That Quail Place Forum
Raising Gamebirds => Incubation => Topic started by: SportDog on June 20, 2007, 11:52:55 AM
-
Well today is day 20 of the incubation and I have a question that I was hoping to get clarification on.
1st off I plan on pulling the turner when I get off today, and increasing the humidity to 70-75%, and decreasing the temp to 98.5(forced air little giant bator)
My question is this.
I am having to refill the water every day just to keep the humidity at 55-60%.
So I assume I will have to do the same during hatching.
I read on this forum somewhere in researching this and someone mentioned not opening the lid during hatching especially if they have pipped because it only takes a few seconds of outside air to cause them to stick to the membrane.
Is this true? If so how would you go about refilling water?
Thanks in advance!!
-
You need to keep the opening to a minimum. Usually I open and remove chicks once a day. Water is critical to the humidity, so to keep from opening, I put a plastic tube (Straw) on a small funnel, open one of the vents on the lid, push the straw in and down and put warm water in that way. A little bit of a pain, but effective in keeping the lid on!
-
Thanks for the tip GSC! I think I actually read that in one of the post also. I had thought about trying that too. But since I will be opening once per day to remove chicks I may just top off the water at that time.
Guess I will play it by ear.
-
I have not heard about reducing the heat during the last 3 days tho.
-
Thats weird most everything I have read says to drop it 1/2 - 1 degree.
Here are a few of them. Probably wouldnt hurt to leave it at 99-100 though.
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1215.htm#Breeder
http://www.gbwf.org/quail/quail_chart.html
-
Yea prolly wouldn't make much of a difference for the last 3 days. Im using a preset incubator and pretty much just use it as is all the way through.
Good luck!
-
I have not heard about reducing the heat during the last 3 days tho.
Same here. Never heard of lowering temp to that degree.
The "gwbf" chart says to reduce for the last week. ?? But it doesn't say what...humidity or temp?
For incubation period, one site says 21-23 days (gwbf) the other says 23-24 (uga). I know that actual hatching date all depends on several different variables......I'm just pointing out the discrepencies on those particular sites.
It also helps hold in the humidity if you can get the birds out through the windows, instead of opening the entire top. Smaller kids hands are good for this, :laugh:.
Maybe some others have an opinion/experience/knowledge with lowering the temp?
Good Luck.
-
Maybe some others have an opinion/experience/knowledge with lowering the temp?
Yup, it's a fact.
Now yer gona want data, heh ?
:laugh:
Not at this moment though ! Tired.....
-
Maybe some others have an opinion/experience/knowledge with lowering the temp?
Yup, it's a fact.
Now yer gona want data, heh ?
:laugh:
Not at this moment though ! Tired.....
Oh C'mon, it's early where you're at! I figured you would have somethin'.
Thanks!
-
Well today is day 22 and I am still running it at 99.5-100 so that is where i will keep it.
Thanks for the responses. I am hoping to see some moving of the eggs today. I did notice one moving a little yesterday.> Or maybe I just strained my eyes to the point where I thought it moved. :laugh:
-
And the hatch is on.
(http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n37/DeerProfessor/DSC07457.jpg)
perfect timing. These eggs were set 5-31 @ 11pm and the hatch started today 6-23 @12 pm
I was a little concerned about the accurite thermometer and hygrometer that I bought from walmart but looks like they worked fine.
Thanks for everyone support and tips.
-
Cool stuff !
I'm going outside to check on my "incubator" now....(Valley hen sitting, due yesterday)
-
You are right about that Reeves. My son is also loving it!
So far the hatch has exceeded my expectations.
Out of 29 eggs that I put in the hatcher, 25 have hatched. Pretty excited about that.
-
Sportdog, I actually go 48 hours from the first chicks out until I take them out. It will help keep your humidity level up, and you should have less chicks that get stuck in the shell.
Who did you buy your eggs from?
Chris
-
magnumhntr,
These were eggs I collected from my adult birds.
I had a really good hatch too. I did end up with 25 birds. 2 others hatched but neither could walk. They had a messed up foot. And the other two eggs I candled and they had stop developing sometime after my first candling.
Thanks for the tip.
-
Does anyone actually use or have used this method of lowering the temperature to 98.5 degrees in last few days of incubation?
Maybe some others have an opinion/experience/knowledge with lowering the temp?
Yup, it's a fact.
Now yer gona want data, heh ?
:laugh:
Not at this moment though ! Tired.....
Where's it at? We're still waiting. :police:
-
Actually yes trailbossusa. That is my normal procedure, I lower the temp to 98.5 and then up the humidity to about 90 % wet bulb. So far it has worked great for me, I seem to always have pretty above average hatches.
-
Actually yes trailbossusa. That is my normal procedure, I lower the temp to 98.5 and then up the humidity to about 90 % wet bulb. So far it has worked great for me, I seem to always have pretty above average hatches.
I guess that it appears that many/some of us are curious as to why that is done?
