0 out of 25 eggs hatched... advice?

[spatulagirl]

So I bout some eggs from two different people here on BYC. There was a snowstorm and so the eggs were 10-12 days old before I got them and put them all in the incubator. They went into lockdown on Wednesday morning with a possible hatch date of this weekend.

I have a still air incubator I borrowed from a friend. I kept it at 99-100 degrees with a humidity rate of 45% and I turned the eggs three times a day. I didn't candle them but I would have though out of 25 something would have hatched?

I am bummed. My flock was slaughtered in the fall by a person and his dog(s) and I am ready to rebuild, as are my kids.

Do you think they were just in the mail too long? I have a batch of Silkie eggs coming in a few weeks but I really really need some layers! I do have a broody Silkie setting on four mutt eggs a friend gave me. However, I need to know what I did wrong before I try to hatch out the Silkies.

The eggs are still in the incubator. I figured I would give them until Wednesday and then discard them.

They are Easter Eggers and Coronation Sussex.

 

[foothillsfiber]

can't help you with any advice, just wanted to say that I feel your pain. My first attempt was 24 eggs and only 2 hatched, and one of those never ate and finally died. Sorry, just don't give up, try again

 

[pamandbubbles]

So sorry.... make sure you are not touching the eggs too much...use gloves. Maybe the power was off and you were not aware. If the eggs were exposed to freezing temps prior to you getting them that could be the problem. I would try again, using the same process. Only use pencil to mark eggs. Good luck.

 

[FarmTillURdead]

I wouldn't attempt to hatch eggs more than 8 days old.

Try to find someone closer to you with fertilized eggs. Running an add on craigslist could help. Or overnight your mailed eggs.
I would want a little more of a sure thing. I'd order hatchery birds the first year and hatch my own the second year. That's just me though.

 

[Melissa Rose]

I have read that fertility drops to 1% after day ten and 0% after day 11. Maybe if you wait till there is a clear window of shippable weather to order your eggs so they aren't delayed for so very long! Sorry for your heartache

. 21 days is a long time to wait and not even get one chicklet! Before you do discard the eggs I would candle first then poke a tiny hole in the fat end where the air sac is to see if you can see any movement

 

[halo]

You really need to be candling them to see what development you have, otherwise you just dont know what you are dealing with. That way you know if they arent developing right from the start, or if they are developing and not hatching, which would indicate you may have an issue with your incubator. Thermometers and hygrometers are often inaccurate.

 

[spatulagirl]

I have a candeler now that we built. Do you think I could pull them out and see if anything developed?

 

[Baggagolers]

I would check them....at least one or two. If they are clear it's a no go.

 

[halo]

I have a candeler now that we built. Do you think I could pull them out and see if anything developed?

Sure. What I do, I have a small mag flashlight. I darken the room, and put the flashlight on the eggs right in the incubator. Very easy to see if theres something going on or not.

 

[mountainwhisper]

We have a maglite flashlight that we use too. It works well for candling. If there is development then the weather didn't do it. Another thing you can try when you bring them in cold like that is to let them warm up in the house at least overnight first and then put them in the bator. When storing you can alternate tilting one side of their container (like a teeter totter) every 12hrs or so and that helps the fertility vs. them just sitting flat. I would also definately invest in a turner. They are amazing time and chick savers. You can introduce bacteria without even knowing it and can mess with the environment inside the bator opening it so much. It is worth the money. I have gotten good hatches (90- 98%) in the middle of winter using this method with shipped eggs. Something else you could try is the dry hatch method. I live in a really humid area high in the mountains and found this method works best for me. If you see some development and they died toward the end this could be the same for you. http://paraguinparadise.netfirms.com/Dry Incubation.htm Good luck with your next hatch! I hope some of this was helpful.