Hatching Chicken Eggs At Home | Wet Hatch vs Dry Hatch | Nurture Right 360

In this video we are doing a wet hatch vs a dry hatch for chicken eggs. On the wet hatch we keep the relative humidity at around 40%-50% for the first 18 days. Then 50%-60% until they hatch. On the dry hatch we don’t add any water for the first 18 days, the humidity generally stays around 20%. Then we put the humidity to 60%-70% until hatch. We find that the dry hatch produced slightly better results. We will continue to try both in the future to get better more data to compare. The incubators used for this experiment are Nurture Right 360. Thanks for watching!
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[@lisar.veneziano1517]

I've been doing this for 50 years and i still find your shared experiences quite helpful

[@NicholsCounty]

Awesome!

[@Aardpeertje]

This was very informative, now I won't be worried about humidity much

[@NicholsCounty]

If you have a cabinet incubator, dry hatch doesn't work as well. Just letting you know.

[@soniamendoza7248]

Great video 👍🏼👍🏼I’m on day 7 incubating chicken eggs . This video was very helpful with seeing what works . Thank you

[@NicholsCounty]

Glad it was helpful!

[@breezyleigh4956]

It's so rewarding!

[@JAGteam]

Very neat! I have two 360’s also and will have to try this experiment myself! Right now I have Ducks, Chicks & Quail in mine, and lock down is just a couple more days away. 😁

[@NicholsCounty]

Good luck!

[@breezyleigh4956]

This video was awesome! Great experiment!

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks.

[@carolmurray5794]

Thank you for this video! Informative and has made me decide to try dry hatching next time

[@NicholsCounty]

Let me know how it goes.

[@fhlranch6233]

interesting! Thank you for sharing. I've been struggling with hatch rates..

[@NicholsCounty]

Just keep trying.

[@itsalexilixyt740]

God bless you!

[@sloanehodge6065]

Excellent video, very helpful. I'm a first timer.

[@NicholsCounty]

Everyone is a first timer at one point.

[@itsammar_]

@Julius Valentino did they hatch if so how many out of how many and what humidity did you have

[@umarhayat6399]

Great 👍 video had a lot to learn thank you 😊 keep it up

[@NicholsCounty]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mjrailey4958]

The IncuBright egg candler is better than what's on the incubator, plus you can use it on the trays. MANY poultry farmers use and recommend it!

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah I have one. This video is old. Thanks for the tip though.

[@WildOnesHomestead]

Very interesting!

[@NicholsCounty]

Glad you think so!

[@bhumikadutta3384]

The tattoo in her hand has beautiful colour.luv it...also thnx for the video

[@NicholsCounty]

Thank you too!

[@reneefitzgerald1120]

I love my NR 360 incubators, I have 4. Dry hatching works best for me. With this specific incubator I won't do it any other way. Your videos are very informative and I've learned a little from you. Keep up the good work!!

[@NicholsCounty]

Just a little? :). Thanks. Yeah NR360 are good little incubators.

[@reneefitzgerald1120]

No…I’ve actually learned a lot.

[@frugalmomofmany]

Do you put water in in the last 3 days? If you do, do you put it in both chambers?

[@NicholsCounty]

@@frugalmomofmany Yes, you definitely want to add humidity the last 3 days. If you open your incubator and look, you can see that those 2 chambers are different in size. I would put water in the bigger one and monitor. If you can't keep your humidity high enough then use the second chamber.

[@BaughbeSauce]

If I have started my eggs in the NR 360 wet, will it hurt them to change to dry? Lol. I have 24 in mine right now I started on the 20th (my second hatch with it, last time I got 13/24 but had one fairly lazy rooster who may not have been /feelin the need/ if you catch my drift). I also have another 20 (total) under 2 of my hens. Lol.

[@strategicinvestmentllcmiss2367]

This is a great incubator good video.

[@NicholsCounty]

It sure is

[@sherrihopkins9331]

I have had my 360 for about a year and a half. I dry hatch. 1st candling is no sooner than day 5. Load the eggs pointy side inward. When you candle, a pocket flashlight does better than the built in light.

[@NicholsCounty]

We candle around day 10. Also, we use the built in light and another light on the other side. We usually do darker eggs. Thanks for watching.

[@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594]

@@NicholsCounty good to know! This is The first I have heard that suggestion.

[@tylerstrong4669]

I just found one under my broody hen and it's cool outside so I decided to bring in and put in my 40 gallon tank I cleaned and put paper towels down and it's got a heat lamp and reading 100 now was 114 but pulled egg away some and it's popping I can see it alive and moving and everything just worried it'll get stuck if it was only 16 percent humidity so thanks for this video! Only one I could find!

