Coturnix hatch going wrong, need some help

[cutechick2010]

I am hatching a batch of Coturnix eggs and I am having problems. Temp right now is at 99F, humidity at 60%. The temp ran higher than I wanted during the incubation, about 101F, but I couldn't seem to get it to go down any. I have eight healthy chicks so far, one that looked like it hatched "preemie" without absorbing the yolk, and three that have gotten pipped or even halfway hatched and then just died in the shell!
My incubator is one of the still air styrofoam ones, and it is about ten years old but the wafer is brand new, I just changed it before starting this batch. I always clean/disinfect it with vinegar between hatches. Can anyone tell me what could be happening here and how I can fix it?

 

[Stellar]

The 101 shouldn't affect them. It's 105+ that starts killing off embryos.

The ones with the yolk sacs hanging out, I am sorry to say won't make it so culling may be the best bet.

For the ones that pipped and died in the shell, sometimes there are weak birds and those are never meant to be. How did you have them in the hatcher, sitting in egg cartons, or just laying on the side?

Are these shipped eggs or your own eggs? Shipped eggs, it's best to let the eggs settle for 12-24 hours before placing them in the incubator...it is also best if the shipper sends them when they are fresh and less than 5 days old when getting to you. The older the eggs, the cruddier the hatch rate you have.

Your own eggs? It could be a genetic problem with your breeders and some lethal genes are present for the pip and dead in shells.

I believe you did everything right from what you are writing in the post, the incubator seems fine and you are following the proper protocols for disinfectant. The vent plugs are all open for the hatch? That would be my next suggestion.

 

[rjs55555]

I had 1 dragging a yolk sac around last night before it broke it off in the incubator and it still seems good and strong. Is there a shot that it will make it or really no chance for it?

 

[cutechick2010]

Thanks for your reply, quaillady--I had them in an automatic egg turner. These are my own eggs, layed by birds I raised from shipped eggs. I was just reading something in another post that I think might be the answer. I don't have very many hens, so I had to save up eggs for a little while before I had enough to start my incubator for, and some of them probably were a good week old anyway. I knew that the eggs being older could affect the number that hatched, but I thought the effect it would have is a lack of embryo development. Could the eggs being older be the cause behind the ones that have died in the shell partway through hatch? I really hope it is not a genetic problem, it would be awful to have to start over, I like these birds.

 

[Stellar]

The problem with a yolk sac dragging along is as the bird is trying to absorb it, it is bringing into the body little bitty microorganisms as well, everytime you open the incubator sometime will sneak in from the air. So if the bird does absorb it, it may not make it and get inflammation in that area and pass on....I cull those that have the yolk sacs hanging out because I have seen more problems than good...I used to try to save every little body that hatched when I started...that ended up with more heartbreak.

If you have a petri dish with gel and leave it open for a day and then close it, you can grow the microorganisms from the air...it is a bit scary what's there that you can't see

 

[cutechick2010]

I have never seen one that hatched that way make it.... Actually, I need to go check on the one from this batch that did that, the peeping has stopped.

 

[Stellar]

Quote:
The older eggs probably just were weaker embryos...not connected to genetics. Now if they did hatch, you would notice that the chicks would die after a day or two.

 

[deerman]

Week old eggs are fine, just make sure they are turned every day. Depend on where you check temp on still air incubators, if you check temp at egg level ,them temp looks ok. Lot of mistakes i see people make with still air incubators, is checking temp at wrong level. best to keep eggs at same level thru the whole incubation,and lock down

Egg not being turned can cause , chicks unable to absorb the yolk. Yolk sticks to side of egg.