2nd incubation no chicks

[carly90]

Hi. I have done 2 incubations now, my first one only one hatched and then died a week later. My 2nd incubation I thought I would do a lot better as I have done research but I have not had a single egg hatch at day 23. I have an automatic Turner. There has been no drop in temperature. The humidity was kept between 40- 50 for the first 18 days , candling showed good signs. Lockdown at day 18 humidity rise to 50-60%. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Guyswithchicks]

Hi. I have done 2 incubations now, my first one only one hatched and then died a week later. My 2nd incubation I thought I would do a lot better as I have done research but I have not had a single egg hatch at day 23. I have an automatic Turner. There has been no drop in temperature. The humidity was kept between 40- 50 for the first 18 days , candling showed good signs. Lockdown at day 18 humidity rise to 50-60%. What am I doing wrong?

Is your incubator fan or still air? Is it digital? Do you have any independent thermometers in your incubator? So many incubators are inaccurate with temperatures and humidity and you should always have at least two further gauges to check in my experience.
A zero hatch, in my opinion generally comes down to three things firstly poor fertility secondly incorrect temperature either too high or too low finally incorrect humidity.
If fertility is no concern and the eggs have been cancelled at day 7 and have been proven to be fertile then this can be ruled out.
Temperature is by far the most important factor and a spike in temperature will cause a foetus to die very quickly a prolonged dip in temperature will also affect foetus development.
With humidity you are looking for an average range that is conducive to the eggs losing enough moisture for optimum hatching. Some people Mark air cell development as a measure. I weigh the eggs at specific times to assess humidity requirements.
Did you happen to complete an eggtopsie to see if the chicks did at a specific time etc. Although a bit horrible to do, it can reveal so much information.
Don't despair there is a lot we can help you with. You just need to provide some more information.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Is your incubator fan or still air? Is it digital? Do you have any independent thermometers in your incubator? So many incubators are inaccurate with temperatures and humidity and you should always have at least two further gauges to check in my experience.
A zero hatch, in my opinion generally comes down to three things firstly poor fertility secondly incorrect temperature either too high or too low finally incorrect humidity.
If fertility is no concern and the eggs have been cancelled at day 7 and have been proven to be fertile then this can be ruled out.
Temperature is by far the most important factor and a spike in temperature will cause a foetus to die very quickly a prolonged dip in temperature will also affect foetus development.
With humidity you are looking for an average range that is conducive to the eggs losing enough moisture for optimum hatching. Some people Mark air cell development as a measure. I weigh the eggs at specific times to assess humidity requirements.
Did you happen to complete an eggtopsie to see if the chicks did at a specific time etc. Although a bit horrible to do, it can reveal so much information.
Don't despair there is a lot we can help you with. You just need to provide some more information.

xs 2 totally.

Eggtopsies can be hard, but when a whole hatch is compromised they can be very enlightening. I would definitely suggest doing them for this batch when you decide the time is up. If they all made it to lockdown before quitting the two things I would look for is either excess fluid in the eggs/very wet sticky chicks signifying not enough moisture loss- a result from too high humidity, or very dried very "shrink wrapped" chicks signifying too low. (At 40-50% humidity I would NOT expect the latter.) If it doesn't appear to be humidity, then my next thought would be temps too low and you need to look at your thermometers. If they were earlier quitters, it could be a number of things. If they all seemed to quite at the same time, it would be a big indicator of a heat spike. If there are different development stages, it's harder to narrow down. Could be egg quality/layer health and quality, feed quality, ect.....

Are these your own eggs or shipped eggs, because that can make a big difference too.

 

[carly90]

Thank you both for your replies. One hatched this morning. One has been cheeping all day but I can't figure out which egg it is coming from. I did a couple of eggtopsies on the last batch .They all looked to have died just before they ate the sac. No idea why. The temp stays at 37.7℃ the chicks that have come out (1 from each incubation) seem to be a little wet but just the same as the ones hatched naturally outside.they are from my own chickens. I have a digital automatic fan incubator.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thank you both for your replies. One hatched this morning. One has been cheeping all day but I can't figure out which egg it is coming from. I did a couple of eggtopsies on the last batch .They all looked to have died just before they ate the sac. No idea why. The temp stays at 37.7℃ the chicks that have come out (1 from each incubation) seem to be a little wet but just the same as the ones hatched naturally outside.they are from my own chickens. I have a digital automatic fan incubator.

Ok, then it sounds like your temps are the biggest factor at this point. I recommend checking for accuracy on all thermometers you are using. Once you know you have accurate temps, I would consider a low humidity incubation (30-40%) and monitoring the air cells if you aren't in a high elevation.

 

[Guyswithchicks]

Ok, then it sounds like your temps are the biggest factor at this point. I recommend checking for accuracy on all thermometers you are using. Once you know you have accurate temps, I would consider a low humidity incubation (30-40%) and monitoring the air cells if you aren't in a high elevation.

Yes I agree, to have chicks hatching at this late time, temperature will be the culprit more than likely. I would be tempted to raise the temp now to try and assist any other late chicks. This is a last resort and then before setting anymore buy another thermometer of good quality as a comparison. You could be very surprised at the difference.
We all go through issues like this but they can be rectified.

 

[carly90]

The egg that was cheeping yesterday, pipped through but died

 

[Guyswithchicks]

The egg that was cheeping yesterday, pipped through but died

Sorry to read this. Once you know it could be the temperature, you will go on to have successful hatches. It's just that you can't rely on some machines to be accurate all of the time.
I have got brinsea incubators, and even with their reliability, I calibrate every season just to check.
I have lost chicks before and it is disheartening but experience and knowledge really reduce risk. I have learnt so much over the years.
All the best for a great result next time.

 

[carly90]

Thankyou

 

[AmyLynn2374]

The egg that was cheeping yesterday, pipped through but died

That is not surprising with chicks this delayed, because generally they are weaker. From my experiences and watching others, 24 days is the iffy area for chicks hatching. They have a higher percentage of developmental problems if they survive hatch. There are some hatchers that pull the plug at the end of day 22 because of the risk of problems with later hatchers. I could never do that, I'm a "bleeding heart" apparently. I could never give up on something that is still alive, but I run a higher risk of dealing with problems because of my stand on giving everything a chance. My bator runs warm, so I naturally have action day 19-20, but I have excellent hatch rates and healthy chicks so I'm not worried.

Sorry to hear about the poor hatch. I really think if you check therms and get one in there that is accurate you'll see a big improvement on your hatches. I hope you keep trying and get a good hatch next time.