[@NicholsCounty]

That is awesome! You can add humidity with a sponge or a couple glasses of water when you get to day 18.

[@wordswritteninred7171]

I wonder about the health of the chicks. Did any of them have leg splay or club foot? And as far as those that developed but did not hatch. Well, it could have been a million and one different things. One thing being, the air cell was not sufficient, or the chick couldnt get to it. Or they could have been too weak to break out of the shell. There could have been many things to have caused it. Thanks for the video! and Thank you for putting your investment on the line to test it!

[@NicholsCounty]

None developed splay leg or club foot. We actually haven't seen that yet in any of our hatches. Been doing dry hatches since and have great results. Thanks for watching.

[@wordswritteninred7171]

@@NicholsCounty THANKYOU SO MUCH! For someone who has hatched ALOT of eggs in my life time, the humidity is the one thing that causes me so much stress! Knowing that you have done dry hatch, with no issue, brings me a lot of peace of mind.lol Lord knows I have enough other things to worry about.lol So happy I found your channel.

[@treysolis8639]

Awesome hatch rate! Have y’all repeated this method and got similar results?

[@NicholsCounty]

This hatch rate was really good. We set a bunch of shipped eggs, so hatches very.

[@chmohammedazam4777]

Very nice i love this incubator nature right 360 but

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah its a good one.

[@cherylcorbin-gillespie5656]

Wow.. great Thank You❤️ I Really Appreciate Your Video.. I'm new to incubator❣️

[@NicholsCounty]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dianehall5345]

Hello from our farm in New Hampshire. I am not familiar with these new incubators. However I owned a private waterfowl hatchery in NH back in the 70s & 80s. I bought a 400 egg Sears redwood wet hatch incubator. The instructions advised me NOT to put water in the tray for chicken eggs. To hatch them first. After they hatched, I added water that soaked into the redwood walls. I had close to 100% hatch for the chicken eggs dry hatch and 98% hatch rate for the ducklings and goslings wet hatch. It was straight forward. I removed the turning rods for the waterfowl, turning their eggs by hand twice a day. It feels like this new equipment is more complicated than it needs to be, but that is just an off the cuff observation. I hatched hundreds of birds. I may try to find an ancient Sears unit. I know they still make replacement regulator thermostats. All the best ~ Diane

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks for the input. I've never used the older equipment. I think these are pretty straight forward and easy to use.

[@joebloggs7956]

Time for spring chickens!

[@NicholsCounty]

Ha, yeah actually we just set some eggs a couple of days ago.

[@wvdave771]

Received mine Monday, I'm excited to see how my first batch does

[@NicholsCounty]

Awesome. Good luck.

[@bowlesland2716]

Nice video! I just bought one of these incubators and am excited to try it out! I'll be making a youtube video on it as well. 😊

[@NicholsCounty]

Awesome!

[@calliepatteen]

I thought about doing the same because the company has made some changes to the incubator for the better I think should be highlighted but I'm still thinking about it. Lol

[@joebloggs7956]

I did humid hatch and all chicks grew just never made sound or tried to get out of egg, was almost like the egg shells where to small. Can they get hotboxed?

[@calliepatteen]

@@joebloggs7956 I had to help mine hatch too the shells were too hard so I'm right close by when its hatching day

[@joebloggs7956]

@@calliepatteen thanks so much gonna put that advice to use, I though shells where too are also from horrid shop feed. Thanks dude🌞

[@LittleFrenchyinBigTexas]

Got same incubator and pretty happy with it. Will try the dry hatch. Easier to keep up with. You mention Ameraucanas from the store... most likely Easter Eggers.

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah, definitely Easter Eggers :(.

[@annekennedy7356]

Very helpful thanks you for the video

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks for watching!

[@joleneescobar3811]

Been following your videos since I found the amazon $50 incubator review. I'm currently on day 9 of a dry hatch. Can't wait to candle tomorrow. Currently raising 2 Easter Eggers that are 5 weeks old still no clue of gender. lol Pretty sure at least one Roo. Thank You for posting all the videos. They've helped me a lot.

[@NicholsCounty]

I'm glad they're helping someone. If you can't wait, just candle today now. :)

[@joleneescobar3811]

@@NicholsCounty I have 12 out of 16 that started. 4 more days and I'll know how many are hatched. 😁

[@NicholsCounty]

@@joleneescobar3811 That's good.

[@organixgirl]

@@joleneescobar3811 did you dry hatch?

[@kemelalexander5]

if i’m going for a dry hatch how do i up the humidity before i set the eggs its fluctuating between 30% to 38% but sits at 33% every few hours also temp is fluctuating from 37.4c to 37.9c at the highest is it going to be a problem or should it be ok?

