Do you pull out dead chicks during lockdown?

[spatulagirl]

I am on Day 21 and all I have to show for it is a hatched chick on Day 18 that died after I pulled it out and a pipped egg on Day 19/20 that now looks dead (no peeping or movement, I can see the beak and it hasn't moved at all).

Should I remove it? I have a really bad feeling about this hatch. Everything was perfect until the chick hatched on day 18 and died and now I can't shake that awful feeling it is all screwed.

 

[SierraView]

Each time you do a hatch you learn and get better, don't give up. I have chicks pip early a lot and take couple days after a pip to start zipping. When they are early they especially need plenty of time to absorb the yolk. If they can't hatch on their own there might be a good reason they shouldn't.

I would remove the dead if none others are pipped and let the eggs go a couple more days.

 

[croach510]

I would leave the pipped one in for a while longer. I had to bantams that pipped, and for over 16hrs I didn't have any movement peeping or anythng either. Then all of a sudden they started zipping on out the shell. I also thought they had died. I thnk they use that time to absorb the yoke and rest. Good Luck.

 

[spatulagirl]

It was dead. It had been pipped for two days but its beak was sticking out and hadn't moved in 24 hours so I knew it was dead. I removed it quickly and opened it up.

It's navel was huge but the yoke was absorbed. Otherwise it looked perfect. So huge navel means too much humidity? I kept the incubator at around 30-35% for the first 18 days and then bumped it up to 65-70% for lockdown.

I am going to leave the others in there. I know with hatch #2 I had one little silkie hatch late and quick and survived (the only other one to hatch died after a week). I am feeling really discouraged. I know eventually I will get it right but I hate throwing money down the drain.

I want an easier incubator and then will just try my eggs until I get a perfect hatch. Then I can try buying.

 

[croach510]

I'm sorry your little one died. My first couple of hatchs weren't great. I just kept adjusting until I found what worked for me. I only added water during the first 18 days if my humidity dropped below 20%, then I would add 1/3 cup of warm water in the well. Raised it to 60% during lockdown and had good success, Finally. I had 1 egg that was 2 days behind the others so I put it in lock down with the others. Unfortunatly that was not a good move on my part, didn't loose enough water and drowned when it internally pipped. Plus it was way to big for its egg. Good Luck