So I started incubation on 6-16-07. I put 4 eggs in there cause I really don't need to much more. Everything seems to be going fine except the humidity. A few days ago I bought this thermometer/ hydrometer at Walmart. It's accurate in all but the humidity is pretty low. Right now it's at 51% and changing. I heard it's suppose to be at 60 - 65% for the development stage and I think if I remember it's suppose to be at 80 - ? % in the hatching stage, so the chick doesn't stick to the egg. I filled the ring provided, I filled a little cup with water, and I also cut a t-shirt in half dipped it in water and put it in the incubator. And still for about 3 days the humidity is still low. Does anybody got any idea on what to add.
Eric
Incubation
what kind of incubator is it?
It's a still air incubator.
sponges
wet some new clean and rinsed sponges
and place them in the
re- wet if needed
also check the humidity in different areas of the incubator
Okay, thanks I'll try that.
So it turns out that my humidity was totally fine after all. I put another hydrometer/ thermometer in there and it's about 70% now. So I have about 13 days until my first egg hatches, can't wait until the big day. Thanks for all replies.
Eric
Eric19,
Did you make sure the egg was fertile or put it in water to see if it stayed at the bottom ????
The eggs that stay at the bottom of the water are fertile...The ones that flote are not ...
I had one that was fertile and it died in inside of the shell...
Don't count your chickens before they hatch...
Tracey
Well I suppose they are, I got two roosters. I just hope they did their job. LOL. I'll probably try that water thing now. Is it too late now to do it? Egg #1 is on it's 9th day. And eggs #'s 2,3, and 4 are on their 8th day.
Stop! Yes, now it is too late to submerge those incubated eggs in water.
Matter of fact, the "water test" only tells you how old the eggs are, not whether they are fertile or not. (Older eggs have more air in them so will tend to float; fresh eggs have less air in them so will lay on the bottom.)
Right now, keeping the humidity up and the proper temps, and turning the eggs on schedule is your best bet.
Wishing you the best, and your eggs, too!
Shoe
Ok, Cause I was just wondering so the next time I incubate, I wont make that mistake.
The only way I know of to tell if an egg is fertile is to candle it.
Tracey did you "float" all your eggs to test for fertility ?? Just curious cuz I don't think it would be a good idea.
~Julie
Before my chicks hatch I would like to know a few things; What if one chick hatches and messes with the other eggs? What if I'm candling an egg and all the sudden it slips out of my hand and fully cracks open? And what if it cracks a little? Do I still put the egg in the incubator? And one last question. How do I know if the egg is fertile the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd day of incubation (besides doing the water test)?
Eric
This message was edited Jun 26, 2007 11:18 PM
The water test does NOT test for fertility. Eggs are porous and can absorb moisture, you can drown an embryo by trying to sink it in water. At an early stage I don't know if the water will have an effect but it won't tell you if the egg is fertile. People have used that method to see if their eggs are fresh for eating not for fertility......... eggs lose moisture thru the shell as time goes on because the egg is porous. Thats why humidity in incubation is an issue...too little the chick dries out, too much the chick drowns in the shell.
Typically ppl do not candle an egg successfully until day #5-7. If by day #14 there is no veining or the egg looks bad I pitch it. Google how to candle an egg if you have never done it. There are great links out there with pictures on what to look for. A dark room and an led flashlight and you are good to go. It's exciting to watch a tiny chick move inside the eggshell. A non-fertile egg will show clear...no veining , no spots, just the yellow yolk floating inside.
Yes when the egg hatches the chick will flop around and hit, bump and move the other eggs. Everyone has a different approach. Personally I have a brooder box set up and after several hours I move my chicks to that. I find they dry off much better outside of the humid incubator.
A small paper towel lined box inside the brooder keeps the baby from getting lost in the brooder and gives it a chance to dry off and gain it's strength. After it is fluffy and can stand without pitching, I set it free inside the brooder. Remember not to use newspaper to line your brooder !!!
Some ppl leave their chicks inside the bator for 1-2 days. Others will put the newly hatched chick inside a small paper towel lined bowl or box inside the incubator so it is still inside and unable to flop against the other eggs. Everyone has their own method of what works best for them.
Have your brooder area ready before the hatch day. I have run an incubator and a hatching bator beside it (the eggs are moved to it the last 3-days) and a brooder box to sort of move the eggs along a procession line of development...lol. The hatcher helps if you have eggs that need to be turned while the others are in the home stretch and shouldn't be disturbed, especially if you have a really full incubator/lot of eggs going at different stages.
If you are candling an egg and it cracks you might as well clean up the mess and move on. If it's fully open there is nothing else you can do. Typically ppl don't candle at the end stages of incubation. You can't see much of anything but the air pocket because the chick has grown to a size that it takes up the rest of the egg. So an egg that cracks fully open on day 14-16 isn't going to live either way......
An egg that cracks a little will depend on what stage it is at. Is it just the shell cracked but the membrane is not damaged. Is fluid leaking out. Any compromise of the shell allows MORE bacteria to enter and in turn kill the chick inside. I've heard of ppl using a dab of glue or a pc of tape but I would be doubtful that it would work myself.