[@garyvee6023]

I recently tried this as well, before seeing your video and got nearly the same results. I had a better hatch rate from the dry incubator..., but the biggest winner for me was the clean up of the incubator after the hatch. It literally took me minutes to clean the dry hatch incubator whereas it takes me at least half an hour..., plus that awful smell which you don't have with the dry hatch to clean the wet hatch incubator. It was a 100% win for me with the dry hatch.

[@NicholsCounty]

That's good to hear. We exclusively dry hatch now and it works great.

[@TheRainHarvester]

Why is cleanup easier, if, on the dry hatch, you still add water 3 days before they crack out of the eggs? Just curious

[@elizabethsessions4486]

@@TheRainHarvester My guess is that the incubator isn't humid and wet the entire time, therefore less smell/slimynessness? Purely speculation here.

[@rhondajennings517]

Do you add water in the dry hatch ever?

[@rsllife9004]

Very good video thank for taking time to make a nice content+

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks.

[@rhondaellerbe3463]

Sweet!!

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks!

[@TheTinybubbles1]

this is very intresting ty

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks for watching!

[@SpYucaipaSoCal]

I’m amazed your results were so similar. I read they should loose 13% of initial weight during first 18 days. When I first started hatching chickens I had many fully develop chicks dead in shells. They I did lots of research. And found the 13% rule. Now on viable eggs I get incredible hatch rates. Ebay eggs are a world in there own. Ya just never know what to expect. You do your best because you probably bought them because the chicks were too expensive or not available.

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks for the info. Very interesting.

[@mayaabueg9018]

How do you make them drop the 13%?

[@SpYucaipaSoCal]

@@mayaabueg9018 regulate the humidity level. So the eggs dehydrate slowly for the first 18 days for chicken eggs. You weigh them at start of incubation. Figure what you want them to weigh at the 18th day. I figured the 35 to 40 % average was getting me right there hatching Maran eggs. But I use it for all chickens now.

[@zanroda7358]

IMPORTANT!!! Remember to keep eggs oriented with the pointy end toward the centre and slightly downward. I’m not sure why, but it’s in the instructions for rotary incubators. I think it helps the chick position itself for hatching. 🤔

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah it does say that. But I haven't noticed a difference in hatching.

[@tiachandler5350]

It because the air bubble for them and it's easier for the to hatch that way when you don't do it it make it harder for them so they could actually die from being so wore out trying to pip out .....plus the air space they have is bigger that way too ....

[@mjrailey4958]

The reason pointy side down is because the air sack is on the wide rounded side of the egg. If the air sack isn't on rounded side, chick might not have enough air to breathe before it pecks a hole in the egg shell.

[@MacJank7]

@@mjrailey4958do hens keep eggs pointy end down while sitting on eggs?

[@breezyleigh4956]

I always wondered how much the humidity really matters. I know a hen can control the heat but always wondered how she controld humidity.

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah, Dry hatching works best for us.

[@breezyleigh4956]

@@NicholsCounty thanks for sharing I will definitely try this!!

[@Hailstonepie]

Good effort.

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks a lot

[@marcfalmer]

Thank you for sharing this. Dry hatching does seem like it would be a lot easier. Is there a minimum number we should watch out for if we do the dry hatch? Can the humidity get too low?

[@NicholsCounty]

I live in a pretty humid place; our humidity never got below 20% in the incubator. The humidity in the house was around 50%. I wouldn't go below 20% if you can help it.

[@itisfinished7377]

@@NicholsCounty Thanks for the info. Once they start hatching how often can I open the incubator to take them out?

[@NicholsCounty]

@@itisfinished7377 The last three days is referred to as lockdown. Meaning don't open the incubator at all. I only open mine 72 hours after the first chick hatches.

[@itisfinished7377]

@@NicholsCounty Wow. The chicks survi've 3 days without food or water? What would happen if someone opened it once a day to get chicks out?

[@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594]

@@itisfinished7377 yolk feeds them Others take out as soon as feathers are dry, as per youTube videos.

[@awesomekoga7848]

Thank you so much for this video. I’m getting eggs today and was wondering which is better. I’m going to try dry hatching for the first time. I’m not sure if the type of incubator matters but I have a little giant. I have an automatic turner so that’s easier for me. Hoping I get a good hatch. I’m starting with 24 coturnix eggs that I’m getting locally. Wish me luck 🍀

[@NicholsCounty]

Let us know how it goes. I've never done quail myself.

