# Newbie- certainly I messed up!



## ChickenLittles (Apr 9, 2021)

I feel terrible and am certain that I messed up my first attempt with incubation. 
Some background- 
We live in Colorado. We purchased a brand new Farm Innovators Pro Series Digital Incubator (Model 4250) with auto turner. This was set up in the basement, where ambient temperature is fairly stable, on a sturdy tablet, without any disturbance to where it was set up (no moving of the table, jostling etc).
The issue-
I purchased a dozen Crele frizzle eggs from a lady in a different town, she said that she had been collecting the eggs for the past week. (She threw in 4 BLR eggs since she knew some of the frizzle eggs may not develop). She had them all in an egg crate, small side down.
We put these eggs into the incubator on March 16th- after letting them sit (in our home) for about 6 hours. *Note: I did NOT candle the eggs before putting them in- wondering if this is a step that anyone does as a 'baseline' look? Or what thoughts are about candling immediately*
The temperature was amazingly consistent. 99.5-100.5 the ENTIRE time! I think I messed the humidity up though- I know that humidity was hanging around 60%, it reached 68% on day 5, then I became fanatic over it and worked to lower the humidity where it was closer to 52-54% (give or take) for the next 13 days. 
I candled the eggs on day 7 and I believe that only 4 (out of 16) eggs had any veins present. *I left the other 12 eggs in the incubator for another 3 days just to make sure I wasn't disposing of them prematurely*
The temperature and humidity maintained about what the above numbers reflect. I candled them again a couple of times and I could see movement in all 4 eggs!! 
I removed the auto-turner on day 18 and laid them on the plastic grate bottom, increased the humidity to about 65% and then waited.

On day 22- I saw a crack in one of the eggs (this was one of the BLR eggs). No further evidence of the little trying to enter this world ever occurred. While staring at the BLR egg, the Crele egg suddenly rolled across the incubator and stole the show. The Crele baby hatched, flip-flopping all over the place- but one leg doesn't seem to want to straighten out. The baby hatched yesterday- I left it alone in the incubator to dry off, hoping the little peeps would stimulate the other eggs to hatch. This morning, the baby chick (Mango- as my son immediately named it) was peeping, to my delight! I moved it to the brooder that I set up (cat carrier with pine shavings, food, water and an overhead heat plate). At the same time I candled the remaining three eggs- I see no movement at all. One egg seems like the pipping started, a pencil eraser sized area of the shell is gone, but the membrane is still, by and large, intact. I was going to leave the eggs for the day, then dispose of them if nothing happens. 

I feel like I must have made so many mistakes to have 1 out of 16 eggs hatch. And now the 1 may have some sort of deformity. I will try to straighten out the leg later and see if it could be a slipped tendon, it does not seem to by splayed leg (which I have NO experience with, just saw pictures). I feel like if you ask 10 people "what temperature and humidity do you try to attain" , you will get 10 answers. I just feel terrible and wonder how many mistakes I made. 

I certainly hope to learn from all of your experience and hope to try our hand at incubating again.

Thank you, in advance!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Candling first, we candle eggs that were shipped to establish how many have ruptured air cells. Yours were not shipped so it really wasn't necessary.

The red flag for me is her stating some may not be fertile. It sounds as though none of them were fertile if you saw no development

Your temps are running lower than what they're displaying. It's not uncommon for built in thermos and humidity monitors to be inaccurate. I've always used high quality reptile instruments because they have to be spot on to keep reptiles healthy. 

From what I'm reading you didn't do anything wrong. Get something like this: Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer it should make things better for you.


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## ChickenLittles (Apr 9, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Candling first, we candle eggs that were shipped to establish how many have ruptured air cells. Yours were not shipped so it really wasn't necessary.
> 
> The red flag for me is her stating some may not be fertile. It sounds as though none of them were fertile if you saw no development
> 
> ...


That makes me feel better! Certainly purchasing a different meter is easy enough! I will do that. I guess I should candle them to look for the air cells- that may be another safety check point along the way. If the eggs were fertile, then I would have seen veins at least I presume! I saw NOTHING! I am new to this, but NOTHING! Thank you for your insight- I really appreciate it!


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Welcome to the forum! Sometimes high humidity in the middle of the incubation can contribute to leg issues but it sounds as if you did everything you could. They really only need the increased humidity to help the hatch. As Robin stated it may be temps or fertility. I always have three thermometers in my incubators.


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## ChickenLittles (Apr 9, 2021)

Poultry Judge said:


> Welcome to the forum! Sometimes high humidity in the middle of the incubation can contribute to leg issues but it sounds as if you did everything you could. They really only need the increased humidity to help the hatch. As Robin stated it may be temps or fertility. I always have three thermometers in my incubators.


Thank you! I think extra meters are an easy adjustment. I still feel terrible, but I really tried to do all in my power for these littles!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Since you saw no development in the 12 eggs that isn't on you. They were infertile. 

Being new there are mistakes to be made. Even those that have hatched hundreds have issues from time to time. I think it's to remind us we only have so much control over the outcomes living with the feathered ones.


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## ChickenLittles (Apr 9, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Since you saw no development in the 12 eggs that isn't on you. They were infertile.
> 
> Being new there are mistakes to be made. Even those that have hatched hundreds have issues from time to time. I think it's to remind us we only have so much control over the outcomes living with the feathered ones.


I guess I am hoping that I didn't "miss" seeing the veins or something like that- or, that I gave them enough time to develop veins before determining that they probably were not fertile. I am fascinated by eggs being laid on different days, they just "WAIT" to develop until they are incubated. (hen or machine). That is what I find hard to wrap my head around. An egg laid on Monday and an egg laid on Friday (if fertile) will develop the exact same time. (Or so that is how I interpret the information I have read on when to candle eggs, when veins should appear etc)


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Heat is what starts the development of the embryo. Without it they won't develop. It's why in hot climates, like the south, it's a good idea to collect eggs so the high temps don't have them developing before you want them to. 

I saw staggered hen hatches because some eggs would have already begun to develop before the hen went broody on her nest. Guineas would leave their nests all day when the temps were in the upper 90's.


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## ChickenLittles (Apr 9, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Heat is what starts the development of the embryo. Without it they won't develop. It's why in hot climates, like the south, it's a good idea to collect eggs so the high temps don't have them developing before you want them to.
> 
> I saw staggered hen hatches because some eggs would have already begun to develop before the hen went broody on her nest. Guineas would leave their nests all day when the temps were in the upper 90's.


That is so interesting!! I bet some hens appreciate the flexibility of being able to stretch! (I know they are just fine brooding though)


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

As time goes on you'll learn a lot of interesting things about the birds. Most of them fun. Some of them not so much.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> As time goes on you'll learn a lot of interesting things about the birds. Most of them fun. Some of them not so much.


Four million years of interesting stuff.


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## ChickenLittles (Apr 9, 2021)

ChickenLittles said:


> I feel terrible and am certain that I messed up my first attempt with incubation.
> Some background-
> We live in Colorado. We purchased a brand new Farm Innovators Pro Series Digital Incubator (Model 4250) with auto turner. This was set up in the basement, where ambient temperature is fairly stable, on a sturdy tablet, without any disturbance to where it was set up (no moving of the table, jostling etc).
> The issue-
> ...


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## ChickenLittles (Apr 9, 2021)




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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There is the little peep. It's sad that you didn't have another hatch since they don't like being alone. 

The leg hasn't straightened out yet, has it? You might need a vet to xray to see what is what.


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