A lot can go wrong during the incubation process. My personal opinion on that is if I would step away from the incubator I would have more successes...lol. (Meaning touch them less and just leave them alone) But I am worse than a mother hen watching my eggs. I fret over temps and humidity constantly.....but I have lost chicks due to high humidity, among other things of course. I admit I candle too much - I make notations on each egg's progress (each is numbered and I keep a notebook with notations on each egg) I tend to have too many eggs going at once at different stages...more eggs means more time the bator is open for turning the eggs and candling which means temp/humidity fluctuations. It's a vicious cycle...lol. You should have seen me the day the power went out and I had a full incubator...it wasn't pretty !!
I told myself that is why I bought silkie eggs in the early spring. Those silkies hopefully will be my "better incubator" You can't improve on mother nature !!!
Good luck with your hatch
~Julie =0)
This message was edited Jun 27, 2007 5:41 AM
DO NOT float hatching eggs!!!!
That floating thing is to test eggs you are going to eat
don't wash them before they go in the incubator
if they are really crusty ....don't use them
water,and bacteria can enter the egg and ruin your chances before you start
When you put them in the incubator,aside from turning them, just leave them alone
wait a week before you candle them
I know its a killer waiting to see but your not doing the embryo any favors that early
as for cracking the egg
get rid of any with cracks
I have used clear nail polish on some with a crack,only on hairline cracks
sometimes it works...mostly it doesent
if a egg breaks in the incubator you have to disinfect the incubator
bacteria grows like crazy in a warm humid area
Thanks guys, I put that to good use.
I got 9 more days until my #1 egg hatches and 10 more days until my #'s 2,3, and 4 hatch. #'s 3 and 4 seem to not have any veining going on for them.
So I guess I'm going to just leave them until the 14th day, which should be coming in 3 more days. I'll candle them to see if anything has grown, if not I'll have to pitch 'em.
So yesterday I had to throw away eggs #'s 3 and 4. They, I guess were not fertilized, nothing grew in them (just a yolk). So that makes it only two eggs in the incu. It also seems that when I candle the two, they seem to get less active in the egg.
They only got about 5-6 more days of incu. So on 7-7-07, they should all be hatched.
Eric
One reason for less activity is they are bigger and cannot move around like they could when they were smaller. Right now they are "sharing" the space with the ever growing air sac
Duh... I should of knew that I guess I wasn't thinking. Thanks
#1 egg hatched today at 1:10 a.m. ! I'm so relieved, I thought it wouldn't make it, the incu kept changing temp on me. The highest went was about little over 101 deg!
I was really hopping the chick would yellow, but instead it was black. But I guess it doesn't matter, after all it is just a color.
I put 2 white eggs and 2 green eggs in their. But I had to cull 1 white and 1 green (not fertile).
Some time tomorrow #2 egg should hatch. This one is the green one.
Eric
It has been 2 days since my last chick was put in the brooder. The temp is now around the mid 90's, and the chicks are panting. They've been doing this since I put the thermometer/Hydrometer in the brooder. Every 1-2 hours I put clean cool water in their for them to drink. Maybe I should start refilling the water more frequently? Should I bring down the temp?
My last question is, can I put them outside for a few hour everyday, now that it's in the high 80's low 90's, or is it still too early? I remember someone, I think from DG said that they put their chicks outside from the 1st day they hatched, and then they brought them in a few hours later.
Thanks in ahead of time for any comments.
Eric
Eric, I'm not sure how big your brooder box is but if they are panting at that temp I wonder if they have an area to get away from the heat lamp you have in there. Also, as long as they have water to drink you should not feel the need to keep putting fresh water in every two hours...water doesn't necessarily cool them off.
As for putting them outside, I tend to wait till the chicks are fully feathered out before they go outside. (Naturally hatched chicks will go huddle under their mother if they get too cold or disturbed but incubator hatched chicks have no mother to huddle under.)
Congrats on your hatchlings! Having fun, ain't ya!?
Shoe
I agree
the brooder has to be large enough so they can get away from the heat source
They will move to where its comfortable for them
If they get chilly they let you know!
as long as its warm out and they are sheltered from drafts (enclosed on all sides) they would probably be alright outside,they would have to have shade too
Personally....I wouldn't put them outside
too many things can go wrong
Don't wear yourself out with the water
if you're worried the water is too warm throw some ice cubes in it
Well it seems that everything id going fine here with both chicks. their feathers are starting to come in. Sorry their no pic's, my camera seems to not want to work that good, I'll have to get it checked out so I can post some pic's of them.
I bought ammonia, so I can clean up my incubator and I was wondering if I could also use it to clean the last batches water and feeder, will it be good for that too? It seems that they are got a little too big for the water and feeder I have now for them. Thanks Eric
I don't know , I normally use vinegar.
Julie
I use clorox cleanup.....
Well I'm trying incubation one last time. I'm using the same number and color eggs as last time. Except this time I'm trying dry incubating! Julie gave me this link to, how to make your own feeders and waters, I found this Dry Incubating page. I don't know about you guys but I never heard about it. Here it is:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-DryIncubation.html
I've never grabbed eggs and kept them in a cool place for them to incubate later. But I'm doing that now, and the temp is about 73 with a 46% humidity. I have them wrapped in an old shirt to keep them a little warmer. I'm only going to wait another 10 hrs. or so for the temp in my incu to stay at a101 temp.
If I grab one today and put it and the rest in the incu, will I have to start counting the day I put them in the incu or the day I got them, for them to hatch?
Thanks, Eric
21 days from the start of incubation