[@nicolerose2966]

How did it go

[@awesomekoga7848]

The eggs I bought were terrible. I’m assuming she was in it for $$$. Out of 24 “fertile” eggs, 8 were actually fertile. 7 hatched from the 8. Two were almost bald, one had a crooked beak. They all are doing well except the crooked beak one got picked on and beaten pretty bad. I moved it to a cage with 3 buttons and now they all seem to be doing well. The coturnix are laying 1-2 eggs a day. I have 7-8 eggs that I’m debating what to do. I plan to be moving soon and hope to start homesteading. When I get my place, I will try hatching celadon eggs. I hope to sell eggs and quail once I move. I also will raise chickens. That’s how I’ll start my first year. Birds and gardening. I’ll plant fruit trees too. Then I plan to get a couple of goats. If all goes well, my 5-10 year plan will be to have a mini farm. Birds, goats, mini cows and pigs. Hopefully I will be living off grid and be self sustaining. 💜💕❤️🙏🌈💜💕❤️🙏🌈

[@Posmlady]

@Awesome Koga I wish I remembered where I got my quail eggs from. But out of 50 I had 49 hatch. Got them from an older couple on ebay. Great people though!

[@bryanst.martin7134]

Good idea using tender fingers for the eggs. I was accused that I was too brutal to the dishes at a French restaurant. C'mon, I only broke one! I guess sound travels... So tender fingers, I need to find... Where are my grandkids? They like eggs.

[@NicholsCounty]

Ha.

[@andrewhill4226]

Very interesting, thanks for trying this out. Food for thought ! 73's Andy M6APJ

[@NicholsCounty]

My pleasure!

[@andygrubaugh7957]

Great job, on your dry hatch did you add water during the last 3 days or nothing the entire time? Just curious because I've seen people doing it both ways. Thanks again

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah I brought it up to 60-70% the last 3 days.

[@ThisNorthernLife]

Did you leave ventts open. Referring to the red rubber cover below and the tab on the top part of the incubator.? I have mine wide open and hoping that is right. I have the same incubator as you. And I am asking for the dry hatch.

[@NicholsCounty]

The vent on top, yes. It was open all the way. The red rubber covers for the water. We just left those on.

[@ThisNorthernLife]

@@NicholsCounty awesome. Thanks!! We are going to try our turkey eggs.

[@stevefarms7494]

What type of chicken was the green eggs ? Great video very helpful thank you...

[@NicholsCounty]

Olive Eggers

[@chelsitalas1750]

Did you take the chicks out as they hatched? I was told not to do that but it looks like you did and still had a very successful hatch rate

[@NicholsCounty]

I did, but I let most of them hatch first. I would recommend not opening it once the first one hatches and wait a full 24 hours after that before you take any out.

[@sloanehodge6065]

time. I purchased a mini hygrometer thur Amazon, no information about it. Can I put it inside the incubator?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah you can.

[@ChristopherWKwan]

Hi, nice experiment mate! So did you happen to record how the chicks from both batches performed weeks after this experiment? Cheers

[@NicholsCounty]

As far as I remember they all made it. We don't have issues with chicks dying in the brooder.

[@user-ti2rn4wi7y]

Very interesting. I'm currently hatching some duck eggs. I'm 12 days in and all appear to be fertile. I'm doing a wet hatch. I'm too 'chicken' to cut off the humidity at this point, but maybe next time...

[@NicholsCounty]

I wouldn't do this with duck eggs. They need more water, from what I've been told.

[@mountainmama7823]

Just got the Niture Right 360 and am testing it before I add my eggs next week. When I plug it in and press + or - the egg turner does not turn. Is this the correct way to test the egg turner or am I misunderstanding the instructions? After having it plugged in for 30min it did finally turn on it's ownbut I am wondering if there is a way to do a test turn when I first plug it in. I heard another video review mention the turner goes off about every 2 hours. I just want to be assured it works before adding my eggs for future uses as well. I think after watching your video I will use the dry method. We are in PNW and use a woodstove exclusively for heating. Our normal in home humidity it 30-40%.

[@NicholsCounty]

I don't have these incubators any longer otherwise I'd test it out for you. But I am pretty sure you can test the turner. Try resetting the days to 21 and press the + & - at the same time.

[@donwallace7354]

You can't get a much better comparison than this for the two methods (same eggs, same days, same incubator model). It seems the biggest lesson here is "don't sweat it"! The humidity is not a make-or-break condition for getting a good hatch rate. The hatch rate on the marans(?) was a bit disappointing, though; 7 out of 13?

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks. Yeah. Don't stress. With any skill it takes time and money to get good at it. Marans were shipped eggs. The others weren't.

[@vickiethacowgirl]

What temp do you keep the dry hatch is it the same as the wet hatch temp ?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yes, same temperature. We like 100 Fahrenheit.

[@stevenkorjackii2062]

Wondering what you kept your vent at for the fry batch. Just started mine and count tell from the video if you left it open or closed.

