Dozens of videos and reading and bam all the information and more in one series...thanks alot i think this might of satisfied my hyper focus (adhd) on my first hatch here starting this week. Hoping to get a 70+ rate!
I like the Little Giant Incubators. We've had ours for about a year and it does fine. Humidity and the Listerine washing of the eggs seems to help the most with the hatch rate. We add hot water to the Incubator when the level gets low as the best thing is to keep the moisture high to help the chicks hatch. Even though the automatic egg-turner works well, we still turn the eggs 90% every couple of days to keep the embryo from attaching to a side of the shell. As much as I like Chris' information on successfully hatching eggs, the best way is to let the hen do all the work. I get a hen to be broody by giving her a dark, quiet place with a few eggs, a golf ball, some nice egg-like rocks and let the birds fill up the clutch as I take out the fake eggs until there are about 6 to 8 eggs. The broody hen will sit on them for three weeks, only going out to eat and poop. We might bring her some popcorn, lettuce or scratch but that's about it. When the chicks hatch, she looks after them, cleans their butts, feeds them and protects them from the other birds. I make a little mud puddle for them to drink out of and mom teaches them how to scratch for food, sometimes breaking up lettuce or grain so the baby chicks have an easier time eating it. After a couple of days the babies are out in the yard with all the other birds and mom chases away any chickens that try to mess with her kids - a full-time job. The hen-raised chicks are acclimated to life in the chicken yard within a few days and run around peeping and fluttering with everyone else. Be sure your yard is chick proof and they can't get out. They are curious and will find any hole to crawl through to get out and see the big, wide world whereupon there's a lot of peeping because they can't figure out how to get back in to mom and everybody else. Luckily they are easy to catch and throw back in, but the outside world is a dangerous place for little chicks and it's in their best interest to make your chicken run chick-proof! The chicks we hatch from the incubator get no such introduction to the chicken yard, nor do they have a mom who will stand up for them and shoo away any aggressive chickens. They are on their own and there is no place that is as mean and heartless as a chicken yard. It's no place to be if you're a small chicken without a mommy.
Great video, really helped me have a successful first hatch with my new styro incubator. I'm glad I did not throw away the red plugs. I live in northwest Oklahoma where it is very dry. Typical day about 30%, but it can get down below 10%. I really struggled to get my humidity up at all until I put the red plugs in and taped half of the smaller holes. I also added a humidifier to the small room where the incubator is. Was able to get humidity into the 70's during lockdown.
On day 17.5 and have had 25 out of 40 hatch so far. Obviously did not see parts 2 & 3 until now but will definitely take your advice in those videos as well. These are all Texas A&M. I bought 8 females and 2 males and am very pleased with them so far. However, sexing them is definitely more difficult. Thanks again for the videos and the help!
Hey there, good to see your around. Sounds like you are on your way to a good hatch. Congrats. I am going to phase out my A&Ms for that very reason. I like to be able to look at the bird and tell if it is a male or female. Let me know what the final outcome on your hatch is.
New subscriber here. Thanks for doing this great video 👍. Me and Nancy are relocating back to Florida next August and are really looking forward to raising quail. Your videos are so helpful. Keep up the good work. Have a blessed day
How do you clean the bottom of the incubator after a hatch? Could I place my quail eggs into paper egg cartons or line the bottom with wax paper just before lockdown to help limit the mess?
I wouldn't put them in egg cartons. They could end up with leg problems or things like that. You can put something like shelf liner on the bottom of the incubator but you don't want to use something like wax paper that is slick. it can lead to splayed leg and other issues. I just scrub mine out with dish soap and water when the hatch is finished. It doesn't get all of the stains out but they don't really matter. I hope that helps.
Thank you for watching. :) I use a little giant egg turner with quail rails. It works well for me so far. It is a pretty simple device so I think any egg turner will work as long as it fits in your incubator.
That is super helpful. If the temp of the incubator is higher or lower than the calibrated thermometers, do you calibrate the incubator thermometer? Thank you.
Can I use the listerin spray for my fresh chicken eggs that we eat? Do the eggs we are eating have to be refrigerated ? I have heard different people say different things Soon as my quail lay I will be trying my first hatch Thank you
Hi there... got a question... So I started the incubation process for chicken, how do I make that birding house that you show?... what are the things that I need to really take care of? Your help is greatly appreciated
I am not sure what you mean by birding house. Are you referring to the brooder box? If so I have a video (it is one of my older videos so be kind) that shows how to brood quail. The process is the same for chickens though. Here it is if it helps. th-cam.com/video/dyscyVHDw7A/w-d-xo.html
So I live in Florida. It’s humid as most know. I’ve noticed that I don’t need to put too much water for my incubator (forced air) to be at around 50-60% humidity. Would you say that is normal for the area I live in? I’m just testing out my incubator before I pick up my hatching eggs in a week. I want to make sure everything is ready and working well for my first time hatching.
Hi, very good video, for beginners and for reassurance I have a couple of sportsman's incubator.had like Your All work the same, people just need to don't Give up. There is no dumb question.the thing of It is .the part of the country you live in.l for example I live in West Texas very hot and dry , from day one I have water some time I have to put a sponge. Now to hatch the sponge is a must.May is the last month to hatch, to hot for the biddies , don't grow. But don't be shy don't give up watch where you have your incubator, hairstray,oil, smoke, cooking can get You! Partner your the man!! I gonna try Listerine and water!!!! Thank you , Dios lo bendiga amigo!
Thank you so much for the kind comments. And you have some really good points there. Like you said, just don't give up and you will have success. On another note, I have been studying and trying to learn Spanish and that was one of the few times that i understood what someone was saying without having to look it up. Dios lo bendiga tambien amigo.
thnx for the video...I'm having a bad hatch rate and seems some chicks for late in the period...maybe my temp is out...just wondering how much leway do you have in the temperature setting pls....thnx again
Hi I have been hatching eggs for many years, always prepped the eggs, use proven temp and humidity gauges and always had good hatch rates ..... However I'm always willing to learn from the person who gets a better hatch rate than me. I have two important points to add, the location of the incubation is critical for stable temperature and humidity and secondly only purchase eggs from proven supplier or make sure eggs from your own stock are sound and fertile. Poorly feed hens and roosters will not produce good hatch rates
Question before I finished video - I thought you stated in another video not to use water at the beginning of incubation for first 14 days must be low humidity and on 15th day add water for lock down to get to 65%. I may have misunderstood - please clarify. Thank you for the series - very informative:)
I often leave water out for the first 14 days. Especially in the summer when it is so humid out anyway. But that really depends on your climate. if it is very dry you will probably need to add water just not as much as you do when they go into lock down. I hope that makes sense.
I wouldn't stress too much about what the humidity gauge says. It probably isn't accurate. If your incubator windows are fogging up you are well over 45 percent humidity. Humidity isn't as important as temperature. If you are filling up the water trays inside you should be fine.
Hi there! I have an electric incubator. It has worked perfectly in the past and actually whenever I incubate chicken eggs, but when I'm doing Quail eggs, it has been a pain! Going up or down . So it has me concerned. Is it something that will drop my hatch rate badly?
My incubator was always hotter then i set it, after i removed the grill and looked into the fan the temperature sensor was RIGHT infront of the air path.... After splinting and putting a longer wire it works fine now... something people should check for if your incubators are too hot or cold.
