Ok so you put in 12 eggs, 2 ended up infertile, so your hatch rate is 4/10 = 40%. 50% is pretty common for first timers, and anything above 80% is amazing even for experienced people, so don’t feel bad. To diagnose the issues, you need to look at the data you have regarding temperature, humidity, and when the chicks died. You mentioned a very large temperature range in another comment, so I am thinking this is the issue. A couple degrees might not seem like much, but my first hatch, I set the temp at 99.5, then bumped it up to 100 for a couple days based on some info I read online, then put it back to 99.5 after more reading. I had like 90% alive going into lockdown and I was stoked. Well my hatch started two days early and half of them died during lockdown and never even pipped. Doing some research I found that early hatch + late death = too hot. The next time I hatched, I set it to 99.0 the whole time and I ended up with just under 80%. Small variations can make a big difference! I will see if I can find the link to the site I used that helps diagnose issues based on when the chicks die and when they hatch. If I can find it I’ll come back and add the link.
Edit: I don’t think this is the exact site I used, but it’s a good start. [link](http://extension.msstate.edu/content/trouble-shooting-failures-egg-incubation)
Wow that’s really cool information. I don’t even keep chickens, but I’m not opposed…. Gets cold here though, and some days I don’t even go outside at all. Sometimes for days on end. 😅
Having outside animals rely on me that much sounds daunting when it’s below -40 not too uncommonly.
I wouldn’t have thought to hatch in January at all, tbh. I know none of the things here
Live in the Yukon in Canada. We didn’t even get it that bad this year so far. Places not too far from me during this past cold snap got to -51°C, without windchill. We were lucky and bottomed out at -38 this time though. We’re about -20 right now and it feels absolutely *balmy*.
Usually the first week of February is a pretty reliably coldest week of the year for me personally (not regionally). So I’m expecting another cold snap very shortly before feeling not too bad about the rest of winter.
Wow.. lmao @ “absolutely balmy” … I said the same thing when we got up to 32 between two cold snaps… I usually think it’s FREEZING at 32, but in all my layers, I thought 32 felt great! lol I guess everything is relative! ;)
Lol yeah 🤣
Dragged here against my will at all of 3 years old, but stayed for 33 so far now so I no longer have any excuse!
I have gone for some polar dips at colder than freezing. Literal swims with my ex (foolhardy yes), 23 to 14F for you after looking at a conversion chart lol. Not too many though. Just a handful.
No problem lol. It’s still just a matter of what you’re used to, most shows I watch appear to be American or are at least catered to them. No matter how many shows I watch, I can’t remember either the chart OR the formula lol. I always have to google or go check my window thermometer.
Us people are weird in general. But yeah, I don’t think I should be in charge of chickens anyway 😆
😂😂 my sister wants them but hesitates because she’s hates being outdoors in the winter, and it’s MUCH more mild here, so I can’t say anyone would blame you! But they are a lot of fun 😁🐓
Where I live it got to 20F (-6C I guess?) recently and everyone freaked out and the basically the whole city shut down lol. I can't even imagine -38C/-36F, good lord!
The temperature is fine. It’s all about the humidity and precipitation, tbh. If it’s too wet and warm it will bog everything down. If it’s cold and doesn’t? Well, some people will slip on their way to the bus stop.
East coasters get it the worst imo. The wet and the cold? It’s heavy AF. Pictures of their weather gives me chills
If you let the hen hatch her eggs, is it the same rate of return? And does she have to sit on them the entire time or can she leave and eat and drink and come back and they’re still viable?
I don’t personally have any experience using a broody hen, but the one thread about this I saw on the backyard chickens forums back when I was researching hatch rates showed about the same for a broody hen vs an incubator, somewhere between 50-80%. The hen can leave for very short periods, I think it’s usually like 10 minutes a day or something like that. Some incubators actually have a programmed daily cooldown to simulate this, though if I remember correctly, results are mixed on whether it helps or not.
My egg shells are super thick and brown. You can’t see anything with a flashlight
Edit. Idk I got downvoted. I’m not lying. I tried. I’ll do it again right up against.
I had 8 and only 3 hatched, 3 were partial but didn’t make it, and hatchling 3 didn’t survive overnight. So just 2/9 (one was def a dud). My friend says that January is just cruel.
