[Brucklay]

Please note I have read the instructions. I have an octogon 20 with a humidity unit and the instructions say raise the humidity from 50ish to 65 at least at hatching but I am not sure if hatching is a few days before they actually hatch or basically the time you would take the incubator off the rocking bit. Has any one done this bit - thanks in advance from someone thats not often in this section

[Fowlman]

Once you stop turning you raise the humidity, so day 18/19.

[Brucklay]

Thank you Fowlman - off out to turn up - now where are those instructions??

[FiB]

oops - I have one without humidity unit but only started trying to increase today (day 20) Hope they'll be OK.  Blimmin hard  to get above 55....  Hatch day tomorrow for us so we shall see.  Good luck with yours

[in the hills]

You can put in some wet fabric/kitchen roll to help increase the humidity if necessary.

If they seem to be stuck (give them time though) you can give the eggs a light misting with warm water from a clean spray bottle.

Happy hatching.

[Brucklay]

Agree with In The Hills with my old incubator with only water tanks for humidity I found a hot damp new dish cloth at hatch time helped seem things up - not very scientific but did work as long as I kept an eye on things - good luck with yours too FiB 

[doganjo]

Agree with In The Hills with my old incubator with only water tanks for humidity I found a hot damp new dish cloth at hatch time helped seem things up - not very scientific but did work as long as I kept an eye on things - good luck with yours too FiB 

Where do you put the cloth?  On top of the eggs? I had this problem with some pheasant eggs - only 3 have survived and a lot of them were so nearly  there,=- heartbreaking to find fully developed chicks that hadn't been able to break free because of my lack of knowledge.    Aother 12 went in on Monday night, so I want to make sure these have a better chance

[chickenfeed]

Agree with In The Hills with my old incubator with only water tanks for humidity I found a hot damp new dish cloth at hatch time helped seem things up - not very scientific but did work as long as I kept an eye on things - good luck with yours too FiB 

Where do you put the cloth?  On top of the eggs? I had this problem with some pheasant eggs - only 3 have survived and a lot of them were so nearly  there,=- heartbreaking to find fully developed chicks that hadn't been able to break free because of my lack of knowledge.    Aother 12 went in on Monday night, so I want to make sure these have a better chance

no dont put the cloth on the eggs most incubators have a resivour under the egg rack one of ours has a rack with a water pot above the eggs. i personally dont bother and get much improved results from dry hatching upto 90% over the last few years, imo some people make hatching more difficult than it needs to be on day 19 - 20 the hen would sit tight and not get off she never adds water just stops turning the eggs, so i opt for the lazy hatch i roll the eggs rather thaning day 19 stop day 21 take chicks out to brooder.

[Fowlman]

I used to run my octagon 20 dry too then filed one reservoir once the eggs started to pip. My hatch rate improved no end. I have an Rcom20 pro now and of course everything is automatic but you can play with the settings.
If ever unsure just follow the makers instructions until you are used to its workings, then you can play with the settings.

[in the hills]

Not sure exactly what your incubator is like Doganjo but not on the eggs just in the incubator somewhere.

I think the problem of getting humidity just right is a difficult one. We had one hatch where nearly all the chicks were stuck. We had done everything the same as in previous hatches with the same machine. Difficult to know what to do. I would probably have left the eggs as they were (in case the reason was deformity of chicks) but my daughter was upset as she could hear them cheeping and see movement. Left a long time but husband picked them out in the end. All fine, still got them now. I was told that outside/room humidity could affect humidity inside the machine.

A neighbour hatches a lot of chicks and had a spell of very bad hatches. She talked about it to the guy who ran Wernlas Rare Breed Collection. He had experienced the same thing at the same time and thought humidity had been too high because of outside weather conditions. He advised running incy dry until right at the end and then filling one reservoir.

I think its trial and error initially and then maybe getting ... a feel for it ... as it were. With my machine I have always had really good hatches by following instructions closely and making sure humidity is high at hatch (new wet dish cloth and spraying if I think the hatch looks slow or the membrane looks dry/tough).

Good luck.

[Brucklay]

Again me too as above - and to add to the mix it was call duck eggs I was hatching which are renowned for difficult hatching. So I put a hot damp cloth on top of the water tank bit to get the humidity up which worked for me. Saying that when I used the incubator when we were staying in the caravan it worked well without the cloth but I guess the external humidity in the caravan would have been a lot higher than the house. I have a friend that hatches lots of different eggs and he does all his hatching in a caravan for that reason but even that has it's problems as he lost a lot when there was an unusual hot weather spell!!

[in the hills]

Yes, should have said that if hatching in the incy I always use our guest room. No sun on there - relatively constant temp. Put away from window/ door etc.

Do prefer to put them under a broody. Down to mum then 

[FiB]

one egg has a little chip starting eeeekkkk - I cant say how excited I am!  Ridiculous.  God knows what I will be like with lambing next year!!!

[doganjo]

Its a Brinsea octagon 10 - only two little reservoirs at one end, nowhere to put a damp cloth.  These are pheasant eggs and I've only 2 left out of 17 set (5 hatched 2 unwell and didn't last long, a third one is about to die, been poorly from the beginning)   A number of the eggs had fully formed chicks in them so don't want that to happen with this next lot (12)  Will have to buy a sprayer.

[in the hills]

Doganjo - did your last ones look as though the membrane under the shell  had dried out? Had they pipped?
             - have you got any instructions with your incy? I think mine gives possible reasons for late death.

Late death/ unable to hatch may I think be due to factors other than humidity as well. We hatched some quail last year and discovered that the liquid in the thermometer had somehow dispersed within the inner tube and was not showing the correct temp. We replaced the thermometer and let the hatch continue as it didnt have many days left to go. The few chicks that had developed were stuck in their shells but when picked out, about half had deformities (mainly of feet and legs). Must have been the incorrect temp because next quail hatch was fine.

I seem to remember that pheasants need a higher temp than hen eggs in the incy to develop correctly and gamekeepers wife said chicks need to be kept warmer than hens chicks and need game chick crumbs.

I will try to find my incy instructions to see if there is anything useful to you on there. Can you put the damp cloth in the main section alongside the eggs?

FiB - let us know how they get on. I know the feeling.