Kizmet
Songster
- Feb 22, 2020
- 116
- 412
- 121
Hi guys, I’m having some issues and was hoping someone more experienced could lend some advice.
I hatched my first lot of incubated eggs with great success, I had 24 out of 25 chicks hatch (the one that didn’t hatch was upside down when I opened it on day 24) and 7 out of 7 keets hatch. All are healthy and happy!
I decided to give shipped eggs a go since I can’t get any breeds I wanted locally. I bought one dozen (they sent 14) from one person and two dozen from another. They all arrived intact but with wobbly air cells.
I let the eggs settle for 24 hours before incubation.
The first batch of 14, 1 was clear and I had 3 blood rings around day 5. So 10 made it to lockdown, about 7 had saddled air cells but the others had stabilised well. I candled on day 18 and saw movement in most, so I was feeling pretty confident going into lockdown that I’d have at least a couple of chicks. I incubated 10 eggs from my own flock at the same time. Day 21 came around, my 10 hatched beautifully but only one pip from the shipped eggs. After 24 hours I removed the fluffies and had a look at the rest. The one that pipped wasn’t making any progress so I spent the day assisting it. The chick had fully absorbed the yolk and there was no bleeding. It lived about 10 hours and just plopped dead. I put safety holes in the others, only two showed signs of life so I assisted them slowly. Again, one chick lived about 10 hours then died. So far the other chick is still alive (5 days) but has started walking funny today. ☹ When I was throwing away the other duds I opened them all in turn from the air cell and found one still alive, but malpositioned. I tried to assist but it died. The rest had either died sometime between day 18-19 or right before internally pipping but otherwise looked like good little chicks.
I chalked this up to a bad batch of shipped eggs and waited on the other 24 that I had in the other incubator but by lockdown I was down to only 8 eggs. I candled and saw movement in all 8 though. Surely this time I’d get some chicks... Day 21 has come and gone and since nothing has pipped, I candled. Only 1 looked to be moving. They’re still in the incubator but I have a feeling nothing will hatch, just like last time. Again I had some of my own eggs hatch perfectly with them.
Temp has been a stable 37.5, I rarely open the lids. Humidity was 30-40% until lockdown which was 50-60%. Incubators are calibrated Janoel 48s with the auto tilting trays (fan forced). Eggs are Belgian d’Uccles. Air cells looked good size wise at lockdown. I’ve had non shipped eggs hatch perfectly with both batches.
I’d like to try some more shipped eggs but this has been an expensive failure with a lot of heartbreak already. I spoke to the seller of one batch and she said it was odd that they died so late in the process, or died after 10 hours and hinted that the problem is me. Any ideas on what I can do? I feel like a murderer. ☹ My one surviving chick doesn’t look right.
Edit to add; first batch I put into lockdown on their sides as normal, second batch I tried sitting upright in a cut up carton.
I hatched my first lot of incubated eggs with great success, I had 24 out of 25 chicks hatch (the one that didn’t hatch was upside down when I opened it on day 24) and 7 out of 7 keets hatch. All are healthy and happy!
I decided to give shipped eggs a go since I can’t get any breeds I wanted locally. I bought one dozen (they sent 14) from one person and two dozen from another. They all arrived intact but with wobbly air cells.
I let the eggs settle for 24 hours before incubation.
The first batch of 14, 1 was clear and I had 3 blood rings around day 5. So 10 made it to lockdown, about 7 had saddled air cells but the others had stabilised well. I candled on day 18 and saw movement in most, so I was feeling pretty confident going into lockdown that I’d have at least a couple of chicks. I incubated 10 eggs from my own flock at the same time. Day 21 came around, my 10 hatched beautifully but only one pip from the shipped eggs. After 24 hours I removed the fluffies and had a look at the rest. The one that pipped wasn’t making any progress so I spent the day assisting it. The chick had fully absorbed the yolk and there was no bleeding. It lived about 10 hours and just plopped dead. I put safety holes in the others, only two showed signs of life so I assisted them slowly. Again, one chick lived about 10 hours then died. So far the other chick is still alive (5 days) but has started walking funny today. ☹ When I was throwing away the other duds I opened them all in turn from the air cell and found one still alive, but malpositioned. I tried to assist but it died. The rest had either died sometime between day 18-19 or right before internally pipping but otherwise looked like good little chicks.
I chalked this up to a bad batch of shipped eggs and waited on the other 24 that I had in the other incubator but by lockdown I was down to only 8 eggs. I candled and saw movement in all 8 though. Surely this time I’d get some chicks... Day 21 has come and gone and since nothing has pipped, I candled. Only 1 looked to be moving. They’re still in the incubator but I have a feeling nothing will hatch, just like last time. Again I had some of my own eggs hatch perfectly with them.
Temp has been a stable 37.5, I rarely open the lids. Humidity was 30-40% until lockdown which was 50-60%. Incubators are calibrated Janoel 48s with the auto tilting trays (fan forced). Eggs are Belgian d’Uccles. Air cells looked good size wise at lockdown. I’ve had non shipped eggs hatch perfectly with both batches.
I’d like to try some more shipped eggs but this has been an expensive failure with a lot of heartbreak already. I spoke to the seller of one batch and she said it was odd that they died so late in the process, or died after 10 hours and hinted that the problem is me. Any ideas on what I can do? I feel like a murderer. ☹ My one surviving chick doesn’t look right.
Edit to add; first batch I put into lockdown on their sides as normal, second batch I tried sitting upright in a cut up carton.
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