[@NicholsCounty]

I left it half way open for the first 18 days, then all the way open the last 3.

[@stevenkorjackii2062]

@@NicholsCounty thank you.

[@elizabethh4329]

hi! do you have to candle before day 10 if thats the 1st time you can really tell who seems viable? are there benefits to candling more or less often?

[@NicholsCounty]

We just use day 10 as a bench mark.. Day 10, day 18 and day 21. But you can candle at day 6 and see some development. Of course all of this is depending on egg color. Lighter eggs are easier to see, dark eggs and blue eggs are much harder. Also, I don't recommend opening and closing your incubator very often especially if you are wet hatching.

[@elizabethh4329]

@@NicholsCounty ahh okay thank you! i hope to hatch my own chickens soon so im trying to learn as much as I can!

[@NicholsCounty]

@@elizabethh4329 Great just watch a bunch of videos and you should get the hang of it. The best advice I can give you is try to hatch out local eggs vs shipped eggs. At least at first. You don't want to practice hatching on expensive eggs.

[@susanstrudwick6275]

I candled mine at 5 days and saw the dark spot and veins

[@margarethaxe790]

@@susanstrudwick6275 Me too. Saw even the 'black dot' moving! Dry hatching has NO Thing to do with nature. When I see on YT how many people are messing around with eggs.......Its horrible.

[@britpere3772]

did you keep the dry hatch temp the same for lock down? humidity between 60-75? and temp at what for lockdown?

[@NicholsCounty]

The temp was the same throughout. 99.5 F. Some where between 99-101 is acceptable. We put our humidity between 50-60% during lockdown.

[@britpere3772]

thanks so much! your video is the whole reason I am even trying a dry hatch.

[@NicholsCounty]

@@britpere3772 I'm glad. It worked out for us. Hope it works out for you as well.

[@sophiawright4584]

I am going to dry hatch with the same incubator and wondering what you did with your ventilation hole/window. Did you keep it open, closed, or halfway open?

[@NicholsCounty]

Halfway for first 18 days and then all the way for the last 3 days.

[@julipressley5072]

Last 3 days you leave the vent all the way open or closed? You answered “all the way” Which? Open or closed?

[@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594]

@@julipressley5072 open all the way for oxygen.

[@TheBestofBothWorlds28]

Excellent dude 👍👍 dry hatch is definitely superior in my experience anyways! Haha

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks. Yeah we find that to be true as well.

[@TheBestofBothWorlds28]

@@NicholsCounty Indeed, agreed, it's only logical though, a brooding hen doesn't get super humid haha

[@kentuckyfarmer2192]

would it matter if colder weather like now or warmer is the summer for the humidity?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah weather is going to affect humidity. Usually the colder it is the lower the humidity and the warmer it is the higher, but this could vary. I wouldn't really pay any mind to that though, we hatch the same in winter vs summer with no changes.

[@babyg6934]

All eggs should be placed with the pointy end towards the center hub to be able to roll without resistance.

[@NicholsCounty]

Nah, works just fine both ways. I've hatched out over 600 chicks with these 2 incubators and I've tried both ways. Guess what? No change.

[@dorismccrory1553]

I am trying dry hatching in my nuture right 360...however, when I add a little water to bring to at least 20%, after an hour it drops to 04..is that normal? I'll add a few drops and it come back up and then drops... Should I leave it alone until lockdown?

[@NicholsCounty]

I'm in Tennessee, it's humid here so dry hatching is easy. Where are you located? 4% seems too low. What's the relative humidity in your house? Did you confirm 4% humidity in your incubator is correct? Confirm with another hydrometer.

[@predatorschickens6143]

I do wet hatch all the time. I think your high humidity drowned the unhatched chicks. For the first part of incubation I use humidity at 35% - 45%, then boost it to 55% - 65% at lockdown.

[@NicholsCounty]

This was a dry hatch. We boost it to 60% during lock down.

[@predatorschickens6143]

@@NicholsCounty I was talking about the wet hatch, & the results you got.

[@NicholsCounty]

@@predatorschickens6143 Ah yeah you're right. Sorry I did this video a while ago. Yeah that could have been the problem.

[@predatorschickens6143]

@@NicholsCounty It's okay, we all forget. I've accidentally drowned half my chicks once when I was first starting out with hatching eggs.

[@cttaylor01]

For most the country, that is a dry hatch. In my local, it won't drop below 70% this month. Of course lower inside with AC and then even further lowered by the incubator heat and fan, but still comes out to maybe 30%.

[@Gods_creation.His_harvest]

Does that incubator rotate them

[@NicholsCounty]

Yes. Nurture Right 360.

[@timeflies2550]

During lockdown days of dry hatch. Do you open air vent all the way open?

