I'm just sick! I never want to incubate again!

[lovemychix]

I know it was the humidity but I couldn't get it up. I had bowls of water and drenched washcloths just like everyone said to do. It's been in the 30's here and we had the heat on is all I can figure. I even ran the humidifier in the room. ????/
My incubators will be my cochin hens from now on! NO more incubating for me. I can't do it again.

Update: The first chick and only one is doing better. Walking around. Been giving it vitamin water and it's actually looking to eat.

My daughter called her Miracle after all she's been through! I hope she comes out of her problems.

 

[tia]

How disappointed you must be. Once I filled the incubator and got nothing. The eggs were moving around then stopped... I know how sad you feel. It is a learning experience I wouldn't give up....because when it does work out it is wonderful. Read as much as you can, and hang out on here... there is a lot of experienced people with lots of answers. Take care.

Tia

 

[mulia24]

never give up, mine is 29 eggs and only 9 hatched and now left 8 since 1 dead, i never give up even with those stupid power company keeping power failure 2 times a day.

i love those little fluffy chickas and that's why nothing should try to bother me.

 

[juliecox]

I know how you feel; I'm on day 23, with 5 chicks out of 36 eggs! By day 21 with no pips, I made a deal with the universe, I told it I would find peace if just 1 egg hatched. 1, just give me 1, I said! So I feel lucky to have the 5. Next time I incubate is going to be after the holidays, in the hopes that someone who understands (and enables) my weird little hobby will buy me a nice incubator with a fan and an egg turner ... Maybe then my hatch rates will be better. It's a gamble every time, isn't it?

 

[walkswithdog]

If they were silkie eggs a Vault on the top of the head is normal. Sometimes yolk sacs prolapse - come back out. If the chick is kept safe and given time it usually dries up and falls off. Loops of bowel is different, that does happen but it's rare.

You don't mention calibrating either you hygrometer or thermometers to know their accuracy before hand. If your hygrometer was 25 degrees off(low), as my first one was - you spent the entire hatch trying to raise the humidity above 80 or 100. And excess humidity also sucks.

If you didn't calibrate your thermometer it could have been reading a degree or more HIGH, meaning your temps ran low the entire time - which causes foot deformities, slow, weak hatchlings. Low temps can cause a wide range of problems and is really common.

Check the accuracy of your equipment by calibrating them. Then give it another shot. My first hatch was fairly sad too, just one chick but I wouldn't have hatched the over 100 ( lots more but stopped counting so I don't have to admit it to Laura) healthy babies I have hatched.

It's an art, not a plug and play science, or something that you just "follow the rules" and out pop chicks.

You call fishing - fishing because it's not Catching - no guarantees.

We call it hatching because it's not Chickening - no guarantees.

I've had zero, I have had one, I have had 100% numerous times and everything in between, even on shipped eggs. I have had broodies hatch 100% and I have had numerous broodies FAIL completely, or had to rescue more than half the hatch and put them in an incubator.

Under a broody or in your home, the best that can be done is to try. Nature offers us no guarantees and sometimes we fail. You get a feel for it eventually, and sort things out. I'm sorry it was a bad start but there are people here, successfully hatching now that had three to six bad hatches before they got things sorted out. Now they do well routinely.

You can learn this, you can make it work. It won't always go well. Nature has it's own rules and flaws, no matter what you do.

Working with and caring for livestock and pets and living things of all types includes grief and failure and loss. They're worth it in the long run. But you have to persist to get to the joy.

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
I am so sorry your incubating did not go well

You may have a similar situation to deal with that I do.... elevation and a low humidty environment. During lockdown, I had to add water to the sponge several times per day to keep the humidty levels up and we were having horrid weather at the time too.

Also, an automatic turner is so so worth it...

 

[wildorchid053]

hubby wants to buy me an incubator for xmas but i have such a soft heart i am not sure i can stand to watch some not make it...after hearing your story.. you must want to hatch so i would keep on trying... sounds like eventually you will get the hang of it

 

[lovemychix]

Thanks for all your encouragement.
My little one is still doing well. Walking better and better all the time and eating and drinking this morning. She/he is so cute. I feel sorry she doesn't have a companion. I wish I had 2 at least. I have been giving her a lot of TLC. She has a little teddy bear she cuddles up next too. I'll have to get a pic of her. I didn't want to get my hopes up with her condition but now I am feeling like she's doing to make it.