Goslings die within a few hours after hatching HELP

My cotton patch eggs are hatched and then each bird dies within a matter of hours. The shells are so tough they don't seem to be able to pip out on their own. After 24 hrs I have had to help all three out of the shell, no bleeding, seem fully developed, leave them in the incubator and again each one has died within hours. The first lived about 6 hrs, the second about 3 hrs and this last one about an hour and a half. DEPRESSING AND SAD. I have now upped the humidity, there are 12 eggs left. the Metzgar farms says humidy after hatch should be at 94 and temp 98.5. Seems really high to me but I called them too and they say the same thing. I cant understand how anything can breath at 94% humidity. But we shall see. I took the eggs from the next the day they were hatched, I placed them in the incubator rite away so they are all at different rates of development. (yes my first time hatching, and no don't need criticism) But would love any advice. Thanks fellow featherheads.

jynxster said:

My cotton patch eggs are hatched and then each bird dies within a matter of hours. The shells are so tough they don't seem to be able to pip out on their own. After 24 hrs I have had to help all three out of the shell, no bleeding, seem fully developed, leave them in the incubator and again each one has died within hours. The first lived about 6 hrs, the second about 3 hrs and this last one about an hour and a half. DEPRESSING AND SAD. I have now upped the humidity, there are 12 eggs left. the Metzgar farms says humidy after hatch should be at 94 and temp 98.5. Seems really high to me but I called them too and they say the same thing. I cant understand how anything can breath at 94% humidity. But we shall see. I took the eggs from the next the day they were hatched, I placed them in the incubator rite away so they are all at different rates of development. (yes my first time hatching, and no don't need criticism) But would love any advice. Thanks fellow featherheads.

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jynx, I see that no-one´s answered you. Well, I don´t use incubators, but just a few thoughts... Was the incubator well disinfected before use? It seems to me that maybe the goslings could already be sick before they hatch. Goose egg shells are very hard, that´s normal. You took the eggs the day after they hatched Did you mean laid? So is the goose also sitting on some eggs? And is it the young one you had last year? Often the yearlings don´t have strong goslings.
The humidity is very high. If humidity is too high, the goslings won´t hatch because they need to lose water in order to hatch. Hopefully someone who knows more than me about incubators will advise.

94% may be on a wet bulb.. ? maybe??? I have done much better hatching my Africans and Shetlands this year by dropping the humidity! I read somewhere that getting the humidity above 85% will kill the babies... think in Holdereads book..... I had it at 75-85% and did terrible.... this year the Genesis seems hard to keep humidity high enough , so I just waited to see... and then moved to brooder and humidity was 50-70% most of the time.... my hatchrate was triple last years.... I also learned to leave them alone, (wll mostly, I did help out two ducks that were last to hatch and I already knew they would grow too big for shell and get stuck and die... what temp? still air or a fan. My fan was at 99.5 and my still air I was trying to keep 101.5 (not always sucessful). WAs the membrane still white while hatching or did it turn brown, which means it is tough and drying out .?
Did you dip the babies beaks in water in the brooder? I lost 3 ducks like that because I didn't, but did all the others and they just seemed to dehydrate and die in a day or two.... I also put some sugar in the first water for a head start.
Also . Air. Did you open all the air plugs? They need more air during hatch...and I try to get my egg shells out and gunk, if it smells bad I get the babies out to another brooder ...can't be good for their lungs with all those germs and moisture, think Legionaires disease!

livininbrazil said:

jynx, I see that no-one´s answered you. Well, I don´t use incubators, but just a few thoughts... Was the incubator well disinfected before use? It seems to me that maybe the goslings could already be sick before they hatch. Goose egg shells are very hard, that´s normal. You took the eggs the day after they hatched Did you mean laid? So is the goose also sitting on some eggs? And is it the young one you had last year? Often the yearlings don´t have strong goslings.
The humidity is very high. If humidity is too high, the goslings won´t hatch because they need to lose water in order to hatch. Hopefully someone who knows more than me about incubators will advise.

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Maybe hurt by incubator or temp unless low rectangular like brisnea take away tray manually turn. I had 9 hatch first time with excluded bad, don't fill or will need help. Maybe fan or usual, less air. I always immediately remove cover an take egg and chick outside and use plant heatpads.