Day 23 incubating. No pip

[Cohl0406]

They are all dead.

 

[WVduckchick]

They are all dead.

Oh no! So sorry.

 

[Cohl0406]

Idk what happened. Pergextky formed they just stopped growing 2 days ago and died. I saw movement 2 days ago! I found day old chicks and I'm off to get them to help the kids with their first big loss of animals. They invested a lot in them too.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm guessing the main problem was the temps were low. If they were still growing at day 23, your thermometers were wrong. I've had as many as 5 thermometers in an incubator that all read differently. Until I got a couple guaranteed accurate thermometers that agreed with each other (they proved the others were way off), I didn't have much success.
There could be other causes but I don't think humidity was your problem.
Other possibilities are improper turning early in incubation and nutritional deficiencies in your breeder flock -- vitamin D, vitamin A, folic acid, or pantothenic acid, riboflavin, vitamin E, selenium, vitamin K, biotin, thiamin, vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, or linoleic acid.
I try to boost nutrition a week or two before beginning to collect eggs for hatching.

 

[Kris5902]

So sorry for your loss!
I didn’t realize either how easy it is to become attached and emotionally invested in an egg. Your kids, although they are probably devastated by this, are learning some very important lessons from it. Best wishes for your chicks and family.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I'm guessing the main problem was the temps were low. If they were still growing at day 23, your thermometers were wrong. I've had as many as 5 thermometers in an incubator that all read differently. Until I got a couple guaranteed accurate thermometers that agreed with each other (they proved the others were way off), I didn't have much success.
There could be other causes but I don't think humidity was your problem.
Other possibilities are improper turning early in incubation and nutritional deficiencies in your breeder flock -- vitamin D, vitamin A, folic acid, or pantothenic acid, riboflavin, vitamin E, selenium, vitamin K, biotin, thiamin, vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, or linoleic acid.
I try to boost nutrition a week or two before beginning to collect eggs for hatching.

I struggled the first year that I hatched.... I never gave up but still sometimes would set 44 eggs and get 2-4 live hatches... I found one of my biggest struggles was the cheap incubator I was using, the temps would swing..... and the humidity was difficult to keep around the 30-40% mark any higher and I had Huge chicks that couldnt turn and had huge abdomens many of them ended up stuck on their backs and died..either in the egg or after they hatched... when I ran the humidity too low I ended up with Huge Air cells and the babies would make it to the last few days and die with out piping or right after.... I finally got a good bator and got the temps and Humidity under control and my hatch rates are much improved.... my last turkey hatch I started with 18 turkeys and have 13 live running around the brooder right now.
I think one of the most important things is calibrating the thermometers and hygrometers that you are using and figuring out how to keep the bator steady... in the correct range.
Better luck next time!

 

[bantamsrmyfav]

They are all dead.

sorry

I usually did dry incubation til the last 3 days then up humidity to 65-68%, got from ok to great hatches

 

[Cohl0406]

I did have huge air cells when I cracked the eggs open. There was the one who died while absorbing the yolk, there was a good bit of it left outside and that one was much smaller than the other dead ones.

I did find some day old chicks and picked them up so they can continue to care for them and the big chickens hopefully we get a new rooster I have a real incubator in my amazon cart right now so I'll go that route next time.

I appreciate everyone's help and encouragement. I'll definitely try again but not for a bit. Maybe a hen will go broody and do the work for us

 

[aliciaplus3]

sorry

I usually did dry incubation til the last 3 days then up humidity to 65-68%, got from ok to great hatches

I think someone already mentioned this but keep an eye on air cells because what works in one location may not for another location,,, sometimes even in the same house. I live at 6000 feet above sea level and what works for me is sometimes very different from what works at sea level.
as bad as it sounds beware a "cheap" incubator.... they don't always work like they should. find a Good lower cost one that has good reviews and do your homework. there are several threads on BYC that folks report back on specific incubators so you can get a feel for what to expect.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Humidity is very important but not a set number.
I don't currently own a hygrometer. Instead, I use a gram scale to measure moisture loss and IMO it is much more accurate than measuring RH in the incubator.
That's because, among other things, eggs vary in porosity.