Chicks Died After Hatching -- What Happened?

[Mountainbeauty]

https://poultrykeeper.com/incubatin...hat-humidity-should-i-use-to-hatch-duck-eggs/
Air Sac Development

The image to the right shows you the ideal air sac size at different stages of incubation in days, if you follow this, you shouldn’t go too far wrong.

If you print it out, it should be close to the actual size for most light and medium breed ducks.

There is another image of a chicken and duck egg at the bottom of our page on candling eggs that might also be useful to you too.

Notes:

• Use a soft (e.g. HB) pencil to mark the extent of air sac development on the egg shell and compare it to the egg above.
• If the air sack in your duck eggs is too small, your incubator humidity is too high. If the air sack is too big, your incubator humidity is too low.
• The air sac changes slowly at first. Most of the change occurs from 18 days onwards.
• Weight loss is not proportional to the change in air sac: it will be fairly constant.

 

[TexasToucan]

I bought this incubator because it is small, only holding at most 9 eggs. I don't have a need to hatch out more than that at a time, so I thought the bigger incubators would be a waste. This one is pretty well rated on Amazon, and I really don't have a problem with it per se. It is just that I had no knowledge when I started. Now I read about dry incubating, which probably would have worked really well for me, until lockdown. I also didn't know about monitoring air cells during incubating, and adjusting the humidity levels. The books all say to set humidity at 45%-50%, and you try to follow the directions. Then, once you get some experience, you learn what you REALLY need to know. And, yes, I am thinking about getting a different incubator.

 

[TexasToucan]

Mountainbeauty, thanks for the link on candling eggs. It is very helpful.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

When I looked at amazon since I wasn't familiar with the bator, it had only 3 stars. I usually won't buy anything from Amazon unless it has 4 stars, taking into account the people who used the items in ways they weren't intended. The more ratings the better. And I also look at the percentages of the stars given. 4 stars with LOTS of reviews is *usually* a good product. But I'm not knocking yours, was just mentioning it.

Never saw that humidikit either, seems like a cool idea.

I also though who need to hatch that many chicks and considered getting a smaller one. But my bigger one only uses 23 watts.. and without thinking I will get 100% hatch figured I better have a little room to play. We all have to start somewhere!

SO glad you have more pips! I personally don't think 80% humidity and standard bator temps is a "harsh" environment for chicks to survive. As far as I know that's on par for norm. And leaving them in for 24 to 48 hours or more is also norm. I will say, I took my earliest hatchers out thinking they would access the feed or water.. they truly were NOT interested OR ready before 24 ish hours. So I will not worry too much about it next time.

Hey, it NEVER hurts to have 2 incubators! Never mind chicken math.

https://www.amazon.com/G-Q-F-Manufa...UTF8&qid=1496504306&sr=8-1&keywords=hovabator

Mine is plain, no turner or fan. I didn't calibrate anything, just used multiple read outs and used the averages. Don't follow my example though. It's a great one of what not to do. Since we have power outages all the time I like having the extra room for a temp stabilizing mass. Note some breed will need more or less humidity to hatch/grow successfully.

How many eggs have you left to cheer for?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, you get different opinions on whether to open the incubator during lockdown. Some do it all the time regularly, others can be quite paranoid about it. My take on it is that it can cause a chick to be shrink-wrapped but that's pretty rare. I generally don't open the incubator until the hatch is over because it can be a problem, but if I have a good reason I'll open it and take my chances.

Sometimes my hatches are over within 24 hours of the first one pipping, sometimes they drag on more than two full days and well into the third day. Since the chicks absorb the yolk they can live three days or more without eating or drinking. It doesn't hurt them to eat or drink earlier but they don't have to. I've left chicks in the incubator more than two full days waiting for the last ones to hatch a few times with no harm to the chicks.

The reason I say it can cause a chick to be shrink-wrapped is that I just did it. I hatched 13 out of 14 eggs and for my own reasons took the first 11 out before the last two hatched. The pips on those two were on the bottom where I couldn't see them or I may have thought about it some more. One of those two hatched OK but the membrane stuck to the other chick and I helped it. Since I figured I'd caused the problem I helped it out. As happens about half the time when I have to help a chick, it later died.

If I have what I consider a good reason to open the incubator during hatch I will, I've done it several times without a problem. But I don't consider impatience or what I consider unnecessary worries about their wellbeing a good reason.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@Ridgerunner what do you consider good reasons? Just learning here, thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Fair question. If a chick is in trouble I'll open it. Say an egg that has not hatched gets rolled around so half a shell from one that has hatched gets "cupped" around it. That could prevent the chick inside from pipping or zipping. That's happened a couple of times.

I once hatched turkey eggs with chicken eggs, staggering start time so they should all hatch together. The one turkey pipped but didn't zip. When yellow foam started coming out of the pip hole, I helped it hatch. That turkey made it, by the way.

I have not had this happen, but with some incubators it might be possible for a chick to get a head, foot, or wing trapped somewhere, especially if you don't remove an automatic turner. I'd want to release the chick before it injured itself.

This time I thought the hatch was over. I had a broody hatching some other eggs, with the thought I'd add the incubator chicks to the ones she hatched so she could raise them for me. I often do that, sometimes broody hatches or incubator hatches don't turn out really well, this way she gets chicks to raise. She had already completed her hatch and I thought she was ready to bring her chicks off the nest. I wanted to put the incubator chicks with her before she did that to help assure she accepted them. All the incubator chicks had dried off and the pips for the last eggs was on the bottom where I could not see them so I thought they were duds. My mistake.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you.

I could almost always "like" every one of your post. Always well thought out and informative! But I'll avoid being thought of as a stalker. Plus I wonder if we are still limited to how many we can do? I really like being able to comment on the previous format. Huh.. yesterday I couldn't figure out if comment had 1 or 2 M's (so I kinda scribbled 1 with extra mountain peaks). Today I got it right!

 

[TexasToucan]

Here is the Amazon link to the incubator I purchased:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GO06MJ2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The reviews on this was showing 4 stars. It also came with a hydrometer and an egg candler.

Still have 5 eggs in the incubator. Two have pipped as of right now, but it is just day 21. These were a mix of eggs from my hens, Blue/Black Orpingtons, Buff Opringtons, and a Buff/Black Orpington mix. Have always left the hatching to my broody hens, but the last few years I haven't had very good success so thought I would try to incubate some chicks to put under a broody hen to supplement anything she might hatch out. If something hatches successfully, I will update this post.

Thank you, everyone, for all your suggestions and input. I am feeling a little better that the problem wasn't caused by me not taking out the mal-po chick. Maybe something genetic or having to do with humidity levels not being where they should have been.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ah, just searching Janoel 12, from your second post, this was what I had come up with
https://www.amazon.com/JN12-Egg-Incubator-Janoel-12/dp/B00IQAEUYI

Funny that it's the same product (1 featuring the candler/hygro) with such different reviews. So ya, with your link I might have considered it.

I love Orps! Can't wait for pics of bouncing baby chicks.