Unsecure chicken perches

[CallyChook]

So, I'm waiting another week and should be then ready for the first batch of eggs to go into the incy. Last year was my first go, and I hatched two batches, but although the second wasnt as bad as the first I still had a high percentage of DIS.

 

I'm thinking that since they were fully formed inside, I perhaps had the humidity too high. I was using an expensive digital hygrometer but I have a maino MPS18 so I could only check while turning. The last three days were a bit of a guess. This year I'm going to try to cut a hole into the lid and house it in the wall of the incy so that I can keep a closer eye.

 

I've never hatched this early before. How many of you more experienced keepers are hatching dry? I think one more batch of checking on dead chicks fully formed in shells may put me off hatching again as it feels very cruel, and I am directly responsible for their fates. Yes, many chicks wont make it - but I want that to be due to bad genetics, not my methods!

 

thanks for any advice!!

[scarlettohara]

I've got a mini humidity thermometer which fits in with the eggs and doesn't interfere with turning, it's currently hovering between 45-50 (yesterday I syringed some water out of the chamber as it went over 50). It's a bit of a minefield but hope it's settled down now

[Redwing]

Last year i didnt have any water in the inccy for the first 18 days the humidity sat at 30% naturally then I took it to about 55% - hatch results were good

 

This year I have changed tactics to get even better results I am running the inccy dry to the first egg pips then took it to 50% first hatch and all eight of the definite good eggs hatched

 

I have had eggs hatch early during the dry days several times so figure that a lower humidity is less harmful than a high one but that's only my thinking.

 

Sadly experienced hatchers will experiment to get the best results from their inccy but hobby hatchers only get one or two hatches a year so disappointing hatches are quite common

 

One thing to remember not to do is to open the inccy during hatching as the sudden change in humidity can cause the membrane around the chick to dry and shrink back killing the chick

 

Too high a humidity can cause the air sack to fill with water and when the chick internally pips through to the air sack it's met by a rush if water and drowns

 

Good luck with your hatching - getting the humidity monitor fixed inside the inccy will help a great deal

[CallyChook]

Thanks tasha

 

From the amount of moisture in the eggs last time when I opened the dead ones, I think the latter happened - although they did have an air pocket where I opened the egg, inside the membrane was very...fluid.

 

Needless to say both times I really cried.

 

the first hatch was only with a novital bottom of the range one and I think it was a bit rubbish to be honest which is why I went on to buy the maino, still air was just not my thing! Of my first hatch I only have two birds left - Flappy the white crested died unexpectedly at maturity and Beaker didnt make it to full grown he was a real runt and never put much weight on. All the second hatch are still going - so the ones I did get through, stayed healthy.

 

Just won 6 silver laced poland eggs on ebay, not tried this seller before. I was a bit taken aback at the price I paid, 3 times what I did last year, but it is early for polands and also I just saw my practical poultry mag - polands on the front - so must be the next wave of poland mania. Fingers crossed the seller is a reputable one - and his lads are lascivious!

 

Two other auctions finishing today and I want to give a couple of my own a go too. They'll either be pure silkie, pure poland or a cross, pot luck eggs have to be the most exciting with regards what comes out!

 

After this run, it's on to the more expensive ones later in the spring, the houdans and (hopefully) crevecoeurs. Perhaps some orloff too. Got to wait until I can afford more housing and fencing before I do that though as they're going to my mum's, she has 2 1/2 acres of unused lovely land and has given me free use I'm thinking showing next year perhaps and even some breeding for sale? Have to see how it all develops. Wont be for profit - just means more chooks and not too much cost overall.

 

Defra here we come!!!!

[scarlettohara]

Tasha that was really helpful, I had read that low was better than high. Mine is hovering around 30 now so am going to leave it.