100 percent failure

[debilorrah]

Quote:
See my other post to you.... You poor thing. You didn't do it on purpose!!!!

I live in a dry climate and I keep my humidity at 10-35% on days 1-18 (I say 10% because quite often it dips before I get home from work), and I raise it to 50-55% during lockdown.

 

[gryeyes]

I just had TWO 'bators with 100% failure rate, but I am positive it was the eggs, not the incubators. Call duck eggs. NONE developed. The seller has sent replacement eggs, so I'm trying again.

But taking a break is a good idea, just so you get a little bit further away from the disappointment.

Good luck next time! Don't give up totally.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

when I have a problem with incubating, I think of what mama hen does, there is no way she can get the humidity 70% unless she is sitting on a wet rag, same for 'shrink wrap' its not a humidity thing, its a rough handling thing.

don't quit, my first hatch was 40 serama eggs, I got 2 to hatch, come to find out with them hand turning is not a good thing with them just a slight jiggling kills them, keep a log on what you have done, what works, what doesn't. incubating isn't an exact science good luck

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Eggs need MORE ventilation at lockdown and hatch than while incubating. The worst thing you can do is to close vent holes. If you make your own incubator be SURE to put plenty of ventilation holes in it.

I agree that "shrink wrapping" is an overused term. The outer member is supposed to be thicker and white. It is easily torn by the chicks beak. I also agree that folks are using way too high humidity during the first 18 days. 30-40% is plenty high and as debiraymond mentioned, it can be even lower than that.

Drowning and poor ventilation is the leading cause of death in chicks that go all the way to lockdown, sometimes even internally pip, then die. I've done it myself...more times than I care to remember.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I'm getting to really dislike the term 'shrink wrap'

 

[pawtraitart]

Can the inner membrane be detached when hatched chicks roll the unhatched eggs around? I know that I've had a problem here and there with membrane issues but I don't over-candle or hand turn, so I'm not sure where the damage is being done. Any ideas?

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I wouldn't think so, unhatched eggs at hatch are filled with a chick, so jiggling at hatch shouldn't do it

shipping, not enough padding under the egg when laid (including a chicken that stands up), to many eggs in the nest box, kids picking up eggs (mine are bad), there are probably others

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
It seems to have grown from a simply fixed problem to the word of the month. Also alot of people are alarmists when it comes to hatching. Even my first hatch, yes I was nervous, but holy cow, let some common sense guide ya a bit!!!!!

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
It seems to have grown from a simply fixed problem to the word of the month. Also alot of people are alarmists when it comes to hatching. Even my first hatch, yes I was nervous, but holy cow, let some common sense guide ya a bit!!!!!

common sense seams to have gone out the window lately

 

[Baralak]

Quote:
It seems to have grown from a simply fixed problem to the word of the month. Also alot of people are alarmists when it comes to hatching. Even my first hatch, yes I was nervous, but holy cow, let some common sense guide ya a bit!!!!!

common sense seams to have gone out the window lately

Yep... I couldn't agree more. I have no idea where this 70-75% came from.. Unless they might be mistaking the Wet Bulb temp reading and not calculating what the RH should be.. The Mississippi State Univ guide for incubating and hatching has the same problem. Most people don't read all the way to then end, and they skip over that *. Once you read it all the way, you find out that you have to check your wet bulb and cross check on a table ... blah blah.. Basically it says the same thing... 30 average days 1-18 and 45-50 past day 18.

Shrink Wrapping has become a catch all for those too impatient to wait for the chick to hatch. A truly shrink wrapped chick won't have just bits of membrane on it.

Yes I will help a chick that has gone 24 hours from the first pip with out any progress, but if it is cheeping, and moving, nature knows best.

Airplane guy.. I'm very sorry for your loss, but I can tell you, don't give up. Use this as a learning experience!