[annewat]

hi I would be grateful for any help with the following problem. We recently tried to incubate six chicken eggs in a covatutto 7 incubator. we followed the instructions very carefully and after 21 days nothing happened. on day 23 one eggs hatched and was fine followed by two more on the following two days. we eventually ended up with two healthy chicks plus one with a splayed leg, one too weak to survive and two which didnt hatch. did we do something wrong? I have read so much on the internet that i am now confused, was the incubator too cold, or not enough humidity?. the thermometer supplied doesnt have an actual temperature marked just a line with the heat level you are supposed to maintain. we are intending to try again but dont want to cause any more chicks to suffer.

[trinamc]

Hi

I don't think you did anything wrong if you got 3 chicks out of 6 eggs, if you were doing it wrong you would not have any hatch. It is as much to do with the eggs, did you get them through the post as this can affect them. I work on a 50% rule if I get more then that is a bonus. Enjoy your chicks and good luck with your next try.

[Helenaj]

As trinamac says, had it been your incubator it is doubtful whether any would hatch. A lot relies on the quality of your eggs - if posted, they could have been very roughly handled by the post office - one drop of the box could be enough to make all of the eggs infertile. If you can, collect the eggs in person - this way you can ensure the eggs are safely handled, plus you get to check out the likely fertility of your eggs as you can then see the cock to hen ratio.