Website Main Page
Forum Main Page

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 02:05:23 AM

Login with username, password and session length
Search:     Advanced search
TQP Forum has a new look!  Let us know what you think!
42420 Posts in 6016 Topics by 2375 Members
Latest Member: jg102
* Home Help Search Calendar Login Register
+  That Quail Place Forum
|-+  Raising Gamebirds
| |-+  Incubation
| | |-+  hatching problems with 1502
« previous next »
Pages: [1] Go Down Print
Author Topic: hatching problems with 1502  (Read 6141 times)
recurveman
Guest
« on: October 18, 2004, 07:57:36 PM »

I have a sportsman's 1502 incubator.  I've been taking the eggs out of my pens and putting them in the incubator to hatch.  I've got anywhere from 50-100 eggs each week when I fill up another tray.  I've only been getting about 1 chick per hatch.  At first I thought it was the humidity.  Now I have a larger tray then they sent me full of water with 4 wicking sponges.  Plus, I have another tray in the hatcher full of 9" X 13" pan 2" deep of water to keep the humidity close to the eggs.  

I'm getting fully developed chicks in the eggs (most of the time) but they just don't seem to be able to make it out.   I usually have quite a few eggs where they start to pipe out but don't make it all the way out.  When I open up those eggs they are usually very dry.  

I leave the eggs in a fridge when I'm waiting to collect enough eggs.  I've got two fridges to see if there is a difference.  But I've also got nice numbers of eggs and put them in the same day and haven't had good luck.  

My temp is right at about 100 and is always consistent.  I have the turners on all the time.  I don't open the door unless I have too (ie. refill water every three days, set eggs, move eggs, get chick ect).  

My hatches have been THE PITS!!!!!!!!  Any ideas.  I also live in AZ where it is about 5% humidity too.  That is the reason I've been loading up on the water.  I hope that is the problem but something has got to give.  I've had about 5-6 hatches and the most chicks I've got is 2.  I've had some hatches that actually produced zero chicks

HELP ME I'M GOING NUTS AND IT IS A SHORT TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!

later

Chad
Logged
casnyder
Guest
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2004, 10:35:33 PM »

Um, I always stored eggs at room temperature prior to incubating.  I didn't think that eggs chilled to 40F (typical refrigerator setting) would even develop embroyos, much less hatch.  Silly me.

Thanks for the info,
CA
Logged
recurveman
Guest
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2004, 01:01:04 AM »

The fridge I'm using is set as high as it can go.  I also have been using a wine fridge which is even warmer than a normal fridge on high.  I've even left the eggs at room temp but nothing seems to work.  

I read somewhere that said you were supposed to keep the eggs at 60 degrees until you put them in the incubator.  

Later,

recurveman
Logged
Bloomingtongamebirds
Senior Member
*****

Karma: 0
Offline Offline

Posts: 65

« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2004, 11:33:38 AM »

Sounds like you are doing everthing I would do. I have the same incubator and usually get at least 80-85% hatch rate. I run the humidity at 65% until the last tree days then I boost it up to 75-80%. Maybe you should get something to let you know what the humidity is. I have a monitor by Oregon Scientific that tells the temp and humidity and it seems to be dead on. Hope this helps but it probably doesn't. Good Luck, hope you figure it out!
Logged
Blade
Guest
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2004, 12:59:56 AM »

I gather my eggs only once per 24 hours.  Professionals gather them every four or so hours, so I have been told.  I hold them in a egg crate small end down and rotate the hole egg flate every 12 hours. (I work 12 hour shifs).  This is at room temp or above,  in NC where the temp is high usually 85 plus.  This is not ideal but I have had no problems yet. I think the refrig. is over kill and do not suspect that is your problem because you are getting developement.  :idea:  :idea: I was having the same problem you are having.  I went to Radio Shack and bought the remote system for about $40 that measures humidity and temp with highs and lows recorded for looking back over a period of time until it is reset.  Once I did this I had to lower my humidity and started getting the proper hatch rates.  I had similar symptoms fully developed but not hatching then breaking the eggs open and finding a dry looking dead bird.  :cry:  I found that my humidity was too high with no sponges during the segment of incubation (meaning the time when the humidity was supposed to be 65%.)  I used a smaller tray that I had laying around.  :idea:  The humidity here was a natural 85% I "sumized" that this had to be the problem, it was.  I use room temp water for my make up, I think that helps a little but does not apply to your situation much if any.The best suggestion/solution as stated elsewhere is to buy the remote senser.  This way you are not guessing as I was at first.  To sum up my situation I was drowning the birds then they appeared to not have enough humidity because I was waiting until several days later to inspect the eggs.  If you want success continue whith the good equipment you have and compliment it with the humidity senser.  BTW I would recommend the remote senser VS the probe type. Also I lay it on the top shelf left of the pan and just infront of the controller but not covering the hole in the shelf so as not to stop vertical movement of air. My incubator is at least 100 ft away from the readout which is in the house near my computer (for ease of monitoring) the senser also has a LCD display. Radio Shack Franchises are required to stock this item and you may be able to dicker the price down to 32-ish dollars as I did. ( I said hmm just what I am looking for but let me check Walmart prices - he quickley said ok what the heck) Walmart does not have the sensor BTW. If you want to discuss more email me and we can exchange phone numbers and talk, if not good luck and buy the humid/temp senser. Let us know.  lordblade@direcway.com

Marc In North Carolina
Logged
Fivehollers
Expert Member
*****

Karma: 22
Offline Offline

Posts: 233


Miss Hannah Mae Pike

WWW
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2004, 06:54:58 AM »

Quit looking at the numbers and look at the egg. Candle the egg and make sure you have at least 30% air at the large end of the egg any less and you are drowning the birds, they won't have any room to pip around the shell. The egg will tell you everything you need to know. We started using this method of making sure the egg had plenty of air and out of 105 eggs we had 100 hatch the other 5 did not have anything in them.  :shock:
 
That was after maybe having 35% hatch rate (we incubated about 2000 eggs this year) we had one batch that I and my hubby had to help 90& of the little guys out of the egg, until we stopped looking at the numbers and started paying attention to the egg.

