Am I crazy to want to try again? Not so great first hatch...

[Apomerantz]

So for my very first hatch I started out with 23 silkie eggs. Now (on day 23) I have only 5 chicks

At lockdown I had 10 eggs that I was positive had chicks and 1 egg not so sure about. I want to try hatching again, but after doing so horribly the first time am I crazy to try again? Here are the problems I see with my first try:
1: The bator was left open for a few hours at one point, putting the temp down to 90.
2: Can you candle them too much? We candled them quite a bit because it was a homeschool project for the kids.
3: The temperature stayed fairly even, but I did have to monitor it because it was fluctuating some.
4: The turner was a little loose on the eggs, I should have put some tissue paper at the bottom of each egg to cradle it more.
5: I accidently put them into lock down a day early.

I still have the other 6 eggs in the bator, but no peeping or pipping, so my hopes are not high

Should I just give up on the whole thing after one not great hatch or keep trying?

Thanks!
Amy

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I would keep trying. I have been hatching eggs for years and I still have bad hatches it just happens.

 

[Fairybee]

i believe you should try again its my second hatch friday my first went worse than your's none hatched at all so you just gotta pick yourself up and try again you did well to get 5 hatch

we are all routing for you to succeed

 

[Apomerantz]

Thanks for the encouragement! I am thinking of trying button quail next. I would LOVE to do more silkies, but I think I will wait on that. Any good tips to make my next hatch more successful?
Amy

 

[Luvducks]

Learn from your mistakes and try again. We all have bad hatches. At least you got a couple chicks. My first hatch this spring I got 1 chick and had to go buy friends for it.

 

[HenPen]

Keep trying,my first hatch was 31 eggs and only 1 hatched....I cracked open the other eggs only to find 28 fully developed chicks that never hatched I was heartbroken and swore I would sell my bator....after lost of encouragement I did sell it but only to buy another one and I have been hatching ever since,some go well some not so well but I am hooked....Good Luck!!

 

[Irish Ridge]

5 out of 10 the first time around isn't really that bad. My first hatch I had 48 eggs (I never candled) and only had 6 hatch. One of my major mistakes was opening the incubator constantly to take out every new chick that hatched...

I know better now... lol

 

[babsbag]

Here are 2 links that might help you find out why your hatch didn't go so well. I hope you can figure it out. I would try it again, it is addicting

http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/troubleshooting_incubation.pdf


http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_pipped.html

 

[Mahonri]

If at first you don't succeed....

you know the rest of it....

 

[Apomerantz]

Thanks for all the support! Start of day 24 and no more pipping or peeping for the eggs still in the incubator. Still going to wait a few more days on those. It is going to kill me if I have to open one up only to find a fully formed chick

Amy