DIY Hatcher Disaster! Please help troubleshoot

[WestCoast Farm]

Wow.... you sure know your stuff, PD-Riverman! I'm so grateful for all of your help. I feel like there's hope.

Sure enough, as you said the bottom temps are 10 degrees cooler than at the top. 90 degrees down there with the top hovering just under 100. So like you said, we'll move bottom/third fan up to the top.

I unplugged said fan to see what would happen. Temp began to rise slightly but condensation began to form on the plexiglass.

I set everything up the way I would if I were hatching.

Clarification: Hubby unplugged third fan earlier not BECAUSE of condensation. But to see what would happen. Result was condensation became visible so we plugged it back in.

It's now unplugged again. Will run it this way overnight and see what happens.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

I totally agree with you on the wire shelving! I found these wood racks for $5 so thought I'd use them until I find more wire racks or baskets like you posted.

Third fan is currently mid bottom but like said earlier, will move it back to the top tomorrow. I don't really trust the hygrometers I have and will try to find some better ones. May have to tweak the humidity system further. Can't thank you enough for all your help!!!!

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Ah-ha!!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Can't thank you enough for all your help!!!!

Some people take Me So Wrong----I want so badly to see everyone have the Best hatches Possible. So someone that seems to be having a Problem I do quickly jump in to offer help----Some take me wrong, Some appreciate. Some take me as a brag, but I do not mean it that way----when I say I have almost 100% hatch in my home-made hatcher----I am trying to encourage people that when they get everything right---they too can have great hatches, but with me---I try to help them to improve their hatches. I Know how discouraging it can be to have close 50 eggs in the incubator and 0 hatch or only 2 or 3. What works here, might need to be fine-tuned for your area to give you better hatches. Here, If I open the hatcher before all the eggs(that are going to hatch) hatch----I will loose a lot of them. So If you were here and opened my hatcher on day 19, 20 and day 21 I would be so mad. I open mine on day 22 for the first time since lock-down on day 18. If any water needs to be added---I do that without opening it. This Might not matter in some people's area----So Do What Works for your area.

Hows the temp from top to bottom?

As you know most factory hatchers have wire bottom trays to put the eggs in----I wish you were close I would make you some trays to fit yours. ""I"" do not like anything that will block air movement like solid bottom trays or paper towels--BUT some have no problem using this. I am like this----If I were using solid bottom trays and paper towels and getting a 75% hatch in the hatcher----I would not be happy with that---I would Have to remove those air restrictions and see if I could get a higher hatch %. If removing did not help----then I would try so hard to figure out why I am loosing 25 eggs out of a 100----that's 250 out of a 1000 or 2500 out of 10,000 for the year----that's a lot of chicks to loose!!!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Ah-ha!!

Keep in mind some of the older refrigerators have wire shelf's that can be cut down to fit----here there are a lot of those for free or scrap metal sellers that I can pick up some from if needed. What I like about the fridge ones is they are bare metal and can be soaked/cleaned easy. The one in your link have vinyl over it and can rust after a little time of using it. But it would work for a while. There is even open wire shelving with that would work. I am posting a link Just to show what I am talking about but I have found these used in good condition for cheap----No I would not pay no $150 for one---LOL
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Quantum-St...n-D-4-Tier-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/4711297

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Well I have learned tons through this process of you helping me troubshoot this far. While I'm devastated I inadvertently annihilated 65 chicks, I'm grateful for what it's taught me.

I used to think those 98-100% hatches people like you speak of were like unicorns.

Now to my horror I can see so many mistakes I've made over the years that have cost me loads of chicks. I had considered a 75% hatch to be good. I can say now I've always had ventilation problems, plus opened the incubator excessively during a hatch.

So this morning with the 3rd fan unplugged, after running all night I saw some heavy condensation on the lower part of the plexiglass. No water dripping out though.

Temp at the bottom read 90. Temp at the top read 101. Controller read 99.8 degrees. Hygrometer said 80%. So there's still work to do.

I've left for work but hubby will move that third fan to the top and see what happens then.

YES!!! I've been coveting those stainless shelving racks you posted!! Those would be amazing but not at that price. I'll keep hunting!

I'm curious on how you make your wire trays.

I'm also going to try to learn how not to open the door during a hatch to pull chicks out. Leaving them in there from day 18-22 seems like an eternity to me! And no paper towel?

But your stats speak for themselves and I don't want to lose one more chick unnecessarily. So I'm ready to learn a better way!

I'm beginning so see maybe what you're saying is, those chicks I think I need to 'help' wouldn't need the help if they were in open wire racks with nothing below them to suffocate them....

 

[WestCoast Farm]

sorry for the loss but sometimes things happen on a test run. I built a hatcher and decided to add ceramic tiles to the base which could be removed after hatch and cleaned. I ended up cooking the whole batch so I know the disappointment involved. A lot of us have discovered problems that only show after they have been loaded with eggs and the incubator had been located where we planned on using it.

