Candling Day 11 Air Cells Look Off Need Help to Fix ASAP

[KeptSane]

Hi, New to hatching and trying so hard to figure this out. I found this Thread 4 days ago and have learned some things. But some I am still not very good at. One identifying what I am seeing while candling and what I need to do with my Bator to get better results. I am on my 3rd clutch and the prior 2 were resounding failures. I am needing to know if my egg is needing a lower humidity level and how the development looks for 11 days in. I set my clutch up on 3/31. My eggs are local eggs and all under 7 days from lay when set. I am using a Chinese HHG Version Bator. Humidity was high at 50-60% the 1st 6 days and temp at lower egg level was very low at 92.8F. I honestly didn't know any better and am trying to fix these issues. As of 9 days ago on Day 2 I created a styrofoam case to help maintain better temp. At turner, egg level reads 98.5F and humidity has been high in the 50% range. I have been hands-off until today when I pulled 1 clear out of 44. The rest are very even in growth and development as the egg below. I have movers and shifters but when I looked I can't identify the air cell and match development. I know I've caught this with enough time to fix it by dry hatching if needed. I have read sooo much of this thread that I have learned the error of my ways and I would like a better hatch rate. My flock depends on this success. I currently have 1 lone Khaki ling that needs friends! He externally pipped with no internal. I waited 36 hours before I assisted since he was sounding weak and had not zipped. It was scary because I nicked a vein. Somehow my instinct, without knowing, of blood bad put back was right and he is happy and healthy now 4 days later. My plan is to use my 1602 Hovabator as my hatchery and already have it going. Its maintaining good temps and humidity dry is 18%+/-. I am planning to stop turning these guys as an experiment on day 14 to see if I have a better hatch rate. But the humidity and candling to identify air cell really gets to me. I have now done 4 duck eggs, Khaki Campbells had 3 DIS in LD and 1 Hatch. All because I didn't know the bruises were them trying to pip and couldn't. SMH now I know and am going to try again in a couple of days with some Barnyard Mix cheap shipped eggs. Thanks to AMY, WV, Ruby, Blooie, and many more I'm confident on what to do for those. But please help me with these chicks so I can get my flock started. I got them free but still want my babies. I have the bug and I don't do anything half measures. I have another bator coming Wednesday so I have 3.....I have 9 different temp/hygro for the bators, but I don't know how to do the testing for Humidity with a digital temp/hygro....Hatching 411 has been great but these questions still have not been clarified between BYC & Google. Please help thank you! Oh If you need more info besides this novel please let me know.

 

[JaeG]

18% may be a little dry, although a few days at that level may be needed so the air cells can catch up. I don't let mine fall below 25%. Sometimes I'll use a shot glass of water just to bump it up a little.

If the temperature is a little low that also prevents the egg from losing sufficient moisture.

Measure the temperature where the top of the embryo would be sitting in the egg (which is different depending on if the eggs are upright or lying on their sides). At that point it should read 99.7.

I use a blanket around my incubator to keep the temperature constant inside. Just remember not to cover the vents, although that's more important at hatch than at this stage. That may be easier than the polystyrene.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/
This article has good instructions for calibrating your thermometer and hygrometer.

Hope some of that helps. Ask anything else and I'll try to help you out.