What are common bator mistakes??

[ChickenWing]

Quote:
Both.

Put the wiggler at Egg level, and put the probe inside it. It will represent the temp inside of the eggs.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

never let it set on the floor. I had too many bad experiences with people walking into my bator. That's why it doesnt set on the floor anymore.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Measuring air temp at egg height has always worked for me.

Lisa

 

[lannabun]

dont know if this one was said but make sure which end is up right .. i didnt learn that till 21 days after i put in worng and had a bad hatch .. couldnt fig out why only 1 hatched till every one help me out ..

 

[NJfarmer]

make sure you buy a good thermometer that also measures humidity. DO NOT trust the thermometer that comes with the incubater

 

[suenrob]

Gezz, this sounds way more complicated than I thought it would be, hope my bator comes with a huge manual!!!!!!!!

Why is it so hard to duplicate something that the mama chickens do so easily and naturally??????
(what an awesome creator we have!!!!)

 

[MissPrissy]

It is not hard, sue. Even the most experienced hatchers can't get it right all the time. You have to do it to learn it.

You'll get the hang of it. Just remember hens will throw eggs out of the nest and she will abandon chicks because she know something is not right.We can't expect every egg to hatch and every chick to be 100% perfect. Nature doesn't always work that way ... but when it does, man, those are good days to have a hatch!

 

[McSpin]

Here's what has helped me the most.

Have the incubator set up and running at the proper temp and humidity at least a couple days before the eggs go in. That way, the eggs should have a consistent environment from the beginning.

Do not candle. As far as I can tell, there is no good reason. I doubt exploding eggs are much of a problem if the humidity isn't too high and if they aren't going to hatch, candling won't help, but it might hurt.

Use a fan in the incubator. Temperatures can be far more consistent from edge to edge and top to bottom with a fan. This was a biggie for me.

Raise the humidity on the last 3 days to 70%.

Do not open the incubator unless you have to. The process of hatching can easily take up to 24 hrs from piping. Give them time and don't keep opening the incubator to remove the chicks individually.

Trying to help them out of the egg usually doesn't work. If they can't get out, then there is probably a good reason and the chick is likely to not do well. Eventually, normal chicks will get out on their own.