Chicks dying while hatching

[bclark7679]

I am incubating my third batch of eggs. I have had three baby chicks hatch and three more piping. I have had three die while hatching. They will pipe and then they die. My humidity is 70% and temp is 99.5. Is there a reason for them to pipe and die? I have never had this problem before? Please help.

 

[foxygoober]

Are you opening the incubator during hatching?

 

[bclark7679]

The first no and now had to get dead chicks out.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

My first though is the humidity was too high the first 18 days and the chicks are dying in their own slime.

 

[bclark7679]

I had the humidity at 50% during first 18 days. I have a chick zipping right now & two piping so not real sure why those 3 died after piping and the others have been ok. Would too high temps do that? When I went to bed last night the inc. Was fine then when I woke up the temp was like 100 & I had two dead chicks.

 

[A roo or two]

I had the humidity at 50% during first 18 days. I have a chick zipping right now & two piping so not real sure why those 3 died after piping and the others have been ok. Would too high temps do that? When I went to bed last night the inc. Was fine then when I woke up the temp was like 100 & I had two dead chicks.

I dry hatch so I keep my humidity as close to 30% as possible the first 18 days.

Yes they can become overheated. Did you calibrate your thermometer to be sure it was accurate? If it is off by 0.5 a degree or 1 degree, now you are talking 101 in the incubator, that's pretty warm, especially in high humidity.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

50% is not excessively high if you're positive that your hydrometer is accurate. 100* is not hot enough to kill chicks, perhaps you had a spike or dip you were unaware of or your thermometer is whacked like roo or 2 mentioned?
Lots of times chicks simply don't make it even when you have everything perfect.

 

[lmisialek]

I have learned a lot from the posts. I have chicks almost done getting through the shell and then suddenly no movement and later examination reveals they are dead. Did high humidity during early incubation actually cause that?