Thanks
-
I use Sportsmans incubators and hatchers and I have never lowered any of them from 100 degrees. The new one I have is set by a electronic thermostat and it never changes. I add 2 wicks the last three days and kick up the humidty level and always have high hatch rates. I have read that regular opening of the lid is not harmful what so every and even leaving the door/lid open for 20 minutes doesn't hurt them( I do not advise this) and I have changed out an old wafer thermostat in a GQf incubator which took about 10 minutes with the door open and had an excellent hatch rate. Most higher quality electronically controlled incubators do have a cool down period to reproduce the period of time the hen leaves the nest to eat and drink. Alot of people take a bunch of eggs they have had shipped and get low hatch rates to mean they failed to do the right thing. Eggs bought and shipped are a gamble this is why they do not guarnetee hatchabilty. The post office handles them to rough and the regular other reasons. Then when they have a low hatch rate they get discouraged with incubation. Always get fresh eggs that you collect locally to learn to incubate with, and incubate them before they are 7 days old, the hatch rates will be much higher. Anyways back to the main point, it is okay to open the lid on a Little Giant incubator everyday to fill the water trays up with warm water.
Dusty
-
I guess that it appears that many/some of us are curious as to why that is done?
From what I have read it says to lower it due to the extra heat from the chicks.
I actually left my temp alone(99.5) for the hatch and ended up with a GREAT hatch.
-
I don't lower my temps either. I just bump the humidity some more. I get 90-95% hatches. At one time I would hem-n-hor over the temps. No more, I just set the temp at 99.5 degrees with the wet bulb at 82-84 degrees and let it go until the last 3 days and move them to the hatcher and just increase the humidity to 85 to 87 degrees wet bulb. 3 days later close to 400 hundred pheasant chicks.
Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm
-
yelp like my dad always said "keep it simple stupid" meaning dont overthink things and make it complicated. Leave the temp at 99 to 100 degrees, humidty at 50 to 75%, and either use an automatic turner or turn atleast three times a day( always an odd number) and the eggs will do the rest.
-
Well don't I feel stupid. I have been doing it that way for years. Just the way I learned it. I keep them in the incubator at 99-100 degrees, until the last 3 days and then move to the hatcher. Drop the temp down 1 degree and up the humidity.
But hey, I never knew exactly why, thought it had something to do with the body temp also. I think I will try sitting the hatcher at the same temp as the incubator on my next hatch and see how I do. It sure would be easier, so I could hatch on the bottom of the incubator if needed, at all the same temp.
-
Well don't I feel stupid. I have been doing it that way for years. Just the way I learned it. I keep them in the incubator at 99-100 degrees, until the last 3 days and then move to the hatcher. Drop the temp down 1 degree and up the humidity.
But hey, I never knew exactly why, thought it had something to do with the body temp also. I think I will try sitting the hatcher at the same temp as the incubator on my next hatch and see how I do. It sure would be easier, so I could hatch on the bottom of the incubator if needed, at all the same temp.
[/quote
you using a sportsmans system too huh? they have worked great for me, what about u?
-
I have two sportsmans for incubation and an old cedar Humidaire I use for the hatching.
Steve
Pheasant Hollow farm
-
I have two sportsmans. I use one as a hatcher, unless I have a large amount of eggs. I love them. Just keep the bucket on top filled. Check the temp one in awhile and forget it. Turns them on it's own. Don't even have to open the door till the three days before to move into the hatching position. We may get another one next year. Depends on how much money I actually make this year. With the cost of feed the way it is. I don't even know if we will break even. Just the Pheasant alone, not counting all the other birds, are eating 50 lbs a day alone.
-
I have 2 1202 rattie gqf and a hatcher that I bought at a yard sale for 50 bucks and a new Sportsman that I bought at QC Supply this year. I bought extra trays for the 1202's and they work great on quail thru geese eggs. I am going to upgrade them this year to electronic tempostats. I had other kinds of incubators and they seem to work out better for me. Same yard sale had a 20,000 Quail egg capacity incubator that they sold for 75 bucks before I got there. All our chickens 10 hole nest boxes we got that way for less than 20.00 a piece. Just dont buy feeders and waterers used. We then take them to the car wash before we bring them home and wash them really good with bleach (stop by the Dollar store and grab a gallon on the way to the carwash.)
-
Well look at this!
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1215.htm
You may recognize this as the website whitneyplu posted on another subject today. If you scroll down to Table 2, you will see a recommended temperature of 99.75 and a recommended temperature for the last 3 days of 99.
I've not tried this, although opening additional vents, upping the humidity, and maintaining temperature was pretty tough, this winter. New facilities, and I discovered there was no insulation in the ceiling, and 4" of insulation in the 6" walls= drafts a plenty.
Dropping the temperature a degree, or so, would make it a little easier to raise the humidity. My incubators have a cooling compressor to offset heat from chicks, but I have never hatched that many chicks, at once.
Still no clear answer to "why"
-
I keep forgetting about this topic.....I'll make a (written) note to look for the data !