[@NicholsCounty]

All the way open.

[@amaro8301]

Hi Great video. How much did you increase the humidity after 18 days on dry hatch?

[@NicholsCounty]

I usually put the humidity at 60-70% on day 18 when I dry hatch.

[@amaro8301]

Thanks you . Great video.👍🏻

[@cynthiaradonich6938]

@@NicholsCounty how do you adjust your humidity at lockdown?

[@NicholsCounty]

@@cynthiaradonich6938 For this and most smaller incubators there are 2 water holes. You just add water to either one to raise the humidity. If it get too high, you just empty some water out, too low add water.

[@bertzcx1]

for the dry way What humidity do you need for lockdown

[@NicholsCounty]

60-70%

[@rebeccaplumlee9601]

Watched another comparison & dry hatch was 80%. Combo dry/wet was 78% . & The way u did full wet was 60%

[@NicholsCounty]

Ok

[@calliepatteen]

I just got mine at family farm and home

[@NicholsCounty]

Awesome!

[@breezyleigh4956]

Even if you do see a spot you should be able to see veins after a few days

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks.

[@Phokings]

Did u keep the vent fully close or fully open on the dry hatch ?

[@NicholsCounty]

I believe halfway during the first 18 days then fully opened the last 3 days.

[@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594]

I had forgotten (last incubation) and directions did say vent needs to be open for oxygen. And more at end so moisture is not too high with all the wet feathers?

[@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594]

I watched a lot of videos and several said take chicks out after feathers are dry….2nd day? Is ok…according to them.

[@shannajohnson9041]

I am curious about the hatch dates for the dry vs wet hatch. You showed 6 hatched in the dry before any in the wet. Did that seem to be the case with most of the hatch?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah I forgot to mention that, but the dry hatch hatched out a day before the wet hatch. Day 21 vs 22.

[@mjjohnst123]

To be a true dry hatch, no water is added at any time. Your hatch rate was great with each method.

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks 👍

[@marquitaberry4976]

so when dry hatching what does the temperature need to stay at and also when do you add the water

[@NicholsCounty]

For chickens you want the temperature to be 99.5 for dry or wet hatch. Add water on day 18. Keep around 60-70% for best results. Don't open until day 21.

[@nickhaley1212]

You dont add no water for a dry hatch hint the word dry hatch. No water at all through the whole process. Dont use water, Not even during hatching you do not ever use any water in anyway with a dry hatch. Temp 99.5- 100.5

[@razzyhass3541]

I am from Indonesia... I watch your video and 17 eggs out of 22 is a great success. I am working on pheasant eggs for the second time right now. The first was pretty bad of 25 eggs only 11 hatched. I set humidity 60%, temperature 37.3-38 C, spinning every 2 hours. Right now I have 20 eggs on day 7th. Any suggestion? Thank you.

[@NicholsCounty]

I've never hatched pheasant eggs so I can't really help you out there. But I do know that you should record your batches and change your humidity until you find a desirable hatch rate. Basically go up or down 5% per batch until you find the sweet spot. Also, be sure to check your incubator with some independent thermometers to make sure it's calibrated correctly. Hope this helps.

[@davidcastillo379]

Do you set your eggs by the moon phase or just any random day?

[@NicholsCounty]

I just set them on Sundays so they hatch on Sundays.

[@jamieholliday8122]

So far I think the easiest way to hatch is a broody hen. Healthy, happy chicks and she rolls the bad eggs out and does all the leg work. I probably will never mess with an incubator again…. I just had a hatch today.. So cute, I have some little bantam chicks laying under mama now.. I guess it depends on what scale you’re trying to hatch…

[@NicholsCounty]

Ha, it's funny you say that. I have 3 broody hens in their own pen doing some work for me right now.

[@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594]

@@NicholsCounty I got 37 traumatized chickens last June, 2021…> a year later I finally got a Broody hen…. She is on 11 eggs….how many can I sneak in at night?I have 22-30 incubating. Will watch some videos.

[@joolzbohr]

I'm on day 4 with same incubator, trying to keep humidity at 40 to 50... is it too late to just switch over to dry hatch?

[@NicholsCounty]

I think you'll be fine if you go dry hatch.

[@uniqueaseellandodisha2127]

Can you please tell me the temperature and humidity we should set. As i m new to this. I set 19 egg. Only 1 got hatched. I followed some youtuber but that didnt worked for me

[@NicholsCounty]

Dry Hatch 99.5 - 100.5 / Ambient Humidity for first 18 days, 70-80% Humidity day 18-21. Wet Hatch 99.5-100.5 / 40-50% Humidity for first 18 days, 60-70% day 18-21. Could be a number of reasons your eggs didn't hatch. What incubator do you have. Did you use eggs laid by your chickens or shipped eggs? Did you crack open the eggs that didn't hatch to see what happened?

