Babies that die right before hatch...

[Farm Frenzy]

Why does that happen? They go full term and everything is great, temp, humidity, and the babies still never make it to pip or anything.

 

[Snakeoil]

some chicks just aren't strong enough to make it, they develope full size but when pipping they just can't make it. I never help a chick out of the shell, they usually die within a couple of days anyway.

 

[Farm Frenzy]

and I don't know why, but my eggs are EXTRA hard. I mean even when I cook them, I have to hit them on the counter two or three good times before the shell will crack. I don't give them any extra calcium, because they've always been that way. I was maybe thinking that could be the reason.

 

[hinkjc]

When you say everything is great, that's rather objective. How do you know your tools are accurate? Everything can't be great or you wouldn't have chicks dead in shell. Here are some things that come to mind for causes. There are good troubleshooting guides/links in the sticky posts at the top of the forum as well.

Too high of humidity and the air cell will be too small to supply air during internal pip.

Too low temps during incubation and you will have improper embryo development..too weak to hatch.

Too high of temps in the hatcher and the chick will not be able to absorb their yolk to complete hatch.

Malformation or malposition of chick (head under wrong wing) and chick is unable to pip.

Poor breeder stock, poor nutrition of breeders, etc.

Old eggs - but these usually end up blood rings versus grown chicks that don't hatch.

Lethal genes can also cause dead in shell chicks.

 

[luvarabhorses]

Isn't that frustrating? In my opinion another factor might be bacteria.

 

[28 chix pix]

What are blood rings exactly? I have 3 eggs in my first group I am hatching out of my new incubator that I know are older and probably won't hatch. They are my only blue ones and that why I decided to try them. What am I looking for if the eggs were too old and won't hatch or grow to term.
Thanks

 

[Farm Frenzy]

Well out of all those that it could possibly be, I would guess that my temp could be off, either too high or too low. But it doesn't happen EVERY HATCH, just occassionally. And nI don't understand why. And when I eventually open the eggs up and see about what time they quit, and the yolk will either be almost completely absorbed, or halfway. Or they could have run out of air. I don't know, it's too frustrating.

 

[heyeddah]

I feel your frustration. Just keep at it. Eventually you will figure out which factor is at hand. Good Luck

 

[Black Feather]

What sort of chicks are you trying to hatch?

I raise rosecombs and get a good number of these every year. From what I understand rosecombs have a lethal gene which causes the chicks to die on day 20-21.

I had nine eggs this weekend that were supposed to hatch. Seven hatched and two were dead in the shell. I opened the eggs and they both had fully formed chicks. They had not however absorbed the egg yolk. The seven that did hatch though are strong and vibrant.

UC

 

[Farm Frenzy]

I have Barred Rocks, from my own girls. I don't understand why it only happens sometimes though, if it were a problem with my thermo/hydrometer wouldn't it occur more often?