The speed at which most of the eggs failed really points to something other than low oxygen. The fastest way to kill a egg is normally high temp above 106-107. We can only guess that toxic shock could also be responsible. With out risking another batch run in the same design but with the paint removed then we may never know.

Good to know that you have a plan going forward and hopefully the problem will never resurface.

Ugh. Thank you for sharing. It's been horrible. Hubby actually jumped in and took the initiative to make this thing, with his own ideas, many I disagreed with. I never ever wanted painted wood. I initially bought the InkuKit to turn an old non heating incubator into a hatcher, but he wanted to do this for me

And here we are.

I'm still terrified there's a toxic element with the paint.

I'm not sure how to move forward and trust it again. I have lockdown again in four days. So do I put a few sacrificial eggs in there? If it killed 2 that would be 2 too many.

With the revenue lost on the 65 dead chicks I could have bought a nice reliable hatcher, but nope

‍

Mistakes made, lessons learned, learning the HARD way apparently. Nobody to blame but me. If I could only go back in time and do it differently. I would have TESTED THOROUGHLY and only but a tiny batch of eggs in on its trial run

‍

 

[PD-Riverman]

Well I have learned tons through this process of you helping me troubshoot this far. While I'm devastated I inadvertently annihilated 65 chicks, I'm grateful for what it's taught me.

I used to think those 98-100% hatches people like you speak of were like unicorns.

Now to my horror I can see so many mistakes I've made over the years that have cost me loads of chicks. I had considered a 75% hatch to be good. I can say now I've always had ventilation problems, plus opened the incubator excessively during a hatch.

So this morning with the 3rd fan unplugged, after running all night I saw some heavy condensation on the lower part of the plexiglass. No water dripping out though.

Temp at the bottom read 90. Temp at the top read 101. Controller read 99.8 degrees. Hygrometer said 80%. So there's still work to do.

I've left for work but hubby will move that third fan to the top and see what happens then.

YES!!! I've been coveting those stainless shelving racks you posted!! Those would be amazing but not at that price. I'll keep hunting!

I'm curious on how you make your wire trays.

I'm also going to try to learn how not to open the door during a hatch to pull chicks out. Leaving them in there from day 18-22 seems like an eternity to me! And no paper towel?

But your stats speak for themselves and I don't want to lose one more chick unnecessarily. So I'm ready to learn a better way!

I'm beginning so see maybe what you're saying is, those chicks I think I need to 'help' wouldn't need the help if they were in open wire racks with nothing below them to suffocate them....

Keep in mind----you opening at your location during the hatch might not effect your hatch at all---I do not know---a lot of people say it effects nothing???????? If you have been doing That----try it a few times to NOT do that. Some say laying the eggs on towels does not effect their hatch----again I have not tried it and am not going to try it----I can see for me it causes lack of air circulation more in a cabinet than a Styrofoam or similiar----so--again I am not going to try it. I never really understood why the towels are necessary??? I can clean up the mess after all the eggs hatch.

Yes we got to do something to correct that 10 degree's difference. If your Husband does not mind a little work modifying it----I think we can take care of most of that difference?? Just PM me on here and I will talk him through what to do. Should not take more than a couple hours.

I have a metal brake so I cut and bent my trays. PIc of my trays.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Ugh. Thank you for sharing. It's been horrible. Hubby actually jumped in and took the initiative to make this thing, with his own ideas, many I disagreed with. I never ever wanted painted wood. I initially bought the InkuKit to turn an old non heating incubator into a hatcher, but he wanted to do this for me

And here we are.

I'm still terrified there's a toxic element with the paint.

I'm not sure how to move forward and trust it again. I have lockdown again in four days. So do I put a few sacrificial eggs in there? If it killed 2 that would be 2 too many.

With the revenue lost on the 65 dead chicks I could have bought a nice reliable hatcher, but nope

‍

Mistakes made, lessons learned, learning the HARD way apparently. Nobody to blame but me. If I could only go back in time and do it differently. I would have TESTED THOROUGHLY and only but a tiny batch of eggs in on its trial run

‍

I would blame you---If you knew it was going to happen and went ahead and done it. You did not know---so no Blame can be throwed at you. I would advise you to not use this until you get your temp close at the top and bottom----I am not talking about reading the temp under the heaters. Just PM Me if you want and I will share my thoughts on what I think will help a lot. You can do it or not? No problem.

OH as you can see mine are painted, hatcher and incubator. I just used exterior latex and for sure no silicone----I did use a sealant on the front glass but a very fine bead.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Wonderful!! Those trays look amazing. I will for sure pm you- maybe we can get your number and give you a call.

No, I won't use this thing until I feel a lot more confident about it.