Great video, as usual. :) I have one of these as well as one of the older types with the metal element at the top. I had two of the newer ones at one time but the one burned out... during the middle of an incubation( about a week in) the temp on the digital screen kept reading 98 (one degree lower than I wanted it but it's still within the range, just takes longer) and had the little chick symbol 'temp ok' , but the other thermometer I had (an Acurite indoor/ outdoor with a probe on a wire (with the probe duct taped to the side right at / slightly above egg level) was reading 107. Yes, 107. I thought it couldn't be right so I changed the batteries in it, still 107. Tried adjusting it but it wouldn't go lower than 105. The eggs were fried, I guess, those never hatched and I never used that incubator again. SO if you have two thermometers in at all times you'll know immediately if there is a problem. The other one that I'm still using has hatched so many quails it's crazy, it's a solid incubator I'd recommend to anyone. Also, when I'm going into lockdown, after I take the turner out I put some of that rubber shelf liner in as I've had the tiny quail legs go through that mesh screen thing and twisting them- and worse- ...not good. Just wash and bleach it between uses. Then to keep humidity up I put in two clean tuna cans with some wadded paper towels in and put water in it will absorb the water and sink down... so there's no standing water in the cans (if there is just add a bit more paper). I've been doing it this way for years and it works. I have no idea what the actual humidity rate is (by percentage) but it always helps, esp. with the older element model, it's an absolute must as that model dries up like crazy!
Thanks for the kind comments. Those are good suggestions. I have never had a problem with the mesh floor myself so i don't bother with adding anything else to it. I am working on incubating some eggs now and shooting an updated video so I will be discussing some of your suggestions during the lock down phase.
Sounds great. The next time I incubate I'm going to do the Listerine and float test methods, I only learned about it after I had two hatches going already. lol.
I'm just starting to incubator eggs I wanted to ask how long can wait from have the egg befu can incubat I have a few hens I want egg from before I put them in
I think you are asking how long you can store them before incubating. typically they can be stored for about 7 days before fertility starts to drop. I hope that answers it.
Hi Chris, this video series is just the best. I just hatched out my first eggs, and throughtout the process I found myself going back again and again to watch them when I had concerns. So thank you. One question, I see the replacement thermostat for your unit can be purchased for $30. Do you know if it can be used to upgrade the still air model?
I am not sure to tell you the truth but I do know that Miller Manufacturing (the company that makes little giant incubators) has been very receptive to me. I am sure if you contact them they will be able to answer that question and do so very quickly. I don't see why it wouldn't work but I just don't know.
which is more important fresher eggs or waiting 3 days for your incubator to stabilize temperature? We will have it running at least 24 hours in advance
it depends. How fresh are the eggs? They can easily be stored for about 7 days before incubating but after 7 to 10 days the hatch rate starts to drop off pretty good. If you can afford to wait it would be best to do so. I hope that helps.
We collected eggs for about a week before we processed and check for fertility and, I would like to know if we should move the eggs off the turner on day 17day instead of day 18 bcus they might start piping early and I dont wanna risk shrink wrapping them
Well remember that humidity is by surface space not volume so run your incubator for a few days ahead of time and figure out how many channels you need to fill up to get the humidity to about 65%. Then just fill those channels all the way to the top. At lockdown I fill all of my channels as full as I can. I hope that helps.
Thank you for messaging me back! I'm still having a lot of trouble with the humidity. I put the most amount of water that it can hold and it has stayed between 42-50% humidity. This is day 3 since I tuned it on! I'm going to continue to check in it.
It depends on your humidity. for me, in the winter it dries out much faster and I have to fill it frequently. In the summer, I really don't need to add water at all until lock down.
Not really. I do try to keep mine to the center of the incubator if I don't have enough eggs to fill it up completely. I just feel like that area is a little better regulated by the thermostat.
Debra Barnett I don’t know, I guess I’ve had mine for so long that I haven’t had to buy one lately. Didn’t realize they didn’t sell them anymore. maybe Amazon.
Hey if anyone can help me, if u keep opening the incubator when there hatching does it affect them? Or is not the season to hatch right now cause is too hot?
It does affect them because it bounces the humidity up & down. Do not open once hatch the eggs have started to pip unless there's absolutely no choice.
Hello, I am not having a good experience, I incubated 48 eggs and I gat only 7 quails. All of the other eggs had the bird inside with the beak out. I don't know what am doing wrong.
It could be a number of things. Birds pipping but not hatching is usually caused by the incubator being opened during lock down. The rush of fresh dryer air causes the membrane in the egg to shrink down and basically trap the bird inside the egg. It can also be caused by too much calcium in the hens diet. This can lead to thicker egg shells that make it difficult for the bird to break out of. I hope that helps.
@@Slightlyrednecked how often should i add water for turkey eggs and should i not open it to add water? and what percent should i have the humidity at for it.
The manufacturer says to leave the plugs unless you’re at 6000 fasl or higher the incubator has vent holes and leaving the plugs out makes it take longer to stabilize IDK but that what it says
That actually sounds fantastic. Most people (especially this time of year) are struggling with keeping water in the incubator and not having to add any during lock down. 80 to 87 percent should be fine.
So I have the same incubator. Testing before setting in the eggs. It's set to 99 but it keeps going up to 100 and 101. It's in a 72 degree room and not in direct sunlight. Why doesn't it stop at 99? Is it suppose to do this?
@@rosaliasuarez6889 You should be fine. According to an old report from the US Dept. of Agriculture I found, eggs will have a 70% hatch rate at 98 F and 102.25 F. 100 F is the ideal temperature according to that same report. The report is titled: "EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, AND OTHER FACTORS ON HATCH OF HENS' EGGS AND ON ENERGY METABOLISM OF CHICK EMBRYOS" Here is a snippet from the report that should put you at ease: "The best hatches were obtained at 100° F., which indicates that this is about the optimum temperature for incubation. The hatch decreased at higher and at lower temperatures, slowly at first, then more rapidly as the deviation from 100° increased, until at 96° and at 103.5° nearly all the embryos died in the shell. The appearance of the chicks varied considerably with the incubation temperature. At 102° F. they were not so large, fluffy, and lively as at 99° or 100°. There were also many abnormalities. The most common troubles were crooked toes and sprawling legs. In the latter case the chicks were unable to stand. Crooked necks also appeared frequently, the chicks never having been able to straighten them after emerging from the shells. Practically no abnormalities occurred at an incubation temperature of 100°, crooked necks never appearing and crooked toes very infrequently, and the chicks were strong and vigorous."
Chris could you do the Listerine one the eggs you need to wash and store in you fridge to eat? For bacteria as well. (sometimes the eggs get dirty and you need to wash them.). Thanks Chris blessings 🌻🐝🌻
I guess you could but there is no reason to. I just wash the eggs before i use them. I mean, you are cooking them anyway and that will kill any bacteria.
you need to compare it to a calibrated external thermometer. Avoid digital thermometers. Dial gauge meat thermometers work well. Calibrate it by testing it in boiling water and ice water and adjusting until it reads correctly. Then compare that to the incubator thermometer and adjust it until it reads the temp you want on the meat thermometer. I hope that makes sense.
Hey, just wondering: i recently started a new batch and my humidity is staying around 48-50% with no water even added. Is that ok? I have the same incubator as yours.
That should be fine. Keep in mind that when the humidity gauge get's below about 50% it really isn't all that accurate. It might be a little lower or a little higher. I really wouldn't worry about it too much myself until lock down and then you need to bump it up a bit. You probably only need to fill one or two of the channels though. Hope that helps.