[@triffawnawitt131]

Thank you for doing this experiment. I heard you sourced from different places color of eggs look about same amount. We're these the same breeds you were hatching out in each as well?

[@NicholsCounty]

No, local ones were olive eggers / barnyard mix and the others were Welsummers and Rhode Island Reds.

[@deepakgurung3853]

Did you increased the humidity in last three days for dry hatch incubator?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yes, you're going to want to put it around 50%-60% for the last 3 days of hatch.

[@gerrymatheson4020]

So last 3 days they both get increased humidity?

[@NicholsCounty]

@@gerrymatheson4020 Yes, Dry Hatch and Wet Hatch will need to be increased the last 3 days. If you don't a lot of your eggs won't hatch. They will basically start to pip and then stop because the membrane will dry out.

[@circa134]

How much water do u put for around 60%humidity

[@deepakgurung3853]

@@circa134 depends on size of incubator and holes in the incubator. I put around 3 litres of water. Makes humidity around 75% for last 3 days.

[@shellieallen8387]

So you add water at lock down of dry hatch?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yes. Bump it up to 60-70%

[@noumanshafiq8166]

What is module of incubator ?

[@NicholsCounty]

Hi, there is a link in the description. Nuture Right 360

[@TomiaMacQueen]

Did you clean your eggs before setting them? Just saw the towel and wondered. If so that's awesome because a lot of people worry about cleaning the eggs first

[@NicholsCounty]

Yes we did. But we don't always do that. We just decided to this time. Turned out okay. I might do an experiment on that as well one of these days.

[@JAGteam]

That’s because washing the eggs removes the protective bloom that keeps the pores closed. The bloom keeps bacteria from getting into the shells and killing the progressing chicks.

[@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594]

@@NicholsCounty a patent is on using 3% hydrogen peroxide…. It is thought that it sanitizes -PLUS allows more oxygen assistance.

[@bernardforgue1017]

What incubator do you use. Where can I buy one like yours? Thanks

[@NicholsCounty]

Nurture Right 360. There is a link in the description :)

[@lisar.veneziano1517]

That is what i ise too

[@lisar.veneziano1517]

When using commercial incubator ONLY USE DISTILLED WATER. otherwise you shorten life of device by years from mineral deposits that cause corrosion. I stack 50 eggs in mine

[@lisar.veneziano1517]

@@NicholsCounty please mention ONLY USE DISTILLED WATER with incubation devices. Much City water causes corrosion of multiple components

[@lisar.veneziano1517]

@@NicholsCounty i use same device i stack it all in there duck goose quail chicken 50 at a time i have HATCHING brooder i built for them to finish hatching . Since mine is packed with eggs waiting in line . This seems to be what EVERYONE I know that has one of these does. I also have three broody hens on eggs. Regular hatch factory. I hatch for neighbours too. I have created national egg exchange hoping to bring diversity ytoo gene pools

[@user-wv4rc8rn5c]

There are 2-3 reasons for the death of the chicken in the shell 1) they can't break the she'll, they need help 2)there are some diseases involved 3)nature But we must think this "Way chikens make so many eggs ?"

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks for watching!

[@PiratesAndWolves]

I see this is like 3yo, but I hope you got a better candling torch for this... ?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yes

[@PS-zx9km]

Did you add water to dry hatch for lockdown?

[@NicholsCounty]

Yes, bring it up to 60-70% for lockdown.

[@kylelapoint4187]

Do you know if you can turn an egg to much because I have been Turning mine every 1hr 25 mins?

[@kylelapoint4187]

Like 9 times a day at most tho

[@NicholsCounty]

4-6 times a day is the standard. I don't think turning them too much is a thing. But if you're hand turning and taking the top off a lot, then you're letting heat escape and that can cause issues.

[@briannameyer8464]

Survival of the fittest, at the end of incubation some of the chicks don't hatch because they just aren't strong enough to break through the shell. It is a little sad, but it is nature's way of keeping the species strong and healthy.

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah we're still getting good rates.

[@NicholsCounty]

Yeah we're still getting good rates.

[@wakingforbacon6439]

What about with duck eggs? Can you dry hatch them

[@NicholsCounty]

I've never hatched out duck eggs. But, I'm pretty sure they need a humid environment to thrive.

[@wakingforbacon6439]

@@NicholsCounty I've seen people on here do a dry hatch with different results. Ducks and chickens. Thanks for the advice though

[@ginavalone631]

I need help with candling. I wish you would have been slowly so I could see what was good or not.

[@NicholsCounty]

Send me some pics. Email is in my about page.

