- Jun 1, 2010
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Oh the pictures help tremendously. I wonder if you had the temp a little too cool in the incubator and as a result had weak chicks. I say this because the chicks begin to draw the yolk into their body cavity on the nineteenth day and are usually fully absorbed by the twentieth day. If they were alive and wiggling on the 21st day when you did the water test they probably had a few days to go before being ready to hatch. Cool temps cause the chicks to develop slower, they are weaker and less hardy then chicks incubated under normal temps. The water test may have further stressed the already weakened chicks or introduced bacteria killing them.
Oh well, I would take this as a learning experience for your next batch. *hugs*
Oh well, I would take this as a learning experience for your next batch. *hugs*