I've got the same incubator and found that the connector for the temperature sensor is faulty causing a resistance that introduced error to the temp measurement. I messed around with the connector, tweaking pins and so forth, until I finally gave up and soldered the temp sensor wires directly to the control circuit board. The temp has been consistently accurate since then. I also installed a small computer fan with a 220 ohm resistor in series to slow it down. Temps are way more even across this unit with just a little air flow. However, If the air flow is too much, the overall temperature swings become much larger.
If you have more problems with it, just contact the company that makes them, Miller Mfg. They are really good about sending replacement parts. Sounds like you got it figured out though. Good job.
@@Slightlyrednecked I gambled on it used, turner included, for $25 so I wasn't going to bother the manufacturer with it. Not so much a complaint but an observation that made me wonder how many of these models have the same defect.
That can be tough. Sounds like you live in a very dry area. If you have the ability you can add a room humidifier and place the incubator in a small room (like a closet) to help bring up the outside humidity. If that is not an option, then I wouldn't stress too much. Chances are, your humidity is actually much higher than what is shown when the trays are full of water. It is hard to measure humidity accurately without doing relative humidity (look up wet/dry bulb if you are interested).
Kenzie Welsh No. store bought eggs are from hens that are in cages and not by any rooster. You can actually store eggs if you have a hen and a rooster. Say you collect eggs from your chickens in December and you put them in the fridge and in June you want to hatch them you can actually take those eggs out and hatch them. It’s super neat!
My little giant won't put the humidity over 32%. I lost 10 chicks because of it. I had to help the other two out of the egg. I'm sick about it. All fully formed. Just couldn't get out of the egg. Any advice?!
That really isn't a problem with the incubator itself. If you fill all the channels with water the humidity should be where you need it unless your climate is just very dry. you can try adding a humidifier to the room that the incubator is in and closing the door to keep the room humidity up. You can also try adding some soaked sponges to the incubator to help increase the surface area of water and therefore raising the humidity. I struggle a little with humidity in the winter time but it usually isn't that bad and not a problem in the summer. I hope that it gets better for you.
I had the water filled in the troughs the entire time. I also filled it to over flowing out the drain holes starting lockdown. I also was hatching them in the gun room so I was able to close the door so I set up a hot air humidifier and filled the room with humidity. The incubator humidity stayed at 32%. I am going to call the company and see if they have any fixes. We live in a dry desert area.
wow, seems like you did everything you could. One thing to keep in mind is that the only way to get a true reading is to get relative humidity which would have to be done with a thermometer in the water and some math (look up "wet bulb"). But if you are having the problems you stated then it very well could be that you can't keep your humidity high enough. I am sorry but I just don't know what else to tell you. I wish I had a better answer.
Thanks for the suggestion. Glad you liked the video. I will put some links up, would love to be an Amazon affiliate but unfortunately not available to Missouri residents. Oh well.
I did a video on calibrating thermometers a while back. I would suggest you get at least two so you know that they are reading correctly. here is the video if it is helpful. th-cam.com/video/8NJgq5bPyuY/w-d-xo.html
What chances do I have if the temp. Went from 97-99 during first 10 days , should I continue the process? I know it should be 100-102... do I have chance of them still hatching?
There is still a chance. It may run a little longer than normal and you may not have the best hatch rate. Honestly though. 99 is a great temp if it is a forced air incubator.
Slightly Rednecked Thanks so much ! I was thinking there was no hope! I hold on and probably allow to go longer in time. I really appreciate you videos, they have been really helpful😀
I have pretty much done that in various videos. Need to work on getting it more organized. Been toying with the idea of doing a complete course and hosting it online. Everything you need to know to raise your own quail in a very organized way. If that is something you think you would be interested in let me know.
No hablo español muy bien. Solo un poco. Así que espero que esto sea correcto. Podría ser un mal funcionamiento. puede intentar ponerse en contacto con la empresa para ver si pueden ayudar. Tienen un buen servicio al cliente.
I am sorry to hear that you are having problems. I put together an entire series on incubating (this is video 3 in that series). If you watch all of the videos it should help out.
hello you mentioned that for the last three days you get the humitity up to 90, well how do you do that? i watched the video, i added caps to add more water to see if the humitity goes up, but cant get it up to 90, 65 is the best i can do, can you give me an idea? please
First of all, I wouldn't stress too much about 65 percent. As long as you have the water trays full of water. I would remove the caps as well, the fresh air is more important. Remember that humidity is based off of surface area not volume so a long wide tray of water will raise humidity more than a tall skinny glass of water. So adding a soaked sponge (lots of surface volume) can help if you need more than what the water trays provide. I hope that helps.
hello and thank you for your answer, i noticed with the caps i don't have to open the incubator as often, ( does it make any sense? ) with the caps is good for six days without four days, so am going to leave them, this time it is my first time, am exited, your videos have help me a lot. thank you again, i let you know, ten more days, all the way from mexico,
really? did you try to contact the company (Miller Mfg)? They have been pretty good to deal with in my experience. Won't help with your current hatch but you might get it replaced for free. So sorry to hear about your trouble.
No problem. I hope it works out. Unfortunately I don't think there is anything you can do for the eggs that are currently in the incubator. unless you have another incubator handy that you can transfer them to.
Hi Chris, my two daughters and i Bought some quail around Christmas time and have now tried to incubate some eggs twice. the first time we tried 8 eggs. At around day 17/18 we noticed little holes appearing in some of the eggs and the kids were very excited that we could see the odd little beak moving inside. however none of them got any further than this despite waiting for another couple of days, in the end we tried to help a couple of them, one was a disaster, the other managed to get out but couldn't walk and just flapped about on its side for 2 days before we reckoned it wasn't ever going to be able to stand up. all in all it was a bit of a disaster! i wanted to the kids to see and experience something magical but in the end it was quite heartbreaking. we are now at day 18 of our second attempt, we have 12 eggs in the incubator, some have developed the same little holes as last time and we can see tiny bits of movement as the little beaks try to poke through. I suppose my first question is, how long, once a chick has first cracked the shell should it take for them to emerge? is it normal for them to crack a hole and then stay inside for a few more days? or are my quail struggling to break out? is there anything i can do at this stage to help them? and what can i do to stop this from happening in future hatches? thanks
wow, so sorry for the slow response and I hope you had some birds hatch. They generally hatch pretty quickly once they pipped the shell. Make sure you don't open the incubator during that time. The rush of fresh air and drop in humidity can cause them to get shrink wrapped in their egg and not be able to get out. Are you feeding extra calcium to your birds? It could be that the eggshells are too thick and the birds are having trouble getting out because of that. It sounds like your temp is correct if they are pipping on day 17 so those are my first guesses. I hope that helps and I hope you had a successful hatch. Hang in there, incubating is a learned skill and it will get better.
