You didn't mention humidity in your to-do list. Do you think too much humidity might have been a problem last time? If so how far do you think you should reduce it?
Embryos seem to have stopped growing
- Thread starter svickery
- Start date
Re humidity - yes probably, but I'm not sure it was the thing that killed them. The man that lent me the incubator told me 50% until day 18. My initial concern was that I struggled to keep it at 50% and several times it dropped to 30%. As it turns out that was probably a good thing. From what I've read since I could well have ended up with drowned chicks at hatching because of high humidity earlier on - but as they didn't make it that far I don't think it made the difference this time.
The new incubator manages its own humidity and I will leave it to its own expert methods as it has been very succesful before (and I think that runs at c 40% until the last 3 days). The old one - if I were to use it again - needs to be sterilised to within an inch of its life (I thought about running it with disinfectant in for a few days, with the vents shut to ensure it reached every crevice - or spraying alcohol on the bits I couldn't reach before as that is supposed to be OK for electrical parts as it evaporates quickly) then rinsed - then run with water only in the 1 compartment = 30-35% humidity I think, until the last 3 days. May well use it again if my friend brings more Maran eggs than I can fit in the RCom 20.
Suzie
The new incubator manages its own humidity and I will leave it to its own expert methods as it has been very succesful before (and I think that runs at c 40% until the last 3 days). The old one - if I were to use it again - needs to be sterilised to within an inch of its life (I thought about running it with disinfectant in for a few days, with the vents shut to ensure it reached every crevice - or spraying alcohol on the bits I couldn't reach before as that is supposed to be OK for electrical parts as it evaporates quickly) then rinsed - then run with water only in the 1 compartment = 30-35% humidity I think, until the last 3 days. May well use it again if my friend brings more Maran eggs than I can fit in the RCom 20.
Suzie
foxy
Active member
Out of interest you mentioned that you had 2 thermometers, did you check temp daily with them? I ask because too much of a variance in temperature can cause the DIS you describe.
I never wash the eggs, but the nest boxes (or floor...) is reasonably clean. I dry incubate, or keep humidity at around 30% right up until they start to pip externally then I raise to about 55%.
I store my eggs at room temperature and pointy end down, tip gently once a day, and usually set eggs no older than 14 days. When incubating eggs are very vulnerable in the first 7 days so it is best to avoid candling until a bit later, when first candling try to do it very gently so to not dislodge the developing embryo from the chalaza (strings) holding it in position inside the egg.
There is a fair amount of information here on the website you may find useful, good luck with the rcom, they are an excellent machine by all accounts!
http://poultrykeeper.com/common-articles-to-all-poultry/incubation-hatching/
I never wash the eggs, but the nest boxes (or floor...) is reasonably clean. I dry incubate, or keep humidity at around 30% right up until they start to pip externally then I raise to about 55%.
I store my eggs at room temperature and pointy end down, tip gently once a day, and usually set eggs no older than 14 days. When incubating eggs are very vulnerable in the first 7 days so it is best to avoid candling until a bit later, when first candling try to do it very gently so to not dislodge the developing embryo from the chalaza (strings) holding it in position inside the egg.
There is a fair amount of information here on the website you may find useful, good luck with the rcom, they are an excellent machine by all accounts!
http://poultrykeeper.com/common-articles-to-all-poultry/incubation-hatching/
OMG Foxy - you were right - sadly
I set up the RCom 20 today and checked the temperature with my thermometer and there was quite a discrepency. So I got my digital room thermometer and tried that and that was 0.9 degrees C below the RCom's own measurement - but a lot closer. I switched on the old Novital and put the digital thermometer in there and it came up as 40.2 degrees C - that is 104.36 F !!!!!!!!!
Now you will be thinking I am really stupid BUT in my defense - I was lent the Novital from someone who has hatched loads of eggs in it. There is no easy temperature adjustment - he just told me it was set right for hens. The Novital thermometer showed just a tad under 100 F, and my own (brand new) thermometer inside the incubator showed 99.5F - so with 2 thermometers showing the same consistent temperature throughout the 3 weeks I assumed they were right. Clearly not.
