AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hi everyone,

I have an E1 auto turn incubator and have had it running for about 10 days now. My problem is that I haven't been able to get the reading on the web bulb thermometer up over about 83/84 - should be at least 86. I have duck eggs and chook eggs in it.

I've completely uncovered the water tray so the light shines on all of it, I've added another small water bowl up the top and last night I added a takeaway-type container full on top of the hatching basket at the bottom. When I did this I also gave the eggs a good spray with a water bottle. This morning the reading was finally about 86/87.

I've had two hatchings in the bottom of the incubator in the last week - one was a duck egg abandoned by my silkie-bator, the other a late-hatching egg I picked up yesterday with my chicks from the hatchery. I have had to assist both of these babies to hatch (as much as I tried not to) because the membrane had obviously just dried and stuck all over them and they couldn't move!

The duckling (which turned out to be a wood duck) was definitely ready to hatch - it had even done a little poo in the egg - and it is now running around as fit as a fiddle.

The chick also seems fully-formed, although it does have an unhealed navel which I've put some Betadine on. The poor thing couldn't even straighten its neck out because the membrane had its wing feathers stuck to its head!

Does anyone else have this type of incubator and have you had to increase water surface to get humidity up? Or is it just me?

I know opening the door a lot doesn't help, but I have sprayed each time I open the door to try to compensate for this. Even when left unopened for 3 days, however, without the extra water the reading wouldn't get high enough.

How does a hygrometer work, and do you use them instead of or as well as a wet-bulb?

I have an E2 and did have the same problem. I have never used the water tray covers and was putting an extra tray in the top. Humidity was still very variable and sometimes i partially covered the air exit hole with stick tape to get the humidity up to 85-87. I was getting a lot of chicks partially hatch and die in the shell.

Then I discovered that the door seal had moved and wasn't sealing properly. When i fixed the seal i was able to remove the extra water container i had put into the top and stabilise the humidity to 85. I believe from research and experience that most chicks that die in the shell after pipping are due to humidity that is TOO HIGH not too low. So since my seal has been fixed and humidity reading stays at about 85 i have lost no chicks.

Misting the eggs is not something anyone i know does with chook eggs only ducks.

Thanks Penola Poultry. I'll check my door seal but I hope it's okay because the incubator is brand new.

mine was new as well. The seal had moved on the hinge side of the door and wasn't sealing as well as it should have...i think what then happened was a draft was set up and the reading on the wet bulb was not accurate, so my attempts to get the humidity up actually resulted in really high levels of humidity in the body of the incubator. Very happy i solved this one as it had me stumped and was bad losing so many chicks at such a late stage.

Good luck,

Oh!

I'll check mine out.

Deb

My wetbulb sits on that temp as well, I just give a light mist twice a day with a spray bottle. Dont drown them tho.
all has been fine so far.

Thanks danny boy.

I checked the door seals (didn't even know what they looked like before) and they seem okay. The one on the hinge side is a bit crooked but still seems to seal well. I'll keep an eye on it, and in the meantime do what's needed to get the humidity up.

Deb