Thanks for getting back to me! just to update you. There were 12 eggs in the incubator, 7 'pipped' over the course of 2 or 3 days, one seemed to be having a really good go at it so i thought they might be ok, but when i checked later it had died in it's shell. At that point i decided that if i did nothing, i'd lose them all and i didnt want that to happen again (especially for the kids) so i gently tried to help the other 6 out of their shells giving them some assistance and then leaving them to do the rest but eventually i had to go back in and help a couple further. As of now four are in the brooder, running around and the other two are still in the incubator, i'm not sure how those 2 will do but time will tell. None were able to hatch themselves, so clearly there's something I'm not quite getting right, maybe it's a humidity issue? I'm not sure about the calcium quantities in their food, I'm not supplementing their crumble with anything apart from the odd grub that i find when I'm gardening. Any way i'm delighted that we have a few chicks to show for our efforts, the kids are very excited, we will go again and try and learn from our mistakes! I've followed your channel for quite a while and it's always very informative and helpful, and a lot of what i've learnt has come from your videos, thanks so much for responding to my question! we are in Belfast, Northern Ireland by the way. I'm sure you know you've a global audience but maybe it's nice to know exactly where you're helping folks out! Take Care and keep them coming!
yes you can. Honestly it is much easier to buy one though. When I was a kid we incubated chicken eggs in a home made incubator. We used two 60 watt light bulbs on a dimmer switch and checked it regularly and adjusted the dimmer switch to control the temp. it worked ok but was a lot of work.
I assume you have watched my videos. there really isn't much more to it than that. Set it up a few days ahead of time and make sure it is reading accurately with a second thermometer. You need to make sure that your thermometer is calibrated though. Get a dial type thermometer and not a digital one. It should have instructions on how to calibrate it. Basically stick it in ice water and set the low point, then stick it in boiling water and set the high point (slightly more complex than that but not much). If your thermometer is not calibrated trust the incubator. Once you have it set up it isn't really anything else to do to it. Have you ever had a successful hatch out of your incubator? If so, did you clean it really well after. And did you clean it well after the failed hatches? It could be a bacterial issue. I hope that helps a little.
I have to disagree with you. Fresh air is more important in my opinion. But if you are getting good hatch rates by leaving them in then no need to change that.
I have a hova-bator incubator and I can't figure out how to keep the temperature reagler it gos up and down I'm lost I want to hatch my egg not cook my eggs lolol
I don't have a lot of experience with hovabators but I think I remember them requiring a "burn in" on the thermostat. You might try searching that out and seeing if that helps.
Well that is the ideal but you also have to realize that to get a really good reading you need to take the relative humidity. In all honesty, I wouldn't stress out to much about humidity levels. I run it a little drier up until lockdown (just don't put as much water in or heck, maybe none at all if the humidity is showing 60% with no water in it) and then just fill the bottom of the incubator at lockdown. I hope that helps.
I am sorry but i don't speak that language. Google translate says you are asking how much it cost. If that is the case you can generally find them for about $100 to $150 with an egg turner included. I hope that helps.
I ordered eggs off ebay . It took 4 days to be delivered and to begin the incubation process. The lady said they should hatch and has a 100% positive feed back but it was very cold and we had a freak snow storm during the shipping time. Has anyone had a similar situation with a positive outcome? I'm feel very pessimistic. Great video BTW! thumbs up!!!
Dozens of videos and reading and bam all the information and more in one series...thanks alot i think this might of satisfied my hyper focus (adhd) on my first hatch here starting this week. Hoping to get a 70+ rate!
I like the Little Giant Incubators. We've had ours for about a year and it does fine. Humidity and the Listerine washing of the eggs seems to help the most with the hatch rate. We add hot water to the Incubator when the level gets low as the best thing is to keep the moisture high to help the chicks hatch. Even though the automatic egg-turner works well, we still turn the eggs 90% every couple of days to keep the embryo from attaching to a side of the shell.
As much as I like Chris' information on successfully hatching eggs, the best way is to let the hen do all the work. I get a hen to be broody by giving her a dark, quiet place with a few eggs, a golf ball, some nice egg-like rocks and let the birds fill up the clutch as I take out the fake eggs until there are about 6 to 8 eggs. The broody hen will sit on them for three weeks, only going out to eat and poop. We might bring her some popcorn, lettuce or scratch but that's about it. When the chicks hatch, she looks after them, cleans their butts, feeds them and protects them from the other birds. I make a little mud puddle for them to drink out of and mom teaches them how to scratch for food, sometimes breaking up lettuce or grain so the baby chicks have an easier time eating it. After a couple of days the babies are out in the yard with all the other birds and mom chases away any chickens that try to mess with her kids - a full-time job. The hen-raised chicks are acclimated to life in the chicken yard within a few days and run around peeping and fluttering with everyone else. Be sure your yard is chick proof and they can't get out. They are curious and will find any hole to crawl through to get out and see the big, wide world whereupon there's a lot of peeping because they can't figure out how to get back in to mom and everybody else. Luckily they are easy to catch and throw back in, but the outside world is a dangerous place for little chicks and it's in their best interest to make your chicken run chick-proof! The chicks we hatch from the incubator get no such introduction to the chicken yard, nor do they have a mom who will stand up for them and shoo away any aggressive chickens. They are on their own and there is no place that is as mean and heartless as a chicken yard. It's no place to be if you're a small chicken without a mommy.
nothing wrong with letting the hen do the work for sure.
Great video, really helped me have a successful first hatch with my new styro incubator. I'm glad I did not throw away the red plugs. I live in northwest Oklahoma where it is very dry. Typical day about 30%, but it can get down below 10%. I really struggled to get my humidity up at all until I put the red plugs in and taped half of the smaller holes. I also added a humidifier to the small room where the incubator is. Was able to get humidity into the 70's during lockdown.
On day 17.5 and have had 25 out of 40 hatch so far. Obviously did not see parts 2 & 3 until now but will definitely take your advice in those videos as well. These are all Texas A&M. I bought 8 females and 2 males and am very pleased with them so far. However, sexing them is definitely more difficult. Thanks again for the videos and the help!
Hey there, good to see your around. Sounds like you are on your way to a good hatch. Congrats.
I am going to phase out my A&Ms for that very reason. I like to be able to look at the bird and tell if it is a male or female.
Let me know what the final outcome on your hatch is.
New subscriber here. Thanks for doing this great video 👍. Me and Nancy are relocating back to Florida next August and are really looking forward to raising quail. Your videos are so helpful. Keep up the good work. Have a blessed day
Thank you so much. I am so glad that you are finding my videos useful. Good luck on the upcoming move as well.
What lines should you fill and full or half
How do you clean the bottom of the incubator after a hatch? Could I place my quail eggs into paper egg cartons or line the bottom with wax paper just before lockdown to help limit the mess?
I wouldn't put them in egg cartons. They could end up with leg problems or things like that. You can put something like shelf liner on the bottom of the incubator but you don't want to use something like wax paper that is slick. it can lead to splayed leg and other issues. I just scrub mine out with dish soap and water when the hatch is finished. It doesn't get all of the stains out but they don't really matter. I hope that helps.
I wanted to know how to adjust with the buttons if possible
Thank you for posting this series! Would you mind sharing what type of egg turner are you using and how do you like it?
Thank you for watching. :)
I use a little giant egg turner with quail rails. It works well for me so far. It is a pretty simple device so I think any egg turner will work as long as it fits in your incubator.
That is super helpful. If the temp of the incubator is higher or lower than the calibrated thermometers, do you calibrate the incubator thermometer? Thank you.
Should I wash the eggs before I put in incubator?
No that will wash off the bloom
Can I use the listerin spray for my fresh chicken eggs that we eat?
Do the eggs we are eating have to be refrigerated ? I have heard different people say different things
Soon as my quail lay I will be trying my first hatch
Thank you
I scrolled through a few comments but didn't see this question. If I don't have an automatic egg turner, how many times do I manually turn the eggs?
