CANT UNDERSTAND

[MAX]

I just hatched out some Phoenix chickens.. I ordered 10 eggs but got 12 and after the hatch i ended up with 2 really nice birds .. but thought that the rest was not fertile or the long trip in the mail caused them not to hatch , but after checking the eggs i found i had 5 fully developed birds that should have pecked their way out and 2 others were about half way developed ..so being fertile is not a question... So what did i do wrong..I kept the humidity at 55% for 18days and up to 70% for the last 3 days the temp was 99.5 with forced air fan and auto turner.. does anyone know what stopped them from pecking out.. (Trying to be a chicken farmer two chickens at a time)...  and probably 2 roosters at that..          max

[Babs_MN]

Hi Max,

I think the problem may have been your low humidity. My charts say 86-88% humidity upped to 90%, for the last three days.

Babs
Country Egg
www.countryegg.com

[Bobwhite quail24]

I think you mean wet bulb babs, i think max means % .

[woodenegg]

I assume the discussion is between relative humidity and percent dry bulb.  Part of the problem in this hobby is that these is a lot of literature out there with different things expressed the same way.  Both MAX and Babs are correct, just speaking different "languages".  This becomes even more confussing when you toss in wet bulb temperatures.  Relative Humidity is the ratio of what the water vapor pressure is vs. what the maximum it could be at the given temperature and barometric pressure.  Percent dry bulb is the ratio of the wet bulb temperature and the dry bulb temperature, and of course web bulb temperature is just that.  There are several good trouble shooting guides out there, I'm sure a search would give you one.  Just remember they are written in general as are incubation instructions and there are differences depending on what you are hatching, some subtle some not.  Good Luck

[MAX]

Thanks guys for the reply.. Yes i use  humidity meters made by the Vick's ,co and have hatched a few hundred quail..I have looked at the wet bulb many times but have not got one as of yet.. I have even gone as far as not to use city water in my incubators and use nothing but distilled water to stay away from the chlorine  and fluoride that our water ,co uses and none of our well water cause of the iron & calcium in it...I also keep my thermometer in the turner with the eggs at the center of the eggs.. My 12 yr old son has really gotten into the quail and is hatching 120 coturnix quail for the big poultry sale at our fair grounds mid May... I think its great that the young learn the art of incubation and not let it die out. THANKS FOR THE REPLY