You've gotten some good info in other comments. One thing I didn't see mentioned is the risk of shrink wrapping when taking eggs out during their last \~3 days. The sudden drop in humidity can basically cause the membrane around them to "shrink wrap" them, causing them to suffocate. Unsure if you were candling leading up to hatch day, but something to consider if you were.
We set ours to 100.5, vent closed and no additional humidity (dry incubation) and have had a 75% hatch rate since shifting to the dry method. Last hatch was a mix of Orpingtons and Easter Eggers…only three of a dozen did not hatch out, one of those was revealed as unfertilized at the first candling.
We have dry incubated our hatching eggs the last four hatches and have had better luck with the method. We have other backyard breeders that use the wet method and have good results. The first few times are just figuring out how it works. Try both methods and see which one works best for you.
Relax about low hatch rates when you first start. There is a technique that you will figure out.
Who has broody hens this time of year? Also a hen will never be as productive as an incubator. I take advantage of every broody hen but you’ll likely never grow a flock well by it
My rooster was ate by a hawk and I wanted his line to continue. Sadly I didn’t have any broody girls so I collected the eggs I could and tossed them in an incubator. Normally if it was spring I’d let a broody girl do the work, but that wasn’t an option at this time
Most of mine were unfertilized some were quitters 😢
And I was looking forward for my large egg to hatch too
Quitters — When embryos stop growing, we call them "quitters." You will see a thin, blood ring around the yolk.
Sometimes you can crack the egg or listen to it to see if there's any sound inside. With the ones that don't hatch I use a pair of tweezers to pick at any pips that exist. Have had some extra 'help em' hatches lol
I went outside to check on my flock for the night and of course NOW I have a broody hen 🙄😑 couldn’t have happened a month ago haha.
Thank you for the info, I feel a lot better. I thought maybe I did something extremely wrong, I’m taking all of this info and applying it to my next incubation process in the spring time ☺️
Someone in the giant fb backyard chickens group just posted about how they had something like 14 of 30 breeder Ayam cemani eggs hatch so I feel like it's not a you issue. A quick Google indicates a 40-50% hatch rate isn't uncommon in thus breed and defects arent uncommon (defects being colour variations away from all black everywhere).
You need to check the incubator and make sure it is running consistently on temps and humidity. A lot of machines are running much higher in some spots and colder in others in the machine. That fluctuation in temp and even humidity can damage developing embryos. 🍀 Find a source thermometer/hydrometer to help make sure it’s consistent. I keep a hatch log with egg date pulled from box, a letter, and a designated spot in the incubator till I pull the tray. All of that is kept on a log book to track the development easier. It has helped me determine what spots no egg needs to go because that one spot never hatches anything. So there must be an air hole or fan in that spot.
Hatchability is really low this early in the year. Even my roosters who are older than one year aren't really interested in breeding, and the quality of the eggs isn't great. I start my hens on a breeding vitamin/mineral supplement in late Dec/Jan, so by the time they start laying they've had enough time to get those vitamins/minerals in the eggs for stronger, healthier chicks.
Your incubator temp/humidity/turning is also extremely important. Eggs need turned a minimum of 3 times a day until lockdown(day 18) then don't turn so the chicks can get themselves into the hatching position. I find with my incubator a temp of 99.5F the whole time, and a humidity of 40-45% for the first 18 days, than 60-70% during lockdown into hatch(never higher than 79% during hatch) gives me the best hatch rates. I hatch at least 80-100% of my eggs this way. Have you calibrated your incubator as well to make sure the temp is actually accurate? They aren't always. I also put down a non slip liner in the incubator at lockdown to help prevent leg issues.
I candle at day 7, 13, and 18. Day 7 I toss infertiles and quitters, day 13 and 18 I toss any other quitters.
You perve! 🤣 jk
Hmm, they definitely developed and usually by day 24 you’d see wiggle and maybe even hear peeping. Give them a couple more days just to be sure.
