A long vent... I don't want to do this anymore...

You are right. It's tough. Especially with shipped eggs.

I've done two incubator hatches. 41 eggs both times. 12 chicks hatched both times.

Lots of fully developed dead chicks in unhatched eggs.

Next January, I'll give it another go.

 

Hang in there, sending best wishes your way

 

I am so sorry to hear this. I am on day 18 and am down to 8 eggs from 18. After reading your post, I am wondering how to cull a chick if I need to put it out of it's misery now that the time is getting close. Not to be pessimistic, but after reading all the things that can go wrong, I want to make sure that I am prepared for the worst. I have 6 chicks coming in June just in case.

 

I'm sorry
What a exhausting journey for you.

 

How very sad.

Does anyone have any idea what could cause this?

I am just starting incubating and wonder what are the things that mostly cause things to go wrong.

What should I watch out for?

Or does stuff just happen?

 

Lots of things affect hatch outcome. Temperatures running consistently too cool tend to have late hatchers, pipped but unhatched, hatchers with defects. Humidity kills a lot of them.

When you deal intimately - literally hand in hand with nature in the creation of life. Yes, ...stuff... happens. Baby birds are among some of the most awesomely fragile life forms on the planet. Chicks are at least born with down and ready to get going when all go well, unlike the flighted birds.

When you artificially incubate, things will happen. Good and bad. Especially until you really begin to get a feel for and 'grock' the process. There are the rules - they lay them out like if you follow them and everything appears normal nothing bad will happen.

Mother nature does not read the rules. Shipping increases the odds of bad stuff happening. You cannot count your chickens before they hatch, fluff, eat and drink. And even then you'll lose some to something inside themselves or something outside themselves like other animals.

Other chickens, other pets, predators, even children kill chickens accidentally - often - it's all about nature. There will be loses. Handling loss comes with dealing intimately with life. Loss is part of the cycle of life. Birth, hatching, babies they are all wonders, but they have two sides. They are fragile. They give joy, and sadness.

While loss is sad, it's part of the cycle and part of learning a new skill, incubation, handling and animal management. The lessons can be hard but there's a lot of joy. Sure you can quit. Buy adult chickens, keep stuffed animals. But you'd miss out.

When I first came here there was a woman who'd tried to hatch six times or more and failed. She certainly could have quit. But you know what? She eventually got it. I've had good and bad and disaster.

I've lost them to incubation, to hatching, to predators, to each other.

I could have quit. But I wouldn't have the joy of the success, the companionship and accomplishment of success. I'm retired. I'm not being an example to a child. I'm not here teaching about trying to achieve a goal and how failures happen and you keep going. That a good goal is worth the failures, the pain, the effort, the learning, the new skills.

Where we are now, the effort of walking hand in hand with life, with nature, with creation, it comes with pain, with effort, with a certain amount of sacrifice and fortitude.

I wouldn't miss it for the world. Hang in there, there will be better days. Over sixty chicks and poults, hens and turkeys wouldn't be here now if I had quit. I won't say it's easy. I will say it's worth it.

 

Oh Jenn Sorry to hear you had more problems. I lost three this time as well. Tomorrow is day 22 for the rest of them and then I think I am going to wait awhile as well. I started with my own eggs I know they are fertile as I can see what happens around here lol Have very good fertility. This is only my second hatch and I can't believe I have had such good luck. You have to take the good with the bad. I am learning that with this farm Sometimes things happen and you can't control it. I still cry and say no more but then I change my mind again. You will too I hope Enjoy the ones that made it You had a hand in bringing them into the world Look and them and be amazed.