Causes of chick to not internally pip?

[Natattack76]

I got a 57% hatch rate this round (second time hatching eggs). I have a Brinsea Octagon 20. Today was day 24 with no activity. I did candle last night, no movement, no sounds, no internal pips. I did the float test today, no sinkers, bobbers, no movement. I 'pipped' the air sac. Out of 5 eggs that ended up being non-viable, all but 1 appeared fully developed, & all did not pip internally. Didn't know of possible causes??? Genetics? Health? Humidity? Temp?

My temp was 37.5-37.6 celsius, RH was a steady 45% up until lockdown. RH during lockdown was 65-70%, highest being 72-73% when several chicks were hatching. I did not have any power outages. I opened the incubator at appropriate times.

Just looking for feedback as what to do differently to increase rates, or is 57% the average? Thanks!!!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Genetics, temp, humidity, nutrition of the breeders, illness in the breeders, improper storage of hatching eggs, bacterial infection...there are lots of factors that can throw off a hatch.

I'd guess something went awry during your incubation, perhaps a temp/humidity issue, since you did end up with more than half hatching.

Did you calibrate all of your instruments before you got started? It seems like a simple thing, but a lot of folks skip it. If you're not getting a corrrect read out, you're pretty much doomed from the start. I know Brinseas are know as a "set it and forget it" 'bator, and that Brinsea states the built in thermometer and hygrometer are calibrated from the factory, but I've also seen a lot of posts from members here that state that they're off when they check them. You'll probably want to pop a reliable, calibrated therm and hygro in there just to make sure that isn't the problem...

 

[sumi]

Your temperature and humidity, if measured correctly, were spot on, so the cause may be the eggs themselves. Here is a day-by-day breakdown of possible causes for embryo mortality and hatch failures:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/egg-failure-to-hatch-diagnosing-incubation-problems

 

[Natattack76]

Thanks, I will definitely check out this link. I will also plan to 'double check' temps and humidity before the next hatch I incubate. I was wondering if it was also because the eggs set out too long before incubating? We had them out about 10 days before incubating as we were waiting on a batch of eggs from a friend. They were set and turned appropriately beforehand, just wondering if it was too long. I've read that after 7 days hatch rates drop. Thanks again for the info!

 

[sumi]

Hatch ability drops quickly after 10 days. Up until then they are in the "fine" range, so yours were fresh enough and stored correctly from the sounds of things. I missed that you hatched in a Brinsea, I had the same model and found they do hold temp and humidity very well.

 

[grandbayou]

I got a 57% hatch rate this round (second time hatching eggs). I have a Brinsea Octagon 20. Today was day 24 with no activity. I did candle last night, no movement, no sounds, no internal pips. I did the float test today, no sinkers, bobbers, no movement. I 'pipped' the air sac. Out of 5 eggs that ended up being non-viable, all but 1 appeared fully developed, & all did not pip internally. Didn't know of possible causes??? Genetics? Health? Humidity? Temp?

My temp was 37.5-37.6 celsius, RH was a steady 45% up until lockdown. RH during lockdown was 65-70%, highest being 72-73% when several chicks were hatching. I did not have any power outages. I opened the incubator at appropriate times. 

Just looking for feedback as what to do differently to increase rates, or is 57% the average? Thanks!!!