What are your percentages of hatch with incubators?

[ChickenCanoe]

Over the years my hatch rates have been from 0 to 100% and everything between. The 0%ers had been way more common than the 100%ers.
That's with two LGs, one huge DIY combination incubator/hatcher in a two compartment cabinet and 3 older generation 1202s and 1250s Sportsman cabinets (two incubators and one hatcher).
A couple batches of shipped eggs (very poor hatches).
One batch was from a Slo Food project of Delaware eggs I hatched for a friend who didn't have enough incubator space for all his eggs.
One batch of Canada Goose eggs that was 100%.
That hatch caused me to rehabilitate my cabinet. The goslings shed so much down that I had to redo the bank of fans that were clogged with down and dust. I decided to go with higher air flow fans with filters.
All the rest of the thousand+ eggs were from my birds. They are from a very small gene pool so I'm not surprised that I don't have better hatch rates. A high hatch rate, while desirable, isn't the most important thing to me. Sometimes I'll set eggs that are past their prime just because proper timing wasn't always possible. If it was an egg from a pairing I wanted, I would set it even if the eggs' chances were slim. Add to that, I almost never assist hatches. Here, they hatch or they don't. Assisted hatches are an absolute waste of time. If they don't pop right out, I don't want to perpetuate those genetics.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Super cheap Little Giant incubator, still air, no turners, styrofoam, $49 from TSC, holds around 40+ eggs. Got about 60+% hatch rate. Then bought fan kit for it and got a better hatch rate -closer to 90%. Eggs were from my flock.

I got the same incubator. My first hatch was less than 20% (for a variety of reasons). Rigged the incubator with some game console cooling fans and got a 100% rate from fertile eggs. I wrote an article to document the process.

Little Giant Still Air Incubator Hack

 

[welderskelter]

Wow . Didnt know that it would be that good. Appreciate the response. Thanks guys and girls.

 

[Mellowmalt]

I got the same incubator. My first hatch was less than 20% (for a variety of reasons). Rigged the incubator with some game console cooling fans and got a 100% rate from fertile eggs. I wrote an article to document the process.

Little Giant Still Air Incubator Hack

I like the little details you added and those fans you found are brilliant with their feet all ready to be just placed in there.

I'd never heard of using Hydrogen peroxide. Problem with HP is that it makes my spray bottles leak and I don't want to buy a new spray bottle every time. Can eggs be dunked in it instead? Will it make a difference? I think I'd trust bleach more although I was too scared to ever try bleach cleaning eggs in the right dose.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

I like the little details you added and those fans you found are brilliant with their feet all ready to be just placed in there.

I'd never heard of using Hydrogen peroxide. Problem with HP is that it makes my spray bottles leak and I don't want to buy a new spray bottle every time. Can eggs be dunked in it instead? Will it make a difference? I think I'd trust bleach more although I was too scared to ever try bleach cleaning eggs in the right dose.

I wouldn't use bleach. Sounds dangerous. Some folks use original listerine diluted to 30-50 percent strength.

For HP spray bottle you can usually fit a spray pump directly on bottle rather than move it. Rinse when done.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

My hatch rate has ranged from 0 (poorly packed, old shipped eggs that were also dirty) to 95% (both well packed, fresh shipped eggs and own chickens' eggs). With a good incubator and fresh eggs, no reason not to expect at least a 50% hatch rate.

 

[My2butterflies]

When people give hatch rates, are you only counting fertile eggs?
Or yokers too?

If counting yokers, I’ve had as low as 0% hatch rate a couple times.
Only counting fertile eggs I’ve had better success. At least 85% I’d say. Possibly higher. I do help my hatches though. So losses are mostly due to early quitters.
I have a hova-bator 1588.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

My hatch rates seem to have more to do with the egg being shipped or not and how far if so. I have a NR360 and it's very dependable as far as temperature and humidity. My hatch rates were poor but I've only incubated shipped eggs. I have a Brinsea Maxi Advance II that I used for some eggs shipped within my state and had much better rates. The temp and humidity was always spot on with this machine and it turns gently (which I was told is necessary when incubating Seramas by the breeder). I also have an Incuview that I found was unreliable and the temp ran pretty high. This is the only machine I used for local eggs and I had 12 to hatch out of 12 eggs that I set. They all hatched early due to the high temps and I had 2 crossbeaks (they are EE mixes though and I don't believe it's been discovered if this might run in EE mix or if it's due to incubator issues). Two of these chicks died at 2+ weeks old.
I think it mostly depends on how you get the eggs and how stable the machine keeps temperatures. It's so important to keep an extra calibrated thermometer in the incubator and never trust the digital temp readout on the machine. A calibrated hydrometer is also essential in a good healthy hatch.

 

[salshep20]

My hatch rates seem to have more to do with the egg being shipped or not and how far if so. I have a NR360 and it's very dependable as far as temperature and humidity. My hatch rates were poor but I've only incubated shipped eggs. I have a Brinsea Maxi Advance II that I used for some eggs shipped within my state and had much better rates. The temp and humidity was always spot on with this machine and it turns gently (which I was told is necessary when incubating Seramas by the breeder). I also have an Incuview that I found was unreliable and the temp ran pretty high. This is the only machine I used for local eggs and I had 12 to hatch out of 12 eggs that I set. They all hatched early due to the high temps and I had 2 crossbeaks (they are EE mixes though and I don't believe it's been discovered if this might run in this breed or if it's due to incubator issues). Two of these chicks died at 2+ weeks old.
I think it mostly depends on how stable the machine keeps temperatures. It's so important to keep an extra calibrated thermometer in the incubator and never trust the digital temp readout on the machine. A calibrated hydrometer is also essential in a good healthy hatch.

my muscoys hatched from under my muscoys not and incubator and they cam out healthy

 

[Linda Dee]

Just curious because my neighbor has had his running quite a while and finally gave up. He even bought a few different incubators. Also throw in the make of your incubator. Please.

I bought a Harris Farms Nuturer 360.
I put in 10 of my own eggs. On the 1st candling, 3 eggs were not fertile. Out of the 7 eggs left, I had 1 quiter. The rest hatched healthy and happy. That was my 1st hatch. I am very happy with the Nurturer 360. It was very consistant in holding temperature and easy to keep at the humidity that I wanted. I did a dry hatch at 20% to 25% humidity during incubation and 65% at Lockdown. 6 eggs hatched out of 7.
That is a 86% hatch rate. I am very happy with that for the first hatch.