While I have alot of chickens ive never I incubated alot of eggs.its ban several years because my hens usually do he job.
Id like to selectively hatch certain breeds I have but I am a little nervous about it.

I bought an incubator last year and really wanna use it but I'm not real sure about how to go about it.

I don't wanna have a bunch of chicks that die in their shells or when hatching


Are there any tips y'all can give me to help insure a successful hatch?

Id really appreciate the help
I

My incubator has an automatic turner

Make sure you never run out of some water in the bottom of the incubator.

Set it up in a room with a stable temp not subject to drafts. This avoids having the incubator to self adjust if it is of that type or you if manual from having to correct for wild swings in temp. I always set mine up a day or so ahead of time at temp with water and I use a separate temp and humidity monitor with probes to backstop the onboard monitor. You can also use a thermometer and hygrometer inside visible from the window in the lid. I run it long enough to be sure the onboard is in sync or correct and make adjustments in water level or plugging or unplugging ventilation to hold stable humidity. I use a hovabator genesis automatic and it's always been dead on.
Once I'm satisfied everything is stable I load the eggs into the turner and close it up only opening when water needs topping off or to candle the eggs ten days in.

You do want to up the humidity the last day or so to avoiding sticking in the shell when pipping. On mine that's usually corking the vent hole.

While mine does have the tray on bottom with three different sized channels to hold differing amounts of water to supposedly vary the actual humidity I haven't been able finely control humidity that way. No real difference in each of the three channels so I just fill one for incubation then all at pipping.

Doing a dry run for a few days will help you get all that down.

So you candle them at 10 days?

Does the she'll stick to he chicks regularly?

A friend hatched some had shells stuck to them and most died.most died.

Is that a humidity or temperature issue or both?

This is the incubator I have.

It has a humidity and temp display. I also bought a brooder.




Thank you for taking the time to answer.

I hate to have chicks that die.

Its so sad.

I don't add any water to my incubator, it is in a walkout basement and have had some of my best hatches doing it this way. Your going to have losses and disappointments hatching chicks it's part of it. I don't know why your friends chicks had the shell stick to them my first guess is they were slow to hatch and the membrane dried and stuck to them.

Sticking is a humidity issue. That one looks to be very similar to a gensis and should be about as foolproof.

Sticking really hasn't been an issue for me. I have far more issue with egg quality as what I've hatched have mostly been shipped eggs and our postal service can scramble an egg and never crack a shell.

Quality in quality out has led to my best hatch rates. I candle before they go in and loose air pockets are 50% at best and those that do make are often weaker at pipping and take longer to break out. The longer they take the higher the risk of sticking.

And no matter what do not help them out as they seem to need that initial struggle to free themselves. Maybe it's me but those I've assisted in the past never seemed to live up to full potential. Not sure if that's initial weakness or not but I figure if I lose it in the shell it wasn't meant to be.

The best eggs to go in are fresh yard eggs.

I've long suspected that here in the humid southeast we are probably over stressing humidity vs drier areas. But I've not been willing to risk a clutch to go against the book to find out.

The best eggs to go in are fresh yard eggs.

assuming you have a rooster. LOL

Generally just follow the directions that came with the incubator.

just

Same one here Cathryn. Chicks are hatching as I type this. We had the turner and just followed the directions that came with the incubator. Always let the hens do it on their own but our free-range broody ones got turned into an owl pellet somewhere. The incubator was a fun project for the kids and pretty easy....so far.

Cathryn , I have the same incubator as the one you have pictured , the Farm Innovators Pro 4250 . It's a very good incubator , however mine is NOT accurate regarding temperature or humidity . I'm told that almost all incubators with a digital readout are not accurate . I highly suggest that you get 2 additional thermometer/hygrometer to place in the incubator while incubating . If you only use one additional way of checking temp/humidity and the incubator says one thing and the second one says another you won't know which is accurate . With two additional you will . I use the Govee brand . It is both combined into one unit . You should calibrate them before use . Also even with a forced air unit you will have hot and cold spots in the incubator . Keep it in a room with very little fluctuation in temperature or you may have to wrap it in a towel or something to keep it consistent . Humidity levels are usually a certain percentage for incubating and then bumped up for hatching phase .Set it up and run it for at least 24 hours before you put the eggs in .That way you will be able to make your adjustments before you start incubating .

The egg cup next to the egg turning motor gets very warm . You might want to leave that one empty . Also don't put your secondary thermometer too close to it or you won't get an accurate reading on temp as that spot always seems much warmer than the rest of the incubator .

Old chicken lady told me keep a water bottle sprayer nearby with room temp water in it give it a few pumps to help with humidity issues, it made a difference in my hatch rate.

In a good week, we hatch 1200 to 1500 chicks and keets. We have 3 Sportsman and 2 Dickey, cabinet style incubators. 2 days after the eggs were supposed to hatch, take any unpipped eggs and place them in 106F water. Eggs with live chicks will rock vigorously on their axis. Put the eggs that moved back in the incubator and they should hatch within 20 minutes. Chicks kick to tell the hens they are to hot, which is why the eggs rock in the water. The hot water revitalizes the chicks and frees them from the shell membranes.

Keith

i store my eggs in a cool dark place in carboard egg cartons with the pointy end down and carton set on an angle. keep humidity around 50-52% the first 18 days then up the humidity to 60-65% and don not open incubator again till they hatch. Remove turner on day 18 also. Get a good temp and humidity gauge. I have had decent luck hatching in a styrofoam incubator but a couple years ago i bought a Brinsea 54 egg incubator and it's been so much better and easier to use. Temp and humidity always stay right were they are set.

Cautionary story for you Cathryn: There was an old spinster who bought an incubator and wanted to start a chick business. Time after time she got zero hatch outs. After going to her counties extension agent about the problem they asked what her rooster to hen ratio was. One rooster to 15 hens was the answer. "Can't understand it said the agent, that is by the book the correct ratio".

Agent: "Do you see the rooster copulating with the hens"? "Oh no, I never see that says the spinster. It's after my bedtime...I put him in with the hens at dark when they're on the roost and take him back out and put him in his cage at first light"!

Glad you picked up a forced air with auto turn. Your hatch success will go up. I built my first incubator from a kit abt 50 years ago. You will have fun!

Good advice here. Temp should be taken at the top of the egg. You can move eggs from a cooler area to a warmer spot. This will even out the hatch.

Good luck.

https://www.purinamills.com/chicken...s-at-home-a-21-day-guide-for-baby-chicks

Wow. Guys thanks so much for the information. Ive been busy selling rampa so havent been on but I really appreciate yalls knowledge.

Jumper. Thanks for the pic of your chicks hatching.
I have the same incubator as you..or it looks like it.