Good morningCould there be some sort of a bacteria or disease in the flock or in their genes that would make them die at the same time? I did NOT wash the eggs. I’m thinking that if something within the egg grows to a certain size, it then takes over and kills the embryo. It could have happened more slowly than I thought… I’m not good at candling. Some of the embryos definitely looked stronger than others, and some of them looked proportionately, smaller or larger all along. The largest egg looked dead but had slight movement in the morning upon recandling, but then appeared dead for sure in the evening. I am still incubating them until they smell because the breeder tells me it’s possible I just don’t see movement. I see a blood ring in one of them now though.
I had the govee meter in the incubator all night, and from the readout and checking where it was this morning, you can see when it passes by the vent! I had gone to sleep and left the incubator at 99.5. Dead eggs inside anyways! I’ll include the graph. It’s interesting, and I wonder if most people know this is a normal thing that takes place within the incubator. It’s also interesting that it takes so long for the temperature to read correctly on the meter after opening the lid. I believe this incubator is exactly right on.
Thank you so much for helping me. I feel so much better, because I now truly believe I had nothing to do with killing those babies.
I hope that anybody that reads this realizes that they need to not be afraid to ask the breeder so many questions before purchasing their eggs, whether it’s Chickens, Geese, ducks, or any other type of animal! And it doesn’t hurt to ask for at least 3 references. This particular breeder will not give me a single one and I had to go to the Facebook group to message everyone that had asked for her eggs. No references is a big clue not to purchase from them!
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Yes a bacteria could kill them off like that
We’re the eggs clean like they had been washed by the seller ?
My eggs are clean but my girls lay in dog crates as nest boxes and I clean my pen daily and get every single poo out
I don’t deep litter method either
When I did get shipped eggs a few weeks back they came filthy dirty and I was disgusted but apparently it’s normal for eggs to get dirty or poo on them and my ducks are the not so normal ones ( I raise little divas )
Or the birds themselves that are laying are not really healthy that could cause this issue too
The fluctuating isn’t bad and I don’t think that can kill the babies
I hand turn my eggs and cool them 10 mins once a day so I’m in my bator a lot before lock down and don’t loose any
I usually get 90-100% hatch rates with my eggs that includes buyers and schools I provide everything to incubate ( eggs , bator and calibrated hygrometer/thermometer )
I encourage the schools to candle daily so the kids can watch the changes
It’s not affected the hatch rates
So those up down cools aren’t the reason
I don’t think it’s your bator
I really think it’s the eggs themselves had issues