go for the high end on machine, low end on the hygrometer. my hygrometer always says 98.5 in the corner, and my incubator says 101 in the middle. I run slightly hot, and my eggs in the middle three rows hatch on day 19 or 20, while the eggs on the edge hatch on 21 or 22.
try to find out what...
I think, genetically speaking, it would be better to breed parent/ child pairs. that is because the baby would have DNA from its moms parents and its dads parents, instead of having DNA from the same grandparents twice.
I haven't seen a chick like that. usually just Rhode Island red, Midnight Maran, Australorp, or Plymouth. I wonder if it might be a link of some kind? or maybe an EE.