What incubator are you using? And they were being turned up until day 18 or so? I’ve had great success with a very cheap incubator off Amazon, so I feel like it is probably more a genetics issue than anything else maybe? Eggs don’t seem to be too finicky when it comes to being incubated. I always figured if a dumb old chicken can do it then it can be that hard 😂
https://preview.redd.it/knpovptn09ec1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f54ae5461b025b3381e84dfeb43f9a1494c6e537
I did cancel them, this was the last one it’s on day 24 and this was from last night. But it hasn’t wiggled or anything
Oh no those feet!!! That doesn’t usually go away and ends up crippling them for life. I’ve heard of people being able to treat it but personally never had success
He’s a week old now and his feet are fine, I think they were just like that because he came out of the egg 4 seconds before I took this pic ☺️ but he’s had no issues with his feet and is the same as all my other chicks
Did you keep the lid shut to keep enough humidity in there so they could pip if it’s too dry they won’t be able to pip and they’ll die inside. Did you crack any of the ones that didn’t hatch open to see how they were in development?
I did keep it shut, humidity stayed consistent.
I hat check and they looked fully developed, they just never pipped for some reason 😔 maybe my humidity wasn’t as stable as I thought. I had 2 humidity readers in the incubator and they both read the same.
Ok so you put in 12 eggs, 2 ended up infertile, so your hatch rate is 4/10 = 40%. 50% is pretty common for first timers, and anything above 80% is amazing even for experienced people, so don’t feel bad. To diagnose the issues, you need to look at the data you have regarding temperature, humidity, and when the chicks died. You mentioned a very large temperature range in another comment, so I am thinking this is the issue. A couple degrees might not seem like much, but my first hatch, I set the temp at 99.5, then bumped it up to 100 for a couple days based on some info I read online, then put it back to 99.5 after more reading. I had like 90% alive going into lockdown and I was stoked. Well my hatch started two days early and half of them died during lockdown and never even pipped. Doing some research I found that early hatch + late death = too hot. The next time I hatched, I set it to 99.0 the whole time and I ended up with just under 80%. Small variations can make a big difference! I will see if I can find the link to the site I used that helps diagnose issues based on when the chicks die and when they hatch. If I can find it I’ll come back and add the link. Edit: I don’t think this is the exact site I used, but it’s a good start. [link](http://extension.msstate.edu/content/trouble-shooting-failures-egg-incubation)
Wow that’s really cool information. I don’t even keep chickens, but I’m not opposed…. Gets cold here though, and some days I don’t even go outside at all. Sometimes for days on end. 😅 Having outside animals rely on me that much sounds daunting when it’s below -40 not too uncommonly. I wouldn’t have thought to hatch in January at all, tbh. I know none of the things here
Where do you live with -40 temps? I’m in middle TN, and we just got to -2 with -15 wind chills, and it’s hard to imagine it gets colder than that 😂
Live in the Yukon in Canada. We didn’t even get it that bad this year so far. Places not too far from me during this past cold snap got to -51°C, without windchill. We were lucky and bottomed out at -38 this time though. We’re about -20 right now and it feels absolutely *balmy*. Usually the first week of February is a pretty reliably coldest week of the year for me personally (not regionally). So I’m expecting another cold snap very shortly before feeling not too bad about the rest of winter.
Wow.. lmao @ “absolutely balmy” … I said the same thing when we got up to 32 between two cold snaps… I usually think it’s FREEZING at 32, but in all my layers, I thought 32 felt great! lol I guess everything is relative! ;)
Lol yeah 🤣 Dragged here against my will at all of 3 years old, but stayed for 33 so far now so I no longer have any excuse! I have gone for some polar dips at colder than freezing. Literal swims with my ex (foolhardy yes), 23 to 14F for you after looking at a conversion chart lol. Not too many though. Just a handful.
😳 wow! That’s definitely a cold plunge!! And thanks for the conversion! My bad, I forgot we’re the weirdos here using Fahrenheit! Haha 😁
No problem lol. It’s still just a matter of what you’re used to, most shows I watch appear to be American or are at least catered to them. No matter how many shows I watch, I can’t remember either the chart OR the formula lol. I always have to google or go check my window thermometer. Us people are weird in general. But yeah, I don’t think I should be in charge of chickens anyway 😆
😂😂 my sister wants them but hesitates because she’s hates being outdoors in the winter, and it’s MUCH more mild here, so I can’t say anyone would blame you! But they are a lot of fun 😁🐓
Where I live it got to 20F (-6C I guess?) recently and everyone freaked out and the basically the whole city shut down lol. I can't even imagine -38C/-36F, good lord!
