Chicks Not Hatching HELP Please !

[almadinapk]

12 eggs were due to hatched on Feb 26th but out of them only 5 hatched with health chicks. I was surprised because I candled them all the way through and they were all active. So I opened couple of them on 23rd day and found out dead fully grown chicks. Can any body suggest where I am going wrong. temperature remains between 99 -100 degree and humidity is between 58 - 65 %. I am using two separate home made ice box incubators one for the incubation period and the other for hatching. I am very upset because a dozen more eggs are due to hatch in couple of days.

Ash

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Maybe the humidity isn't high enough. Did the membrane of the eggs you opened look dry or was it stuck to the chicks? If so, it's low humidity.

 

[almadinapk]

membrane of the eggs I opened was not dry but seems to be watery and chicks were not stuck to it. do you think it could be the case of higher humidity ??

 

[tammyd57]

If it was a low humidity problem, you might want to calibrate your hygrometer. This is how you do it:
Inside a large ziplock freezer bag, put a cup with 1/2 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of water, set your hygrometer in the bag next to the cup, making sure no liquid is actually touching the hygrometer, make sure you can see the readings without removing it from the bag, seal the bag and leave for 8 to 12 hours. The hygrometer should say 75% humidity. If it reads lower or higher you'll have to add or subtract while incubating to get a correct reading. For instance, if your hygrometer said it was 70% humidity in the bag, when you use it in the incubator add 5% to whatever it says.
Hope this helps!

 

[kid-n-chickens]

From what you have posted I would say your humidity was to high, during the incubation. Especially when you say the membrane was wet. Your humidity should run closer to 40% during days 1-18 and 60-70% during lock down. If your humidity is to high it causes the chicks to drown at the end. When a chick is close to hatching it will do what is called an internal pip a day or two before there is an external pip, during the time of the internal pip the chick is breathing air and absorbing the yolk sak, (with out this they would die). If the humidity was to high during incubation then the egg didn't dry out enough so the air sack was not large enough for the chick to breath during the internal pip. On day seven they say the air pocket should be the size of a quarter and on day 14 they should be the size of a half dollar. Hope this helps, keep at it you will get it down soon!

 

[almadinapk]

Thanks a lot for the advice. I will try to low down the humidity during first 18 days.
Four more eggs are hatched out of five that were due this morning. Perhaps the same problem with the one not hatched.