The only interesting thing to come out of this is that 2 of the 21 eggs survived to the last few days, whereas the other 19 died between day 7 and 10 approx. These 2 eggs were the only ones laid my by Bluebell (fairly dark brown eggs) - which suggests it is true that different breeds cope better or worse with different temperatures.
Now to adjust the Novital - I have found a small screw head inset into the top with a + and a - sign - and am gradually turning it towards the - sign and hoping the temperature will start to drop. I tried to download instructions but can only find them in Italian.
I set up the RCom 20 today and checked the temperature with my thermometer and there was quite a discrepency. So I got my digital room thermometer and tried that and that was 0.9 degrees C below the RCom's own measurement - but a lot closer. I switched on the old Novital and put the digital thermometer in there and it came up as 40.2 degrees C - that is 104.36 F !!!!!!!!!
Now you will be thinking I am really stupid BUT in my defense - I was lent the Novital from someone who has hatched loads of eggs in it. There is no easy temperature adjustment - he just told me it was set right for hens. The Novital thermometer showed just a tad under 100 F, and my own (brand new) thermometer inside the incubator showed 99.5F - so with 2 thermometers showing the same consistent temperature throughout the 3 weeks I assumed they were right. Clearly not.
The only interesting thing to come out of this is that 2 of the 21 eggs survived to the last few days, whereas the other 19 died between day 7 and 10 approx. These 2 eggs were the only ones laid my by Bluebell (fairly dark brown eggs) - which suggests it is true that different breeds cope better or worse with different temperatures.
Now to adjust the Novital - I have found a small screw head inset into the top with a + and a - sign - and am gradually turning it towards the - sign and hoping the temperature will start to drop. I tried to download instructions but can only find them in Italian.
chrismahon
Well-known member
Hi Svickery. Our Rcom Suro ran low temperature because the thermometer reads at the top of the machine and the sides and base are much colder, depending on how cold your room is. You can tell if you are going to have problems if the heater keeps coming on -lot of heat loss occurring at the sides. So the eggs are actually at a lower temperature than the point the thermometrer reads. We clad our machine in bubble wrap which improved things but still left some hatching 2 days late. Next time we will run it inside a perspex case which we will hold at 30 degrees inside.
Yes you are right - the thermometer at egg level is reading 0.9 degrees C lower than the RCom reading. Is that enough to make a difference ? in which case why can't I just manually increase the required temperature by 0.9 degrees C ?
The temperature in the room will vary day to night so it seems your insulating ideas may be necessary too.
The temperature in the room will vary day to night so it seems your insulating ideas may be necessary too.
foxy
Active member
svickery said:
Which rcom do you have? Rcom 20 pro or the king suro? Also, where is your incubating room, is it inside or outside?
chrismahon
Well-known member
Made a difference with us Svickery, that's why our hatches were late. I think increasing the temperature would work only if the external conditions were completely stable. If they get too cold they are late, if they get too hot they are dead.
It is the Rcom 20 Pro, and it is inside in a room that isn't heated and is c 15-16 degrees in very cold weather but warms up during a warm day to c19 degrees. I felt that was the most constant temperature room I could get, as I have the radiators switched off in there. Any other room will be much warmer in the evenings when the heating is on.
What do you reckon ? insulate the RCom like Chris has done ? Put it under the table, at ground level, where I think the temperature will be more stable - as the air that gets warmed rises, so the higher up in the room the warmer it will get ?
What do you reckon ? insulate the RCom like Chris has done ? Put it under the table, at ground level, where I think the temperature will be more stable - as the air that gets warmed rises, so the higher up in the room the warmer it will get ?
foxy
Active member
svickery said:
No that room should be fine and the plastic will be insulation enough
17 I wouldn't however try one of these incubators in say an outhouse or garage for example.
chrismahon
Well-known member
When we ran ours it was 12 degrees inside. The big problem was draughts really, usual problems with an old house, sash windows and open fires. I would say make your 0.9 degree adjustment Svickery but leave it on the table as cold air collects at floor level. I didn't see the tiny print in the instruction paper saying must be run in an ambient air temperature over 20 degrees. When you candle the eggs I'd move the centre row to the outside and next time you candle move the other outside row to the centre.