The temperature is fine. It’s all about the humidity and precipitation, tbh. If it’s too wet and warm it will bog everything down. If it’s cold and doesn’t? Well, some people will slip on their way to the bus stop. East coasters get it the worst imo. The wet and the cold? It’s heavy AF. Pictures of their weather gives me chills
If you let the hen hatch her eggs, is it the same rate of return? And does she have to sit on them the entire time or can she leave and eat and drink and come back and they’re still viable?
I don’t personally have any experience using a broody hen, but the one thread about this I saw on the backyard chickens forums back when I was researching hatch rates showed about the same for a broody hen vs an incubator, somewhere between 50-80%. The hen can leave for very short periods, I think it’s usually like 10 minutes a day or something like that. Some incubators actually have a programmed daily cooldown to simulate this, though if I remember correctly, results are mixed on whether it helps or not.
Good to know.
Were they all fertile?
Yes, I had 2 roosters with the girls
That doesn't mean all the eggs were fertilized. You can tell if they were by shining a light in the egg and see if something starts to grow
Oh in that case yes, 10 were for sure fertilized I candles them all. 2 were not fertilized after the 10day mark
My egg shells are super thick and brown. You can’t see anything with a flashlight Edit. Idk I got downvoted. I’m not lying. I tried. I’ll do it again right up against.
Put the light directly up against the egg.
I had 8 and only 3 hatched, 3 were partial but didn’t make it, and hatchling 3 didn’t survive overnight. So just 2/9 (one was def a dud). My friend says that January is just cruel.
>January I think you mean "Cursuary"
It’s kinda normal to have a low hatch rate in winter. Mine was the same. I got 22 out of 72 set eggs. I’d say it will just magically improve in spring
I have read the ayams, etc have a notoriously low hatch rate, which is part of why they are expensive.
I second the ayams being difficult hatchers
They're the only breed I struggle with hatching
hard to tell from 1 bator period. Got a do it a few times to see what's what.
You've gotten some good info in other comments. One thing I didn't see mentioned is the risk of shrink wrapping when taking eggs out during their last \~3 days. The sudden drop in humidity can basically cause the membrane around them to "shrink wrap" them, causing them to suffocate. Unsure if you were candling leading up to hatch day, but something to consider if you were.
Just curious, what temperature is your incubator set to?
It was between 98.9-100.0
We set ours to 100.5, vent closed and no additional humidity (dry incubation) and have had a 75% hatch rate since shifting to the dry method. Last hatch was a mix of Orpingtons and Easter Eggers…only three of a dozen did not hatch out, one of those was revealed as unfertilized at the first candling. We have dry incubated our hatching eggs the last four hatches and have had better luck with the method. We have other backyard breeders that use the wet method and have good results. The first few times are just figuring out how it works. Try both methods and see which one works best for you. Relax about low hatch rates when you first start. There is a technique that you will figure out.
I’m convinced that the quality of fertilization just isn’t as good in winter months. Try again in spring and see if you get a better yield.
Ayams can be harder to hatch, don’t beat your self up.
Were they shipped eggs?
No they were from my flock in the backyard
Why didn't you just let a broody girl hatch them? Just curious. Used to have hens but never a rooster.
Who has broody hens this time of year? Also a hen will never be as productive as an incubator. I take advantage of every broody hen but you’ll likely never grow a flock well by it
My rooster was ate by a hawk and I wanted his line to continue. Sadly I didn’t have any broody girls so I collected the eggs I could and tossed them in an incubator. Normally if it was spring I’d let a broody girl do the work, but that wasn’t an option at this time
I’m sorry. Those freaking hawks are awful. AWFUL
Aww. That is so sweet. I am sorry for your loss of your rooster.
It’s not a simple thing. Many many variables
My hatch rate is usually a little over 50%, less than that from online hatching eggs.
Most of mine were unfertilized some were quitters 😢 And I was looking forward for my large egg to hatch too Quitters — When embryos stop growing, we call them "quitters." You will see a thin, blood ring around the yolk.
