Eggtopsy... pics... what did i do wrong?

[mmaddie's mom]

First of all, I HATE doing an eggtopsy... makes me very sad.

I gave them an extra week and finally decided that I HAD to do it... and it WAS very sad... 5 had no developement (just runny yolks)... 5 with babies at various stages of developement (are these called quitters?)... one looked like it had quit the first week... 3 looked about 1/2 way along... and one looked fully developed.

Temp. and humidity were perfect all the way along.

This was my first time... WHAT did I do wrong?!? Take a look.

At this time I just need to say that I love my broodies... can't wait to have some again.

 

[colebarnhart]

Seems to just be a real bad year for a lot of people, even people that have had many successful previous hatches. It might be the quality of the eggs or your bator, was it still air or did you have a fan. I'm terrible at it and have given up on trying anymore, but it seems to be all about the temp and not as much about the humidity. I saw a post in the homemade bator section here on BYC that someone hollowed out an egg and then filled it with hair gel and then stuck a meat therm in it in order to get the temp inside the egg and I think if I ever try hatching again I will try that also.

 

[jfulcher]

First off I just want to say I hated my egg-topsy I did to two of my eggs last night.. Now, what was the temp for your bator? Humidity? Were there any fluctuations? How many thermometers were you using?

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
Humidity 35-45% for the first 18 days and 65-75% during lock down.
Temp during was 99*F and 101*F... 2 thermometers... no fluctuations,very steady. (Used 5 thermometers to get it set before eggs were put in.)
'bator is a new Brinsea ECO 20.
Candled at day 8 and day 18... handled very little.

 

[myday502]

I, too, just broke open 5 eggs that were under our Broody hen.....She hatched out two little ones....they seem to be doing great!

I brot in 5 eggs and put into our homemade hatcher last Monday. We have monitored them and kept humidity good, temp fluctuated a tad bit but not bad either. We have a wiggler for temp idea of eggs also....We did float them and I just candled this morning ...no movement! This is the second time I have broke into unhatched eggs this month and our percentage is terrible. Out of these 5 today....4 were full term....looked perfect in every way just unable to get out of shell???? one was way under developed! We have two other hens sitting .... one out and about; one in a nest in the coop.
Very sad, does anyone have any idea WHY so many chicks have not been able to make it this year???
Thank you and it is so sad to see these little guys not able to come into our world

Thankful our 6 new additions but so wanted more..

 

[jfulcher]

mmaddie's mom :

Quote:
Humidity 35-45% for the first 18 days and 65-75% during lock down.
Temp during was 99*F and 101*F... 2 thermometers... no fluctuations,very steady. (Used 5 thermometers to get it set befor eggs were put in.)
'bator is a new Brinsea ECO 20.
Candled at day 8 and day 18... handled very little.

Sounds like you did all you could.. Sometimes eggs just are duds and quitters.. Like the other person said it seems to be a bad time for hatching. Were they your own laid eggs or shipped? Was it their first clutch if they are your own laid eggs?​

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
So glad for the ones that made it... so sorry for the ones that didn't.

 

[bufforp89]

I have also had horrible luck hatching this year. Luckily I am plagued with broodys and have been able to hatch some things...better luck next time

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
Neither... these were my airplane eggs... eggs received from a breeder in Ca. and hand carried and hand inspected @ TSA (no x-ray). If none would have developed, I would have believed it was the pressure thing in the airplane... but some DID develope? It was a very disappointing eggsperiment.

 

[jfulcher]

Hmm.... Probably just a bad hatch then.. Don't give up tho

You did everything you could!