Developed but dead chickens. HELP

[Pyxis]

Second, the recommended temp is 99.5. Much over that and your eggs may die.

Since the incubator in question is a still air, the recommended temperature is actually 101.5 measured at the top of the eggs - so if anything, the temperature was actually a little low.

Thank you. Yes I just took those out and forgot about them. The humidity never got above 60% and it was just that high at the 18 day mark. Is that too high? And the tempature gauge is sitting right on the eggs.
Its strategy tho how the chicks fully develop then die and do not zip on their own. I've had about 10 different hatches and it's always a low hatch rate and only one chick has hatched on its own.

With too high humidity, it is common for the chicks to develop, even get almost fully developed, and then die in late incubation. The humidity isn't something that will kill them immediately like a temperature that is much too high or too low. Instead, it's more of a problem later in incubation, if it's been wrong for most of the time.

Did you candle the air cells to track their growth? That's the simplest way to make sure humidity is correct. The most accurate way is to weigh them, like I recommended before.

 

[CindyinSD]

Since the incubator in question is a still air, the recommended temperature is actually 101.5 measured at the top of the eggs - so if anything, the temperature was actually a little low.

Oops... bad reading on my part!

 

[Pyxis]

Oops... bad reading on my part!

Been there, done that myself, haha

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Since the incubator in question is a still air, the recommended temperature is actually 101.5 measured at the top of the eggs - so if anything, the temperature was actually a little low.



With too high humidity, it is common for the chicks to develop, even get almost fully developed, and then die in late incubation. The humidity isn't something that will kill them immediately like a temperature that is much too high or too low. Instead, it's more of a problem later in incubation, if it's been wrong for most of the time.

Did you candle the air cells to track their growth? That's the simplest way to make sure humidity is correct. The most accurate way is to weigh them, like I recommended before.

I'll add that when the humidity is too high during early incubation it can cause something called "sticky chicks" where they can't rotate properly in the egg to unzip. It can also cause a build up of fluid inside of the air cell, drowning the chicks once they internally pip.

I also second keeping track of the air cell growth. I have been doing this since I started hatching and it's the easiest way for me to gauge whether I need to adjust the humidity. Lots of people also like weighing their eggs, I don't do this but find whatever method works best for you!

When I use styrofoam incubators I usually have better success with very little water in early incubation, if not entirely dry incubating until day 18 when I increase the humidity for lockdown.
EDIT: I keep my humidity between 45-50% for the first 18 days in plastic incubators.

I've used many tabletop incubators now and from personal experience this is my list of preference from favorite to least favorite of the one's I have experience with...I think this is all of them.
1. Nurture Right 360
2. IncuView
3. Hovabator
4. Farm Innovators 4250 (I keep going back and fourth and I think this is a tie with Hovabator for me personally but there are so many people that prefer Hovabators that I'm still placing those above this one.)
5. Little Giant (hit or miss with the one)
6. Yellow top China-bator (Buyer beware, mostly terrible incubator)

 

[Kiki]

Thank you. Yes I just took those out and forgot about them. The humidity never got above 60% and it was just that high at the 18 day mark. Is that too high? And the tempature gauge is sitting right on the eggs.
Its strategy tho how the chicks fully develop then die and do not zip on their own. I've had about 10 different hatches and it's always a low hatch rate and only one chick has hatched on its own.

That is TOO high humidity.
Try starting at 25 - 30% and don't bump it up for lockdown until you actually see an external pip.
And then don't raise it higher than 50.