Chicks dead in shells AGAIN

[Emmafh]

I hatched 7/12 for my first hatch, unfortunately one downed. They took a long time to dry in the bator so I thought for my second (eggs from a different friend but I know had a high hatch rate) I'd lower the humidity a little.

I feel like that is the reason my second hatch I got 2/10 and the other 8 shrink wrapped potentially.

Third hatch same eggs as second hatch, humidity a constant 65% from day 18 movement from one egg from days 18-20 but dead in shell at 22
One internally pipped
All the others dead too
Why is this happening? What can I do to prevent this - I can't keep buying eggs!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

This is strange.
You sure the temp and humidity are right?
37.5°C or 99.5°F
58-60% humidity

 

[Emmafh]

This is strange.
You sure the temp and humidity are right?
37.5°C or 99.5°F
58-60% humidity

37.5-37.8c throughout
55% days 1-18
65% days 18 onwards
It's baffled me also!

 

[Smileybans]

Have you tried dry incubation? The problems you’re having sound a lot like the problems I was having. I was lucky to get a 50% hatch rate. When I lowered the humidity throughout the whole incubation and hatch, my hatch rate went up to 90%. The humidity surrounding your incubator might also be high. I know that was one of the reasons my chicks would never hatch. They’d make it to day 20 then die. Because the humidity during lockdown was too high. I found 50% lockdown humidity to work out better than the recommended 65%.

 

[Emmafh]

Have you tried dry incubation? The problems you’re having sound a lot like the problems I was having. I was lucky to get a 50% hatch rate. When I lowered the humidity throughout the whole incubation and hatch, my hatch rate went up to 90%. The humidity surrounding your incubator might also be high. I know that was one of the reasons my chicks would never hatch. They’d make it to day 20 then die. Because the humidity during lockdown was too high. I found 50% lockdown humidity to work out better than the recommended 65%.

I tried this on the second hatch, my chicks had shrink wrapped when I opened them on day 25

 

[Smileybans]

I tried this on the second hatch, my chicks had shrink wrapped when I opened them on day 25

I thought you meant you had only lowered your lockdown humidity. To me it sounds like they aren’t losing enough water. Are you keeping track of the air cells?

 

[Emmafh]

I thought you meant you had only lowered your lockdown humidity. To me it sounds like they aren’t losing enough water. Are you keeping track of the air cells?

I'd lowered the whole hatch, perhaps I didn't lower it enough?
I can't say I was tracking the air cell exactly but I kept an eye on it and the development of the chicks. I only candle day 7 15 and 18 roughly
By the end the air cell was roughly 1/3rd of the egg
What humidity do you do your dry hatch from day 1-18?

 

[Cazook]

55% days 1-18

sounds too high to me.

 

[nuthatched]

Did you calibrate your sensors? It sounds like Temps were too low and humidity too high.

 

[Mellowmalt]

I have to be a bit dubious about statements like "my hatch rate went from 50% to 90% using dry hatching" I am not questioning that is what happened, I'm just questioning the actual reason".
1/3 water loss in the egg is what it should lose but there is no harm in the egg losing a bit less. 12,13,14, even 15% water loss by the end is ok. But if humidity is too low for the full 21 days and the egg has already lost 1/3 then it cannot lose any more and one might even have to assist by adding moisture in the final day.

From the description you already determined that you only got 2 out of 10 to hatch on your second attempt because they got shrink wrapped.

Try a 4th time but I'm sure the results will be the same.

For a first try 7 out of 12 is not bad. On the second attempt more often than not things normally improve (unless one tries something radically different like dry incubation for the first time), then on the third attempt one usually has it dialled in.

But if one starts changing from dry to wet, to forced to dry air one will never have thnigs dialled in.

PS: I am suspecting when some people's hygrometer does show 30%, mine would show 50%... I've had unreliable hygrometers like those before and if I were to rely on those hygrometers and didn't know any better I'd be swearing 30% works best for me...

But not if I was getting 20% hatch rates - unless the eggs were shipped. By the statement that the eggs were bought maybe they had a rough shipping which would make the first result of 7/12 even better, it's just a shame to see experiment 2 and 3 then went far worse which I see too often someone trying and giving up on dry incubation.

Considering how many chicks the method kills I do not think it is a good idea to even advise people try it at all even if it does work great for a handful and it is the only way that works for them, that is great but every week I see people say they tried the dry incubation method and got bad results. If people want to try it they will try it but considering in my optinion in gives bad results for 75% of people that do try it, isn't it better to advise not to try dry incubation and only have 25% of people fail?