Dead Embryos

[Mcubero]

Hi, I would appreciate if someone could help me solve the problem I have hatching peachicks. I have placed more than 30 eggs on a Lyon TX6 auto rotating incubator and have been able to hatch only about 6 chicks. Most of them die as a fully develop embryo. After more than 30 days in the incubator I opened the eggs to figure out what had happened and there they were, a fully developed dead peachick. What could I be doing wrong ?
Thanks,
Mario

 

[casportpony]

Hi, I would appreciate if someone could help me solve the problem I have hatching peachicks.  I have placed more than 30 eggs on a Lyon TX6 auto rotating incubator and have been able to hatch only about 6 chicks.  Most of them die as a fully develop embryo. After more than 30 days in the incubator I opened the eggs to figure out what had happened and there they were, a fully developed dead peachick.  What could I be doing wrong ?
Thanks,
Mario

Welcome to BYC. Can you tell us more about your incubator and what temp and humidity you used?

-Kathy

 

[Mcubero]

Hi,
Yes I used 99.5 Degrees and a humidity of about 55%. After the 26th day, temp was lowered to 98 and humidity raised to 60% I tried on two different incubators. A hovabator with automatic turner and on a Lyon TX-6 autoturn, and the results were almost as bad ( Hovabator was worst than LYon)

Our ( Costa Rica, Central America) Breeding season starts in February, so I want to be prepared this year and hopefully have more success.
Thanks for all help.

 

[casportpony]

Hi,
Yes I used 99.5 Degrees and a humidity of about 55%. After the 26th day, temp was lowered to 98 and humidity raised to 60% I tried on two different incubators. A hovabator with automatic turner and on a Lyon TX-6 autoturn, and the results were almost as bad ( Hovabator was worst than LYon)

Our ( Costa Rica, Central America) Breeding season starts in February, so I want to be prepared this year and hopefully have more success.
Thanks for all help.

Do both of those have fans?

-Kathy

 

[Mcubero]

The Hovabator does not have a Fan but the Lyon does have a fan.

The few chicks that hatched were week and needed help to crack open the egg shell.

They had to be pulled out. I believe the others died because they were not stong enough to open the egg.

Thanks,

Mario

 

[Mcubero]

I placed some of the eggs of the same peahen under a regular hen and had a 70% hatching success .

 

[casportpony]

The Hovabator does not have a Fan but the Lyon does have a fan.

The few chicks that hatched were week and needed help to crack open the egg shell.

They had to be pulled out. I believe the others died because they were not stong enough to open the egg.

Thanks,

Mario

I am not an expert, far from it, but I think that you're supposed to run incubators without fans at 102 degrees, not 99.5, and FWIW, I get much better hatches when I keep my humidity no higher than 45%.

-Kathy

 

[Mcubero]

Kathy,
The experience that you mention, with humidity at 45% is with peafowl eggs or chicken eggs ?

 

[casportpony]

Kathy,
The experience that you mention, with humidity at 45% is with peafowl eggs or chicken eggs ?

Peafowl and duck eggs.

-Kathy

 

[ronott1]

Hi,
Yes I used 99.5 Degrees and a humidity of about 55%. After the 26th day, temp was lowered to 98 and humidity raised to 60% I tried on two different incubators. A hovabator with automatic turner and on a Lyon TX-6 autoturn, and the results were almost as bad ( Hovabator was worst than LYon)

Our ( Costa Rica, Central America) Breeding season starts in February, so I want to be prepared this year and hopefully have more success.
Thanks for all help.

The most common cause of this problem is temperature related. You need to get a very reliable and sensitive thermometer make sure the temperature is correct.

Hi, I would appreciate if someone could help me solve the problem I have hatching peachicks. I have placed more than 30 eggs on a Lyon TX6 auto rotating incubator and have been able to hatch only about 6 chicks. Most of them die as a fully develop embryo. After more than 30 days in the incubator I opened the eggs to figure out what had happened and there they were, a fully developed dead peachick. What could I be doing wrong ?
Thanks,
Mario

The Hovabator does not have a Fan but the Lyon does have a fan.

The few chicks that hatched were week and needed help to crack open the egg shell.

They had to be pulled out. I believe the others died because they were not stong enough to open the egg.

Thanks,

Mario

The hovabator is a still air. here are some instructions for using a still air:

https://extension.illinois.edu/eggs/res19-opincubator.html

Do not trust the thermometer that comes with the incubator. Brinsea sells a spot check that is very good.