Just a couple of times. You would be fine to just turn them twice a day.
Hi there... got a question...
So I started the incubation process for chicken, how do I make that birding house that you show?... what are the things that I need to really take care of?
Your help is greatly appreciated
I am not sure what you mean by birding house. Are you referring to the brooder box? If so I have a video (it is one of my older videos so be kind) that shows how to brood quail. The process is the same for chickens though. Here it is if it helps. th-cam.com/video/dyscyVHDw7A/w-d-xo.html
So I live in Florida. It’s humid as most know. I’ve noticed that I don’t need to put too much water for my incubator (forced air) to be at around 50-60% humidity. Would you say that is normal for the area I live in? I’m just testing out my incubator before I pick up my hatching eggs in a week. I want to make sure everything is ready and working well for my first time hatching.
Do you have a video on lockdown process?
Hi, very good video, for beginners and for reassurance
I have a couple of sportsman's incubator.had like
Your All work the same, people just need to don't
Give up. There is no dumb question.the thing of
It is .the part of the country you live in.l for example
I live in West Texas very hot and dry , from day one
I have water some time I have to put a sponge. Now
to hatch the sponge is a must.May is the last month
to hatch, to hot for the biddies , don't grow. But don't
be shy don't give up watch where you have your
incubator, hairstray,oil, smoke, cooking can get
You! Partner your the man!! I gonna try Listerine
and water!!!! Thank you , Dios lo bendiga amigo!
Thank you so much for the kind comments. And you have some really good points there. Like you said, just don't give up and you will have success. On another note, I have been studying and trying to learn Spanish and that was one of the few times that i understood what someone was saying without having to look it up. Dios lo bendiga tambien amigo.
thnx for the video...I'm having a bad hatch rate and seems some chicks for late in the period...maybe my temp is out...just wondering how much leway do you have in the temperature setting pls....thnx again
Not much leeway. Maybe half a degree or so. I hope that helps and your next hatch is much better.
Thanx for advice...also am ordering a thermometer to check the incubator one as I think it's reading wrong...
That's a good idea. Make sure to calibrate it first though so you know it is correct. :)
Shall do thnx
Can you just stick the thermometer in one of the holes the red plug goes i?
You can but that doesn't really measure the temperature at egg level very well and you really don't want to plug up the vent holes.
Thank you.
no problem
Slightly Rednecked Can ya calibrate in Ice 32f or Boiling Water 212f will that work reliably ?
Incubator listed is unavailable, do you have another reasonably-priced suggestion?
Hi I have been hatching eggs for many years, always prepped the eggs, use proven temp and humidity gauges and always had good hatch rates ..... However I'm always willing to learn from the person who gets a better hatch rate than me. I have two important points to add, the location of the incubation is critical for stable temperature and humidity and secondly only purchase eggs from proven supplier or make sure eggs from your own stock are sound and fertile. Poorly feed hens and roosters will not produce good hatch rates
Very good tips. Thank you for sharing.
God bless you as well. Nice to hear that. Don't hear that much anymore these days
If your incubator only had two choices for temperature, which temp would you choose? 99 or 100 degrees Fahrenheit?
Kevin B 99
do you need the thermometer
do u put room temperature water or warm water ?
Good question. Always add warm water. As close to 100 degrees as you can.
got a question for you. Can 2 degree make a difference in your hatch to low and have the chicks die in shell?
yes it can make a difference. Temperature is the most important part of incubating your birds and you want it as accurate as possible.
Slightly Rednecked I have a question that does the if the incubator is auto then do we have to put a thermometer
Question before I finished video - I thought you stated in another video not to use water at the beginning of incubation for first 14 days must be low humidity and on 15th day add water for lock down to get to 65%. I may have misunderstood - please clarify. Thank you for the series - very informative:)
I often leave water out for the first 14 days. Especially in the summer when it is so humid out anyway. But that really depends on your climate. if it is very dry you will probably need to add water just not as much as you do when they go into lock down. I hope that makes sense.
I just purchased a new Little Giant 6300 and my humidity stays around 45 percent. How do I bring that level up ? Thanks for your help ! Timmie
I wouldn't stress too much about what the humidity gauge says. It probably isn't accurate. If your incubator windows are fogging up you are well over 45 percent humidity. Humidity isn't as important as temperature. If you are filling up the water trays inside you should be fine.
Thank you !
Hi there! I have an electric incubator. It has worked perfectly in the past and actually whenever I incubate chicken eggs, but when I'm doing Quail eggs, it has been a pain! Going up or down . So it has me concerned. Is it something that will drop my hatch rate badly?
How do u change the humidity on this incubator? Pleaseee need help 👍🏽
I think you add water to raise the humidity level
What would be humidity level we have to maintain during lockdown period.
So whats the right temperature for the 21 days on the incubator?
99.5 F for a forced air incubator and 101 for a still air incubator.
100 degree's
What is the exact temperature inside the incubator?
Hi do your rules for incubating work the same for cockatiel eggs ?
I have never hatched cackatiel eggs but I don't see why it would be any different. They work for all types of poultry.
My incubator was always hotter then i set it, after i removed the grill and looked into the fan the temperature sensor was RIGHT infront of the air path....
After splinting and putting a longer wire it works fine now... something people should check for if your incubators are too hot or cold.
That is a great suggestion. Thank you for sharing.
Great video, as usual. :) I have one of these as well as one of the older types with the metal element at the top. I had two of the newer ones at one time but the one burned out... during the middle of an incubation( about a week in) the temp on the digital screen kept reading 98 (one degree lower than I wanted it but it's still within the range, just takes longer) and had the little chick symbol 'temp ok' , but the other thermometer I had (an Acurite indoor/ outdoor with a probe on a wire (with the probe duct taped to the side right at / slightly above egg level) was reading 107. Yes, 107. I thought it couldn't be right so I changed the batteries in it, still 107. Tried adjusting it but it wouldn't go lower than 105. The eggs were fried, I guess, those never hatched and I never used that incubator again. SO if you have two thermometers in at all times you'll know immediately if there is a problem. The other one that I'm still using has hatched so many quails it's crazy, it's a solid incubator I'd recommend to anyone. Also, when I'm going into lockdown, after I take the turner out I put some of that rubber shelf liner in as I've had the tiny quail legs go through that mesh screen thing and twisting them- and worse- ...not good. Just wash and bleach it between uses. Then to keep humidity up I put in two clean tuna cans with some wadded paper towels in and put water in it will absorb the water and sink down... so there's no standing water in the cans (if there is just add a bit more paper). I've been doing it this way for years and it works. I have no idea what the actual humidity rate is (by percentage) but it always helps, esp. with the older element model, it's an absolute must as that model dries up like crazy!
Thanks for the kind comments.
Those are good suggestions. I have never had a problem with the mesh floor myself so i don't bother with adding anything else to it. I am working on incubating some eggs now and shooting an updated video so I will be discussing some of your suggestions during the lock down phase.
Sounds great. The next time I incubate I'm going to do the Listerine and float test methods, I only learned about it after I had two hatches going already. lol.
Its not a widely talked about procedure. I found it incredibly helpful on my hatches though.
I'm just starting to incubator eggs I wanted to ask how long can wait from have the egg befu can incubat I have a few hens I want egg from before I put them in
I think you are asking how long you can store them before incubating. typically they can be stored for about 7 days before fertility starts to drop. I hope that answers it.
