April 2020 Hatch-A-Long! All are welcome!

[CluckNDoodle]

Well, I didnt see anymore movement in the remaining cayuga eggs so I checked them again this morning and they are in the exact same spot/position as when I candled last night. So I think they are DIS?

This is happening to me a lot - everyone makes it until the first handful hatches, and then the rest die. In the Janoel I don't think it's humidity related as it is super hard to keep humidity high in that thing and it rarely goes above 70% even after someone has just hatched. In the Brinsea, the humidity spikes to 99%+ (99% is the max on my hygrometer) after someone hatches and can stay that way for a long time if I dont open it (and I try not to because there's usually someone pipped!) Could this be drowning chicks/ducklings that haven't pipped? All three ducklings that had external pips hatched successfully, the other three I am pretty sure are dead, but they were alive and well just 48 hours ago. It is D26. What gives? Any ideas? Should I poke a hole in the remaining eggs to see what's going on? (I know I just told someone to sit on their hands; it is so hard to do that when the eggs are right in front of you lol). This is super frustrating.

Drowning doesn't happen if they aren't internally pipped and if it were drowning there would have to be water built up inside the air cell from long period of high humidity at hatch. While the humidity spikes when chicks are hatching it isn't usually enough to cause this BUT if you see condensation building up on the window in your incubator that's usually s sign that it's too high and can also be building up in the egg.
Malpositions, sticky chicks, and shrink wrapping are all also common causes for late losses that can be seen if you decide to do an egggtopsy. If they quit earlier than you realize then you're likely to see some more loose fluid inside the egg where the chick is but not necessary the air cell, that's because of decomposition. Sometimes you can do an eggtopsy and it's still hard to identify what exactly went wrong.

 

[gmjarvi]

Drowning doesn't happen if they aren't internally pipped and if it were drowning there would have to be water built up inside the air cell from long period of high humidity at hatch. While the humidity spikes when chicks are hatching it isn't usually enough to cause this BUT if you see condensation building up on the window in your incubator that's usually s sign that it's too high and can also be building up in the egg.
Malpositions, sticky chicks, and shrink wrapping are all also common causes for late losses that can be seen if you decide to do an egggtopsy. If they quit earlier than you realize then you're likely to see some more loose fluid inside the egg where the chick is but not necessary the air cell, that's because of decomposition. Sometimes you can do an eggtopsy and it's still hard to identify what exactly went wrong.

Should I be removing the chicks from the incubator sooner if they are causing moisture build up? There is typically condensation on the sides of the incubator after someone hatches, and I have seen this on other people's Brinsea Minis as well. I could set up the Janoel as a mini brooder for wet chicks to dry off before going to the big brooder.

I will eggtopsy these eggs, but do you think I should wait until D28 or go with my gut that they have already died??

 

[CindyinSD]

Well, I didnt see anymore movement in the remaining cayuga eggs so I checked them again this morning and they are in the exact same spot/position as when I candled last night. So I think they are DIS?

This is happening to me a lot - everyone makes it until the first handful hatches, and then the rest die. In the Janoel I don't think it's humidity related as it is super hard to keep humidity high in that thing and it rarely goes above 70% even after someone has just hatched. In the Brinsea, the humidity spikes to 99%+ (99% is the max on my hygrometer) after someone hatches and can stay that way for a long time if I dont open it (and I try not to because there's usually someone pipped!) Could this be drowning chicks/ducklings that haven't pipped? All three ducklings that had external pips hatched successfully, the other three I am pretty sure are dead, but they were alive and well just 48 hours ago. It is D26. What gives? Any ideas? Should I poke a hole in the remaining eggs to see what's going on? (I know I just told someone to sit on their hands; it is so hard to do that when the eggs are right in front of you lol). This is super frustrating.

@Miss Lydia

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think @Pyxis would be the one to address this.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Should I be removing the chicks from the incubator sooner if they are causing moisture build up? There is typically condensation on the sides of the incubator after someone hatches, and I have seen this on other people's Brinsea Minis as well. I could set up the Janoel as a mini brooder for wet chicks to dry off before going to the big brooder.

I will eggtopsy these eggs, but do you think I should wait until D28 or go with my gut that they have already died??

If you do eggtospies and you find that it was indeed from moisture build up in the air cell, then yes, I would definitely alter my hatching tactics. Whether that's moving the chicks to another incubator to dry or just not adding as much water at lockdown you may have to tinker with it. It's possible that there is another cause though because I always have short spikes of humidity in my incubators when my chicks hatch and I've never had drowning.

 

[gmjarvi]

If you do eggtospies and you find that it was indeed from moisture build up in the air cell, then yes, I would definitely alter my hatching tactics. Whether that's moving the chicks to another incubator to dry or just not adding as much water at lockdown you may have to tinker with it. It's possible that there is another cause though because I always have short spikes of humidity in my incubators when my chicks hatch and I've never had drowning.

I'm not sure what's happening in my Brinsea at hatch would qualify as a short spike - the humidity was 80% or higher pretty much all day yesterday. In the Janoel the spike is much shorter, but I still get a bunch of DIS at the end of the hatch. Temps are staying stable according to the incubators and the additional thermometers inside the bators.

I will eggtopsy them but I'm torn on whether or not I should wait.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I'm not sure what's happening in my Brinsea at hatch would qualify as a short spike - the humidity was 80% or higher pretty much all day yesterday. In the Janoel the spike is much shorter, but I still get a bunch of DIS at the end of the hatch. Temps are staying stable according to the incubators and the additional thermometers inside the bators.

I will eggtopsy them but I'm torn on whether or not I should wait.

I can't help you on when to do it. I tend to step in earlier than some because my ultimate goal is to assist when possible. I gauge my choice to step in by how the hatch is going. When I'm down to the last few stragglers if they don't seem to be actively hatching then I open the air cell to see what's going on. Sometimes this is an eggtopsy and sometimes it's an assist.

 

[CindyinSD]

I'm not sure what's happening in my Brinsea at hatch would qualify as a short spike - the humidity was 80% or higher pretty much all day yesterday. In the Janoel the spike is much shorter, but I still get a bunch of DIS at the end of the hatch. Temps are staying stable according to the incubators and the additional thermometers inside the bators.

I will eggtopsy them but I'm torn on whether or not I should wait.

IMO there's nothing to be lost by waiting. The incubator is in use regardless and them being in there doesn't hurt anything. If there are signs of life you could give them a pinhole into the air sac. I don't do more than that. Others do and are sometimes successful. Usually if I think they're dead, they're dead. I give them an extra day then toss them. I do not like twisting little heads off because something turns out to be horribly gone-amiss. I would rather nature take her course. But mine are livestock--not pets, though I do enjoy them very much. Pets are a whole different thing and I completely understand why folks want to do all they can.

I usually ignore elevated humidity unless it lasts for hours. If it were at 80% though, I would open the incubator, take the lid completely off, and pull up the corner of the bottom layer (mine is plastic needlework canvas). I tilt the incubator toward me and sop up the excess water with a towel. I haven't ever had it that high, but I've done this on occasion for persistent 60%. A day-long spike isn't going to kill your babies, but it's less than optimal. Lots of people incubate dry for non-waterfowl--I don't, but our ambient humidity is usually pretty low, especially inside the house.

 

[Jules929]

And more babies!
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Silver laced Orpington

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

And more babies!
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Silver laced Orpington
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They're so cute I can't stand it! What do you still have hatching?