My Wyandotte Eggs Won`t Hatch!!!

[chickens on grass]

Please anyone... I have never hatched eggs before and so I thought I would give it a shot. We picked our best stock of Golden Laced Wyandottes and Blue Laced Wyandottes and separated them from the other birds and started gathering their eggs for incubating. We bought a still air incubator and the automatic egg turner. I read all the instructions and read like three different books about incubating and hatching eggs. well i followed all the guidelines and we are at 28 days and no hatching!!! We have opend some eggs to see if they just died but they had beating hearts and it was like they just werent ready. I dont understand how they could be that far off. can anyone help me?


thanks

 

[hinkjc]

Sounds like the temp was too low (or thermometer is giving a bad reading). What kind of thermometer are you using? Also, what temp did you run your LG at during incubation? The still air should really be around 101-102 at the top of the eggs for a good result. I have not found these bators to be too reliable though. Get a fan kit for it and you'll get better results. With a fan, temp s/b 99.5F.

 

[chickens on grass]

I was running it at aroung 100. the thermomator was whatever came with the incubator. should i give the eggs more time? or should I abandon them?

 

[Katy]

You need to toss the thermometer that came with your bator as far as you can....they are worthless. Go to wally world and get an accurite thermometer with humidity gauge for 12 bucks. I don't know what to tell you about the eggs you've got in the bator now. Even if some hatch they could very well have some issues from too low of temps and too long of incubation.

 

[hinkjc]

Like Katy mentioned, get another thermometer. Before you toss the eggs, check to see how far off the temps were. I would guess by day 28 the odds of them hatching are pretty slim though. I would get the temp issue straightened out and start over.

 

[chickens on grass]

Ok thank you. I have never hatched before. we normally just get day olds from mcmurray and welp. do you think that just using a broody hen would be best? we have some of those

 

[cluckcluck42]

Quote:
I would!

 

[hinkjc]

I have mixed feelings on broodies. Some do really well and are great mothers and others are horrible and unreliable. The only way to know what kind of broody you have is to give one a try. Best wishes! Hatching is so much fun once you iron out the challenges.

 

[chickens on grass]

Thank you all for your replies! They helped so much. I guess I need to clear out the incubator now...

 

[spamee34]

oh no ! I too am expecting a hatch and I have the still air incubator and it was hard to regulate so I left it on 96 so I am afraid I may be in for some disapointment too

And I have duck eggs oh geeze. I didn't know 100 degrees was ok?