Hi Chris, this video series is just the best. I just hatched out my first eggs, and throughtout the process I found myself going back again and again to watch them when I had concerns. So thank you.
One question, I see the replacement thermostat for your unit can be purchased for $30. Do you know if it can be used to upgrade the still air model?
I am not sure to tell you the truth but I do know that Miller Manufacturing (the company that makes little giant incubators) has been very receptive to me. I am sure if you contact them they will be able to answer that question and do so very quickly. I don't see why it wouldn't work but I just don't know.
Slightly Rednecked Thank you. I'll give them a shout.
which is more important fresher eggs or waiting 3 days for your incubator to stabilize temperature? We will have it running at least 24 hours in advance
it depends. How fresh are the eggs? They can easily be stored for about 7 days before incubating but after 7 to 10 days the hatch rate starts to drop off pretty good. If you can afford to wait it would be best to do so. I hope that helps.
It does, thank you. we have a few days within that window to play with. Thank you
no problem. Glad to help.
I have the same incubator but for some reason I've done 3 batches and none have survived walk me threw on how you use this incubator
West Lee my first batch 10 chicks died. Humidity would not go over 32%. I need a fix for it before I try again.
@@beckysmuck9521 add more water
Good video, thanks!!
Thanks for watching. Glad you liked it.
We collected eggs for about a week before we processed and check for fertility and, I would like to know if we should move the eggs off the turner on day 17day instead of day 18 bcus they might start piping early and I dont wanna risk shrink wrapping them
Yes, moving them out of the turner on day 17 or even earlier is fine. I often move them out on day 15 myself.
@@Slightlyrednecked 4 of them have hatched one is still absorbing its yoke and is moving around now!! Thanks for your knowledge you share!!
How much water do you put? I know you said you don't worry that much about the humidity but I'm nervous that I will put too much or too little
Well remember that humidity is by surface space not volume so run your incubator for a few days ahead of time and figure out how many channels you need to fill up to get the humidity to about 65%. Then just fill those channels all the way to the top. At lockdown I fill all of my channels as full as I can. I hope that helps.
Thank you for messaging me back! I'm still having a lot of trouble with the humidity. I put the most amount of water that it can hold and it has stayed between 42-50% humidity. This is day 3 since I tuned it on! I'm going to continue to check in it.
You can also try adding a soaked sponge. It increases surface area so it could help.
Adding the sponges helped!!! Thank you!!!!!
Fantastic. Glad to help.
get vid. is that the 6300 egg turner?
Thanks. Yeah, it is a 6300. :)
How many times would you need to refill the water?
It depends on your humidity. for me, in the winter it dries out much faster and I have to fill it frequently. In the summer, I really don't need to add water at all until lock down.
@@Slightlyrednecked Oh ok thanks
Does it matter where you put your eggs in your egg turner?
Not really. I do try to keep mine to the center of the incubator if I don't have enough eggs to fill it up completely. I just feel like that area is a little better regulated by the thermostat.
Awesome! Thank you.
I use a good old fashioned mercury under the tongue thermometer. They are actuate!
That is probably one of the best options honestly. I know some people have a hard time reading those though.
Where can you buy the old fashioned mercury thermometers? I haven't seen theminforever.
Debra Barnett I don’t know, I guess I’ve had mine for so long that I haven’t had to buy one lately. Didn’t realize they didn’t sell them anymore. maybe Amazon.
Hey if anyone can help me, if u keep opening the incubator when there hatching does it affect them? Or is not the season to hatch right now cause is too hot?
It does affect them because it bounces the humidity up & down. Do not open once hatch the eggs have started to pip unless there's absolutely no choice.
Hello, I am not having a good experience, I incubated 48 eggs and I gat only 7 quails. All of the other eggs had the bird inside with the beak out. I don't know what am doing wrong.
It could be a number of things. Birds pipping but not hatching is usually caused by the incubator being opened during lock down. The rush of fresh dryer air causes the membrane in the egg to shrink down and basically trap the bird inside the egg. It can also be caused by too much calcium in the hens diet. This can lead to thicker egg shells that make it difficult for the bird to break out of. I hope that helps.
@@Slightlyrednecked how often should i add water for turkey eggs and should i not open it to add water? and what percent should i have the humidity at for it.
Should I set the little thermostat wire thing on top of the eggs or set it on the egg turner?.
I set mine on top of the eggs.
The manufacturer says to leave the plugs unless you’re at 6000 fasl or higher the incubator has vent holes and leaving the plugs out makes it take longer to stabilize IDK but that what it says
I disagree with them. It may take a little longer to stabilize but the eggs need ventilation. I always suggest removing the plugs.
Mine stays at 50%. Didn’t set it that way. Just does it on its own I guess. First time using mine.
You probably should add water...
I have the same incubator
My humidity stays around 80 n 87 but trays are always full. Is this right
That actually sounds fantastic. Most people (especially this time of year) are struggling with keeping water in the incubator and not having to add any during lock down. 80 to 87 percent should be fine.
Hola tengo una pero no sé secan los pollitos siempre están humedos
So I have the same incubator. Testing before setting in the eggs. It's set to 99 but it keeps going up to 100 and 101. It's in a 72 degree room and not in direct sunlight. Why doesn't it stop at 99? Is it suppose to do this?
That is pretty common actually. It should level out a little and not spike too much with just a little bit of time.
Is the fan necessary inside ?
not necessary but it is better to have it than to not have it.
How hot should the incubator be?
99.5 F for a forced air incubator and 101 F for a still air incubator.
@@Slightlyrednecked will the eggs be fine if theyve been in a still air incubator that was at 99.5 for the first 2 1/2 days ?
@@rosaliasuarez6889 You should be fine. According to an old report from the US Dept. of Agriculture I found, eggs will have a 70% hatch rate at 98 F and 102.25 F. 100 F is the ideal temperature according to that same report.
The report is titled: "EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, AND
OTHER FACTORS ON HATCH OF HENS' EGGS AND ON ENERGY METABOLISM OF CHICK EMBRYOS"
Here is a snippet from the report that should put you at ease:
"The best hatches were obtained at 100° F., which indicates that this is about the optimum temperature for incubation. The hatch decreased at higher and at lower temperatures, slowly at first, then more rapidly as the deviation from 100° increased, until at 96° and at 103.5° nearly all the embryos died in the shell. The appearance of the chicks varied considerably with the incubation temperature. At 102° F. they were not so large, fluffy, and lively as at 99° or 100°. There were also many abnormalities. The most common troubles were crooked toes and sprawling legs. In the latter case the chicks were unable to stand. Crooked necks also appeared frequently, the chicks never having been able to straighten them after emerging from the shells. Practically no abnormalities occurred at an incubation temperature of 100°, crooked necks never appearing and crooked toes very infrequently, and the chicks were strong and vigorous."
Ive set mine to 100 F for everything. always worked
I can't find part one and two
Sorry about that. Here is a link the entire playlist. th-cam.com/play/PLjVT58vKdZARV4sU1iWBO7RlZeR_UNbXb.html
Hey thanks a lot for helping you helped me a lot thanks I liked and also subbed
No problem. Glad to help and thanks for the sub. :)
Chris could you do the Listerine one the eggs you need to wash and store in you fridge to eat? For bacteria as well. (sometimes the eggs get dirty and you need to wash them.). Thanks Chris blessings 🌻🐝🌻
I guess you could but there is no reason to. I just wash the eggs before i use them. I mean, you are cooking them anyway and that will kill any bacteria.
how many days we have to wait?