Lori
Logged

Five Hollers Quail Farm
deadeye1
Senior Member
*****

Karma: 1
Offline Offline

Posts: 52

« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2004, 02:49:41 AM »

Going to this site may solve your problems(http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/trouble.htm#br)
Logged

I was on this forum before,But some how i lost my idenity
recurveman
Guest
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2004, 12:00:38 AM »

Deadeye1,

Thanks for the site info.  It is quite informative.  The funny thing is it tells you it could be anything.  But I still believe that I'm not getting them enough humidity.  

I'm going to buy one of those humidity instuments at radio shack in the next couple of days.  

I've got about 6 chicks out of this last hatch of 20 eggs.  It still is way down but much better than before.  

I opened up quite a few of the eggs and there was no air in them.  Is that bad?  I know fivehollar told me to look at the egg but I have no idea what I'm looking for.  I opened the eggs at day 24 and the chick was fully developed, didn't pipe and was dead in the egg with no air in the egg at all.  What does that tell someone?  

When I get the instrument I'm going to post the humidity results and get some more opinions.  

Thanks for the help so far guys!!!!!!!!

Later,

recurveman
Logged
recurveman
Guest
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2004, 01:08:19 AM »

I don't know if anybody has used the wet bulb sleeve that they send with the incubator or not.  I just figured out that my humidity is now at 100%.  I believe that is what I was reading.  The wet buld reading was 95 which I believe indicates that the humidity is at 100%.  I'm taking out a bit of humidity to see if I can get it into an acceptible range.  

Another problem I see with this incubator is that you can hatch eggs and have them in the turners at the same time.  So if I keep the humidity low for the turning eggs then the hatching eggs will suffer.  If I keep the humidity up then the eggs that are turning will suffer.  I'm hoping to find a happy medium.  I'm going to try and shoot for 85% humidity and see what happens.  

This is the funny thing.  There is a female quail out there in the woods that does all of this automatically and can't control nearly as much as we can.  I'm just amazed that there are even little chicks out there.  

Later,

recurveman
Logged
joip
Guest
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2004, 09:50:30 AM »

If your wet bulb reading is 95 f  the relative humidity would be 85% which is the outer limit I use for hatching.

I know of a person that runs at an in between humidity, same type of thing that you are trying to do and he always gets about 50% hatch rate, he's happy but there's still another 50% he could achieve

If you want to keep incubating eggs constantly why don't you make a separate hatcher, simple to make and just transfer the eggs that you incubated to the hatcher, in that way you keep incubating the eggs at the right humidity and the hatcher at a higher humidity, I'am sure you would be very please with the results

Joip
Logged
recurveman
Guest
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2004, 07:56:03 PM »

How do you know what the humididty is with the wet bulb readings?  From the chart I was reading I thought that the 95F reading of the wet bulb meant that the humidity was at amost 100%.  I guess I'm wrong.  How do you read the wet bulb table?  I'm so confused you have know idea.  

I did end up with more chicks this time though.  It still isn't where it should be at but at least it is better than just one chick.

Later,

recurveman
Logged
recurveman
Guest
« Reply #11 on: October 27, 2004, 07:58:41 PM »

I'm thinking about  making a hatcher too.  I would really consider it if I could just get the incubator part where I want it.  I can't see spending anymore time on a hatcher (and money) until I get things a little more consistent.  If I was at 50% I would consider making/buying a hatcher.  It sure makes sense.  

Later,

recurveman
Logged
joip
Guest
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2004, 08:09:37 AM »

Ok once you get use to the chart it becomes easier, on the top of the chart it has your dry bulb (thermometer) reading which you said you had 100 f and down the left side of the chart is your wet bulb reading which you said was 95 f, now if you come down on the top of the chart at 100 f and also come across where you wet bulb reading is 95 f the two meet on the chart at 83% so thats what your relative humidity would be, humidity plays a big part in incubation many tend to over look it, get your humidity down to about 60% for incubation then the last few days boost it to 80%

Play around with your incubator and get use to lowing and raising the humidity, then you'll be ready for your eggs

Joip
Logged
recurveman
Guest
« Reply #13 on: November 03, 2004, 06:53:35 PM »

I think I have finally figured it out a little bit.  I just had a hatch that was 50 chicks out of 80 eggs.  I'm OK with those results.  I'm using the eggs out of my pens and I'm no pro so I think that is a much better hatch rate.  

I've been watching my wet bulb measurements very close and I've been surprised at how little changes make a big difference.  I think I've at least got things in the ballpark.  With time I'm sure that I'll get even higher hatch rates as I micro adjust things.  

Thanks for the help,

recurveman
Logged
Pages: [1] Go Up Print 
« previous next »
 

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP SMF 2.0.15 | SMF © 2017, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!