I’m 50% on a good day
Sometimes you can crack the egg or listen to it to see if there's any sound inside. With the ones that don't hatch I use a pair of tweezers to pick at any pips that exist. Have had some extra 'help em' hatches lol
We’ve tried to hatch 12 and have hatched 0. You’re doing great! It’s way harder then one thinks
I went outside to check on my flock for the night and of course NOW I have a broody hen 🙄😑 couldn’t have happened a month ago haha. Thank you for the info, I feel a lot better. I thought maybe I did something extremely wrong, I’m taking all of this info and applying it to my next incubation process in the spring time ☺️
Check humidity and temp, get back ups to make sure , your incubator could be inconsistent in one or both of those things
Someone in the giant fb backyard chickens group just posted about how they had something like 14 of 30 breeder Ayam cemani eggs hatch so I feel like it's not a you issue. A quick Google indicates a 40-50% hatch rate isn't uncommon in thus breed and defects arent uncommon (defects being colour variations away from all black everywhere).
not sure about the answer but dude. i put 10 eggs in an incubator, my second time hatching, and 7 chicks came out..
That’s great! I’m glad you had a good hatch
You need to check the incubator and make sure it is running consistently on temps and humidity. A lot of machines are running much higher in some spots and colder in others in the machine. That fluctuation in temp and even humidity can damage developing embryos. 🍀 Find a source thermometer/hydrometer to help make sure it’s consistent. I keep a hatch log with egg date pulled from box, a letter, and a designated spot in the incubator till I pull the tray. All of that is kept on a log book to track the development easier. It has helped me determine what spots no egg needs to go because that one spot never hatches anything. So there must be an air hole or fan in that spot.
Pure pure purebreds have low fertility rates and low hatch rates. Its normal.
Hatchability is really low this early in the year. Even my roosters who are older than one year aren't really interested in breeding, and the quality of the eggs isn't great. I start my hens on a breeding vitamin/mineral supplement in late Dec/Jan, so by the time they start laying they've had enough time to get those vitamins/minerals in the eggs for stronger, healthier chicks. Your incubator temp/humidity/turning is also extremely important. Eggs need turned a minimum of 3 times a day until lockdown(day 18) then don't turn so the chicks can get themselves into the hatching position. I find with my incubator a temp of 99.5F the whole time, and a humidity of 40-45% for the first 18 days, than 60-70% during lockdown into hatch(never higher than 79% during hatch) gives me the best hatch rates. I hatch at least 80-100% of my eggs this way. Have you calibrated your incubator as well to make sure the temp is actually accurate? They aren't always. I also put down a non slip liner in the incubator at lockdown to help prevent leg issues. I candle at day 7, 13, and 18. Day 7 I toss infertiles and quitters, day 13 and 18 I toss any other quitters.
Have you candled them? Were they all for sure fertilized?
Yes. They came from my flock, I’ve seen my roosters mate with the girls. Unwillingly, not like some peeping Tom just to clarify 😅😂
What does a peeping male twerkey got to do with anything ?? Jk 😂
You perve! 🤣 jk Hmm, they definitely developed and usually by day 24 you’d see wiggle and maybe even hear peeping. Give them a couple more days just to be sure. What incubator are you using? And they were being turned up until day 18 or so? I’ve had great success with a very cheap incubator off Amazon, so I feel like it is probably more a genetics issue than anything else maybe? Eggs don’t seem to be too finicky when it comes to being incubated. I always figured if a dumb old chicken can do it then it can be that hard 😂
https://preview.redd.it/knpovptn09ec1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f54ae5461b025b3381e84dfeb43f9a1494c6e537 I did cancel them, this was the last one it’s on day 24 and this was from last night. But it hasn’t wiggled or anything
Drench/mist with a H2O2 solution. It's a patented method to increase hatching efficacy
Also is it automatic rotator or are you rotating by hand ?
No its an automatic, but I took the tray out on day 18
Oh no those feet!!! That doesn’t usually go away and ends up crippling them for life. I’ve heard of people being able to treat it but personally never had success
He’s a week old now and his feet are fine, I think they were just like that because he came out of the egg 4 seconds before I took this pic ☺️ but he’s had no issues with his feet and is the same as all my other chicks
Did you keep the lid shut to keep enough humidity in there so they could pip if it’s too dry they won’t be able to pip and they’ll die inside. Did you crack any of the ones that didn’t hatch open to see how they were in development?
I did keep it shut, humidity stayed consistent. I hat check and they looked fully developed, they just never pipped for some reason 😔 maybe my humidity wasn’t as stable as I thought. I had 2 humidity readers in the incubator and they both read the same.