I am sorry but I am not sure what you are asking? How many days do we have to wait for what?
21 days
How do I calibrate my incubator thermometer?
you need to compare it to a calibrated external thermometer. Avoid digital thermometers. Dial gauge meat thermometers work well. Calibrate it by testing it in boiling water and ice water and adjusting until it reads correctly. Then compare that to the incubator thermometer and adjust it until it reads the temp you want on the meat thermometer. I hope that makes sense.
Hey, just wondering: i recently started a new batch and my humidity is staying around 48-50% with no water even added. Is that ok? I have the same incubator as yours.
That should be fine. Keep in mind that when the humidity gauge get's below about 50% it really isn't all that accurate. It might be a little lower or a little higher. I really wouldn't worry about it too much myself until lock down and then you need to bump it up a bit. You probably only need to fill one or two of the channels though. Hope that helps.
I've got the same incubator and found that the connector for the temperature sensor is faulty causing a resistance that introduced error to the temp measurement. I messed around with the connector, tweaking pins and so forth, until I finally gave up and soldered the temp sensor wires directly to the control circuit board. The temp has been consistently accurate since then. I also installed a small computer fan with a 220 ohm resistor in series to slow it down. Temps are way more even across this unit with just a little air flow. However, If the air flow is too much, the overall temperature swings become much larger.
If you have more problems with it, just contact the company that makes them, Miller Mfg. They are really good about sending replacement parts. Sounds like you got it figured out though. Good job.
@@Slightlyrednecked I gambled on it used, turner included, for $25 so I wasn't going to bother the manufacturer with it. Not so much a complaint but an observation that made me wonder how many of these models have the same defect.
How do I increase the humidity? I’ve added water to all the trays full every time I’ve turned the eggs but it’s still saying 44-48% each time.
That can be tough. Sounds like you live in a very dry area. If you have the ability you can add a room humidifier and place the incubator in a small room (like a closet) to help bring up the outside humidity. If that is not an option, then I wouldn't stress too much. Chances are, your humidity is actually much higher than what is shown when the trays are full of water. It is hard to measure humidity accurately without doing relative humidity (look up wet/dry bulb if you are interested).
Can you hatch store bought eggs like is that possible
Kenzie Welsh No. store bought eggs are from hens that are in cages and not by any rooster. You can actually store eggs if you have a hen and a rooster. Say you collect eggs from your chickens in December and you put them in the fridge and in June you want to hatch them you can actually take those eggs out and hatch them. It’s super neat!
What if the eggs said fertile on the carton
It is possible to hatch store bought eggs. I would agree that it is rare and most are not fertile but it has happened before.
@@Slightlyrednecked ok thank you
With chickens, males are killed off almost always as soon as they know they are males. With quails on the other hand, you can.
is this incubator the tsc model?
It is a little giant forced air. Pretty much the same thing as the tsc model i believe.
Thanks
No problem.
hi! im doing this as an experiment. (just curious) you really helped a lot. I watched it all t.y
awesome. I am so glad you found it helpful.
My little giant won't put the humidity over 32%. I lost 10 chicks because of it. I had to help the other two out of the egg. I'm sick about it. All fully formed. Just couldn't get out of the egg. Any advice?!
That really isn't a problem with the incubator itself. If you fill all the channels with water the humidity should be where you need it unless your climate is just very dry. you can try adding a humidifier to the room that the incubator is in and closing the door to keep the room humidity up. You can also try adding some soaked sponges to the incubator to help increase the surface area of water and therefore raising the humidity. I struggle a little with humidity in the winter time but it usually isn't that bad and not a problem in the summer. I hope that it gets better for you.
I had the water filled in the troughs the entire time. I also filled it to over flowing out the drain holes starting lockdown. I also was hatching them in the gun room so I was able to close the door so I set up a hot air humidifier and filled the room with humidity. The incubator humidity stayed at 32%. I am going to call the company and see if they have any fixes. We live in a dry desert area.
wow, seems like you did everything you could. One thing to keep in mind is that the only way to get a true reading is to get relative humidity which would have to be done with a thermometer in the water and some math (look up "wet bulb"). But if you are having the problems you stated then it very well could be that you can't keep your humidity high enough. I am sorry but I just don't know what else to tell you. I wish I had a better answer.
I get 65% with mine and that works fine
Put link to thermometer and incubator make a few bucks.....Helps us too :) Great vid
Thanks for the suggestion. Glad you liked the video.
I will put some links up, would love to be an Amazon affiliate but unfortunately not available to Missouri residents. Oh well.
When the egg turner is used for the first 3 days do u then start moving them by hand?
I am sorry, I am not sure what you are asking. If you are using an egg turner, you don't need to move the eggs by hand.
Can anyone tell me how to calibrate the thermometer of the incubator. The Little Giant 9300... Mine is running about 10 degrees too high.
I did a video on calibrating thermometers a while back. I would suggest you get at least two so you know that they are reading correctly. here is the video if it is helpful. th-cam.com/video/8NJgq5bPyuY/w-d-xo.html
What chances do I have if the temp. Went from 97-99 during first 10 days , should I continue the process? I know it should be 100-102... do I have chance of them still hatching?
There is still a chance. It may run a little longer than normal and you may not have the best hatch rate. Honestly though. 99 is a great temp if it is a forced air incubator.
Slightly Rednecked Thanks so much ! I was thinking there was no hope! I hold on and probably allow to go longer in time. I really appreciate you videos, they have been really helpful😀
no problem. Glad to help.
Thank you for the time you the best...
Thank you so much for the kind comments.
can you make a video of raising chicks from egg to adult
I have pretty much done that in various videos. Need to work on getting it more organized. Been toying with the idea of doing a complete course and hosting it online. Everything you need to know to raise your own quail in a very organized way. If that is something you think you would be interested in let me know.
Hola twngo una pero no me sube la temperatura que podría ser
No hablo español muy bien. Solo un poco. Así que espero que esto sea correcto.
Podría ser un mal funcionamiento. puede intentar ponerse en contacto con la empresa para ver si pueden ayudar. Tienen un buen servicio al cliente.
@@Slightlyrednecked gracias
Can i use another type of listrine like the blue or red listrine (where i’m from we don’t have the original)
I assume they will work but I don't know for sure. you can just use rubbing alcohol. it will work just fine.
Hlo i am doing egg incubation but i am not getting good hatch rate so anyone can please help me
I am sorry to hear that you are having problems. I put together an entire series on incubating (this is video 3 in that series). If you watch all of the videos it should help out.
hello you mentioned that for the last three days you get the humitity up to 90, well how do you do that? i watched the video, i added caps to add more water to see if the humitity goes up, but cant get it up to 90, 65 is the best i can do, can you give me an idea? please
First of all, I wouldn't stress too much about 65 percent. As long as you have the water trays full of water. I would remove the caps as well, the fresh air is more important. Remember that humidity is based off of surface area not volume so a long wide tray of water will raise humidity more than a tall skinny glass of water. So adding a soaked sponge (lots of surface volume) can help if you need more than what the water trays provide. I hope that helps.
hello and thank you for your answer, i noticed with the caps i don't have to open the incubator as often, ( does it make any sense? ) with the caps is good for six days without four days, so am going to leave them, this time it is my first time, am exited, your videos have help me a lot. thank you again, i let you know, ten more days, all the way from mexico,
my little giant melted on the right side between the window and the heater
really? did you try to contact the company (Miller Mfg)? They have been pretty good to deal with in my experience. Won't help with your current hatch but you might get it replaced for free. So sorry to hear about your trouble.
