death during zipping

[bigbum1984]

I am on day 21 of incubation, one of my chicks started pipping yesterday and by last night had zipped the whole shell. but this morning nothing had changed so I checked on her and she had died.

She had zipped all the shell but she was facing downwards towards the bottom of the incubator, this is my first time incubating so I got rather upset and feel disheartened,
any idea why she died?

I'm worried that the rest of them won't hatch or they will die too, please help

 

[Ridgerunner]

That’s a hard one. Sometimes you just lose one and there is no real explanation, but usually if they make it that far they hatch.

How well is the incubator ventilated? Do you have the plugs out? The eggs and chicks need fresh air to breathe, especially later in incubation and right at hatch. This is more likely to be a problem with a still air incubator. You don’t want a breeze over them but they need some air exchange.

Was this out of a regular sized egg or maybe a tiny pullet egg? I’ve hatched pullet eggs before and those small chicks are harder to keep alive. There is just not enough nutrition in those eggs for them to come out really big, strong, and robust.

Since it hatched pretty much on time I can’t think of much else. If it zipped, it’s not shrink-wrapped. Chicks can be really weak if the incubation temperatures are right on that low border but then it would be late.

Good luck with the rest of the hatch.

 

[bigbum1984]

it is a home made incubator, but there are 7 holes in it, 1 of which is 1 1/2 inches long. It was out of a normal sized egg, the temp in the incubator is 99*f and the humidity is between 60 - 65% since lock down.

When I opened the shell she looked perfect and had absorbed most of the yolk and all of the blood, I feel like its my fault and should have helped earlier. I even cried

!!!

I'm worried the rest won't hatch then I'll feel like I've wasted time and money on doing all this, just really, really disheartened

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don't beat yourself up too much. Anybody that has incubated many chicks have dealt with losses. If your deal with living animals you eventually have to deal with dead animals.

It is really hard to know when to intervene. If it had not totally absorbed the yolk, it probably would not have survived intervention anyway.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. I'm really hoping this was just a fluke and the rest of your hatch goes well.

 

[bigbum1984]

it had completely broken into the air sac and was 3/4's of the way through zipping, really hope the other 8 hatch or at least some of them.
How long do i leave them for before i do the float test thing to check viability?

 

[lisa lisk]

The others will be ok, thees thing happen.
Take care Lisa

 

[sumi]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss

As Ridgerunner said it happens sometimes... But hopefully the rest of the eggs will hatch out fine for you! Don't worry about checking overdue eggs before end of day 22 at least. I found with my hatches that the chicks spread the hatch out over 2 or more days. Some hatch on day 21, some on day 22, one hatched on day 25 once, under a broody hen!
If by late tomorrow there isn't signs of pipping you can candle the eggs to check if the pipped internally. Do this BEFORE floating them! Dunking them in water after they pipped internally is going to cause problems! If you don't see an internal pip you can either float them, or do what I do and tap them. Hold the eggs against your ear and tap them with your fingernail. Listen for a response from the chick. If it doesn't respond you can float it to double check if you want. What you can also do then is carefully make a small hole in the fat end of the egg. (When you candle the eggs mark the line of the air sac with a pencil, so you know which part of the egg you can work on.) If you have a hole big enough for you to see into dampen the membrane with a Q-tip and see if the chick moves. If it's alive crank up the humidity in the incubator and replace the egg. Leave the chick in there until it is ready to hatch.

 

[chickydee64]

As already said............I am sure it is not your fault.
Mother Nature sometimes steps in with a chick that is to weak to make it.
I know it hurts

I also have late hatches occasionally so try to give the eggs some time.
What is your humidity and temp?
Good luck and don't give up.

One more thing.I have helped and sometimes they made it and sometime not............
I never feel good about losing a chick......but it happens.............

 

[gimmie birdies]

last month I watched two eggs hatch at the same time. I was not going to help since they both got their hatches off and their heads popped out. but then one of the chicks for some reason poked his head back in his egg, and was struggling. I just reached in an eased his head back out of the egg and left the bottom half of the shell on him. He looked suprised, and happy to breathe again
. 2/19
I just bought more and have more peeping eggs wanting to hatch.

 

[bigbum1984]

My temp is 99 and the humidity is between 60 and 65%