan that I use in my home made but you might get it to fit in yours. Otherwise can you wire up a PC fan??

I think the small walmart fan will fit in ok--I don't know your incubator's dimensions ; the fan is about 4 x 4 x5 high; it is on a stand and you can adjust the direction of the flow.

 

[calichickies]

Unfortunately the interior of the bator is barely high enough for the eggs, let alone the chicks. I could hear my last chicks banging against the roof as they stumbled over the eggs- no good
But thanks for the tips and advice. I think I am doing all I can do for now. I raised up the lid a little and I'm opening it often as well. But humidity is still sticking around 30/28.
I'm just going to have to hope for the best...
I have learned so much with this hatch, I feel like I know what to do/not to do next time to help my success rate go up. At least we learn from our mistakes I guess...

 

[Arielle]

We learn the most from making mistakes!!!!

You WILL do better next time!!

Goodluck.

 

[calichickies]

Thank you so much!

 

[Arielle]

Be sure to post how it goes or if you have more questions.

 

[calichickies]

Yes I will!
I'm curious myself.
Hoping for the best but I also hope I'm not too terribly disappointed if I do get a very unsuccessful outcome.
We had a hot day here today and humidity went up to 40- ugghh.
I will try to candle again on day 19 and try to see if the air cells improved at all.
I have a pencil line drawn on them already so I'll have a comparison.
If I'm going to mess up it darn well better be a learning experience.
Expecting pips on Thursday... we shall see.

You know what really disappoints me... are all the University level articles (like from Texas A & M) I read on hatching before I ever turned on the bator. They all told me to keep the H up to 58/60 and then 65 for the hatch. If I had only known what a horrible mistake that would be. In the beginning I was trying desperately to get the H *up* to 58-- if I had only known how very wrong that would be.

They also warned that a difference in temp of just .5 would have drastic results. My temp has been 99 - 102 with the goal being 100, and on the eggs I just hatched I had an 80% successful hatch rate! These eggs can take a lot, but it seems that it's the H that I really need to work on now.

Thanks again. I'll write back with any further results I have.

 

[Arielle]

THe university sites provide informtion for the big hatcheries usually, not the backyard enthusiast.

THat level is for the BIG incubators which are built differently.

Can you blow a fan across the top of a hole to PULL moist air out? Or set it over a hole to pull out?

Hope burns eternal-- a natural reaction. If there was no hope you would quit now and toss the eggs.

But you ARE going to sit there an watch over them until you have completely satisfied yourself that they are not coming.

How do I know this? I've done it too! LOL

 

[calichickies]

Oh I see.
Yep- just a little backyard chicken hatcher here. ha ha
I will see what I can do about a fan today.
Keeping the house as cool as I can (without A/C).
Supposed to be 90 today- sheesh! But at least I'm in California, the rest of the US looks like it's frying. Poor people

Ever hopeful that is for sure!
You know I've been looking in the library for a good chicken book that has in depth info on hatching and there just doesn't seem to be one. Have you seen a very thorough book that has good candling pics, good chart on growth inside the egg, air cell pics, what H and temp do to the egg, etc.
I am learning the most thru this website, but the information contained within this website is overwhelming at times. And you have to wade thru a lot of chatter sometimes to get to the valuable info.

I guess every bator and environment is different. So there's not just one straight forward answer for everybody, but still the multiple 300+pg books I've checked out have about 10 pages or less on hatching in them. Disappointing, and some with bad info too

To make matters even more interesting... I also have 4 duck eggs in the bator - they are due on Saturday. Crazy. Just crazy.
I had no idea what I was getting into. I asked my mother-in-law for some fertile eggs to test the bator with and she gave me the ones I just hatched and 4 duck eggs too. I set everyone in the bator, and then she says, "Oh those ones are duck eggs." What?!? I had to look up when they would hatch- 28 days!?! I knew that was bad... but I went forward anyway. And then a friend called, desperate, "Do you have anymore room in the bator? One of my hens is dying and I want to hatch her eggs!" Oh dear... Sure! Throw them on in, what could happen? It'll all be ok right? lol Silly me...

It's all quite comical now. I sure hope I get some chicks for my friend out of this batch.

I'm not messing with the eggs today. Trying to keep the temp at 99 and the H as low as possible - 28 right now. Trying to give them more time to lose weight. I'll candle them tomorrow I think...

 

[Arielle]

Funny how we get pulled into things--I've been looking back, reminicing on how I've learned todo something. It is never a straight forward process. Lots of ups and downs and side to sides!! LOL

That is how learning goes IMO.

I do have a great hatching book --it's onnly about hatching. THe section on incubating is only 1 chapter, there are chapters on the health of the breeding stock, kinds of incubtors historically, etc. Written by Janet Stromberg. Can't remember the title. I read it thru cover to cover many times. Again, it is comprehensive, but not complete. I read all the univerisity sites, too.

Experience is your best teacher--that is how you find out if the books are right. I use the books for ideas and a starting point. I understand the information better AFTER do some hatching--then I see it a different way. I read a lot on BYC. There are 2 big hatch a thons that are fun and full of info. Even if you are not hatching, lurk and learn. I picked up so much info by just throwing out a question--with 100 or300 devoted readers that are hatching, I picked up much good information.

Ducks-- you need to know what kind of ducks--mine go 30-36 days. Muscovy.

I'm sure you are feeling very stressed by the situation. TRy to hang in there and know you are doing the best you know how. It will be all over in a matter of days.

 

[calichickies]

Oh yes, the beautiful learning process... I do like to learn new thing.

And I truly believe just what you've said- experience is our greatest teacher.

I have heard of that book by Stromberg-- is it "The guide to better hatching."

I'm actually not too stressed, just had a very fun and successful hatch on Friday/Saturday-- so that made me very happy, and I'm riding on that happiness still.

I'll have to look into those hatch-a-thons- sounds like fun with some learning thrown in for good measure

The ducks are khaki campbells, so I think I've got the days right-- 28 - but I hear they take forever to hatch.

Thanks for keeping me company while I wait. I appreciate the support.

These are the *Girls* (thinking positive) that I hatched on Friday and Saturday.
Caring for them is helping me keep busy.