Slightly Rednecked this just happened last night and I can't find a number to call them
Here is their customer service number. They are open 7 a.m. to 6:00 pm Central time. I hope this helps and good luck. 800- 260-0888.
Thanks for the informationThanks for the information
No problem. I hope it works out. Unfortunately I don't think there is anything you can do for the eggs that are currently in the incubator. unless you have another incubator handy that you can transfer them to.
Hi Chris, my two daughters and i Bought some quail around Christmas time and have now tried to incubate some eggs twice. the first time we tried 8 eggs. At around day 17/18 we noticed little holes appearing in some of the eggs and the kids were very excited that we could see the odd little beak moving inside. however none of them got any further than this despite waiting for another couple of days, in the end we tried to help a couple of them, one was a disaster, the other managed to get out but couldn't walk and just flapped about on its side for 2 days before we reckoned it wasn't ever going to be able to stand up. all in all it was a bit of a disaster! i wanted to the kids to see and experience something magical but in the end it was quite heartbreaking. we are now at day 18 of our second attempt, we have 12 eggs in the incubator, some have developed the same little holes as last time and we can see tiny bits of movement as the little beaks try to poke through. I suppose my first question is, how long, once a chick has first cracked the shell should it take for them to emerge? is it normal for them to crack a hole and then stay inside for a few more days? or are my quail struggling to break out? is there anything i can do at this stage to help them? and what can i do to stop this from happening in future hatches? thanks
wow, so sorry for the slow response and I hope you had some birds hatch. They generally hatch pretty quickly once they pipped the shell. Make sure you don't open the incubator during that time. The rush of fresh air and drop in humidity can cause them to get shrink wrapped in their egg and not be able to get out. Are you feeding extra calcium to your birds? It could be that the eggshells are too thick and the birds are having trouble getting out because of that. It sounds like your temp is correct if they are pipping on day 17 so those are my first guesses. I hope that helps and I hope you had a successful hatch. Hang in there, incubating is a learned skill and it will get better.
Thanks for getting back to me! just to update you. There were 12 eggs in the incubator, 7 'pipped' over the course of 2 or 3 days, one seemed to be having a really good go at it so i thought they might be ok, but when i checked later it had died in it's shell. At that point i decided that if i did nothing, i'd lose them all and i didnt want that to happen again (especially for the kids) so i gently tried to help the other 6 out of their shells giving them some assistance and then leaving them to do the rest but eventually i had to go back in and help a couple further. As of now four are in the brooder, running around and the other two are still in the incubator, i'm not sure how those 2 will do but time will tell. None were able to hatch themselves, so clearly there's something I'm not quite getting right, maybe it's a humidity issue? I'm not sure about the calcium quantities in their food, I'm not supplementing their crumble with anything apart from the odd grub that i find when I'm gardening. Any way i'm delighted that we have a few chicks to show for our efforts, the kids are very excited, we will go again and try and learn from our mistakes! I've followed your channel for quite a while and it's always very informative and helpful, and a lot of what i've learnt has come from your videos, thanks so much for responding to my question! we are in Belfast, Northern Ireland by the way. I'm sure you know you've a global audience but maybe it's nice to know exactly where you're helping folks out! Take Care and keep them coming!
If your incubator has a snap thermostat replace with a digital one, got to constantly mess with it.
Mine has a digital one and it stays pretty consistent really.
Great video can you make your own incubator?
yes you can. Honestly it is much easier to buy one though. When I was a kid we incubated chicken eggs in a home made incubator. We used two 60 watt light bulbs on a dimmer switch and checked it regularly and adjusted the dimmer switch to control the temp. it worked ok but was a lot of work.
Yay, thanks!
No problem. :)
Calibrated ?
I assume you have watched my videos. there really isn't much more to it than that. Set it up a few days ahead of time and make sure it is reading accurately with a second thermometer. You need to make sure that your thermometer is calibrated though. Get a dial type thermometer and not a digital one. It should have instructions on how to calibrate it. Basically stick it in ice water and set the low point, then stick it in boiling water and set the high point (slightly more complex than that but not much). If your thermometer is not calibrated trust the incubator. Once you have it set up it isn't really anything else to do to it. Have you ever had a successful hatch out of your incubator? If so, did you clean it really well after. And did you clean it well after the failed hatches? It could be a bacterial issue. I hope that helps a little.
so even thought your incubator is still air you just run your incubator at 99.5. i was thinking still aired had to be 102 degree
nevermind, saw you answered later in comments :)
chris the red plugs are used to control humidity ! do not throw away !
I have to disagree with you. Fresh air is more important in my opinion. But if you are getting good hatch rates by leaving them in then no need to change that.
I have a hova-bator incubator and I can't figure out how to keep the temperature reagler it gos up and down I'm lost I want to hatch my egg not cook my eggs lolol
I don't have a lot of experience with hovabators but I think I remember them requiring a "burn in" on the thermostat. You might try searching that out and seeing if that helps.
Price
Price for the incubator? I think they run about $150 with the egg turner.
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Instrucciones en español
lo siento. no hablo espanol muy bien.
Estoy tratando de aprender, pero todavía no puedo hablarlo lo suficientemente bien.
Well I checked my eggs this mourning n chicks went from moving inside the egg to not moving at all. Gess the all dead smh
I am so sorry to hear that. Hang in there, it gets easier with practice.
Paperwork told me humidity sud be 60-80
Well that is the ideal but you also have to realize that to get a really good reading you need to take the relative humidity. In all honesty, I wouldn't stress out to much about humidity levels. I run it a little drier up until lockdown (just don't put as much water in or heck, maybe none at all if the humidity is showing 60% with no water in it) and then just fill the bottom of the incubator at lockdown. I hope that helps.
thumbs up
thanks for watching. Glad you liked it.
You are keeping telling the same mistakes 99 faraneigh = 37.4 degrees Celsius
Sorry about that. I am not good with converting temperatures.
99 F is 37.2 C
thank u
Thanks for watching.
helo fiyat nekadar
I am sorry but i don't speak that language. Google translate says you are asking how much it cost. If that is the case you can generally find them for about $100 to $150 with an egg turner included. I hope that helps.
Never added water to mine
That probably has to do with the time of year. It is much more humid this time of year than in the winter time.
Slightly Rednecked thanks for always getting back to me. I’ve been enjoying your videos. Have learned a lot.
DUH SHOW THE HATCH!!!!
SORRY-- NOTICED LATER THAT YOU DID SHOW LOL
lol. No problem. Thanks for watching and I hope you found it helpful.
I ordered eggs off ebay . It took 4 days to be delivered and to begin the incubation process. The lady said they should hatch and has a 100% positive feed back but it was very cold and we had a freak snow storm during the shipping time. Has anyone had a similar situation with a positive outcome? I'm feel very pessimistic. Great video BTW! thumbs up!!!
If they froze you may have some problems but I would bet they are going to be fine. Just incubate away and expect some to hatch. Good luck.
I'm curious to know how your hatch turned out. Could you update?
None of them hatched :(
I'm sorry to hear. Did the seller make it right or were you out of luck with that group?
I didn't think it was the sellers fault. I just had bad luck with a crappy incubator from china.