[@lisar.veneziano1517]

I have sky blue eggs i can ship you some for hatching

[@NicholsCounty]

Thank you, but I have more than enough eggs to hatch. We're sticking to a strict breeding program right now and only hatching out certain breeds.

[@DebbieAGray]

Have you ever done a dry hatch in the little giant incubator?

[@NicholsCounty]

I've never used that incubator. We do only dry hatches now. We have GQF now and a couple of smaller incubators.

[@DebbieAGray]

@@NicholsCounty thank you for answering

[@TheRainHarvester]

Has anyone tried quail eggs with dry hatch?

[@NicholsCounty]

I'm also interested if anyone has tried this out.

[@angheldee6562]

I am so mad I didn't research this methode before. We started with our first row of incubating. From 12 only 2 hatched amd 2 died before hatching. A very low rate and discouraging. We ordered another bunch of eggs and did the ae thing amd now I think it was due to the high humidity. We have 2 incubators but can't really fix the humidity. We are also not at home all the time because of working. My second bunch is 11 days old. I want to make the switch if possible now before the majority of my chicks dies. Is it possible?

[@NicholsCounty]

I wouldn't just change the humidity that fast. Maybe ease into it. Try not to keep your humidity over 45% for the first 18 days. That's been key for me.

[@idamartin7023]

What kind of chicken lays the very green eagle. It's so pretty. GREEN EGGS AND HAM...LOL

[@NicholsCounty]

Olive eggers.

[@charlesfoster8814]

I just found your video. Great job on the video by the way! But I bought a cheap incubator that doesn't have a way to measure the humidity so I did a basic dry hatch. Today is day 21 and nothing has happened yet. 😕 We started off with 13 eggs that I had no clue what I was doing, but we ended up with two that I expect to hatch. I think some of the eggs got too cold before I got them in the house. I was collecting them when the air Temps were below freezing. As I said this is my first attempt and don't really know what I'm doing, but on day 14 when I made the call on all the un-viable eggs I put 6 more eggs in that were all still warm when collected. On day 18 I candled the 8 eggs. The two from the original batch were totally dark except the air sack and the 4 day eggs (6) all had beautiful spider webs in them. So we are waiting to see what happens. I did put some water in the incubator to raise the humidity for the hatch. Waiting!

[@NicholsCounty]

Hi. You can order a hygrometer for cheap online. As far as eggs being too cold or frozen, that could be the case. We've incubated eggs that were left outside over night, but I'm in TN and while it does get below freezing, it doesn't stay there too long. The 2 that are all dark with just the air sacs showing on day 18 are good, that's what you're looking for. Hope it works out for you and just keep trying, we've all started where you are at. There is no where to go but up from here.

[@troyheald77]

AAA+++Bedford, Texas

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks!

[@lisar.veneziano1517]

I cant Tell in olive eggs either

[@NicholsCounty]

:)

[@kathyammerman7507]

We have the same incubator and some other varieties, trying ti hatch Sebastopol geese, out of 90 eggs we hatched 3, one lived!!! OUCH! HELP!

[@NicholsCounty]

I've never hatched out water fowl. From what I hear, you need to keep the humidity up really high on those. So I definitely wouldn't try to dry hatch them.

[@kathyammerman7507]

@@NicholsCounty thanks so much, after ten years and over 900 fertile eggs, we have hatched 4, 1 lived!!!! YIKES!

[@wakingforbacon6439]

@@kathyammerman7507 I'd try a different incubator. And I've heard of dry hatching duck eggs and waterfowl but with some problems as well. But with high humidity levels seems to work best. 55 to 65 until lock down then up around 75 and usually drop temp a degree during lockdown to around 98.5

[@jocelinmontijo5253]

I'd look at where you're sourcing eggs. Like an egg can be fertile and die in transit. Or die after being stored too long. Then of course some males may be shooting blanks.

[@oldmanpatriot1490]

Someone posted to put a matt in the bottom to stop sprawl legs... Seems a bit hookie to me... Have you had any problems with chicks having sprawl legs because of the plastic trays?

[@NicholsCounty]

No not at all. I saw a post of the other day with someone saying the same thing. Splay leg only happens on smooth surfaces like cardboard or smooth plastic.

[@razzyhass3541]

I tried a dry hatch with pheasant eggs but it didn't work. The shells became harder so most of the chicks died inside the eggs.

[@NicholsCounty]

Thanks for letting us know.

[@kyembejoseph692]

Help me banange how can I get that because am interested in

[@NicholsCounty]

What are you trying to say?

[@kenpoe9277]

Try a hatch with humidity high the entire time.

[@NicholsCounty]

I'm in the process/planning of making a bunch of different hatching videos with stipulations like that.