Drowned chicks

[Higheagle1]

Hi there
We have a Brinslea 24 egg incubator. We have previously successfully hatched 6-8 eggs at a time with very few problems. This time we tried the whole 24 eggs and it has been a disaster. We followed all the same instructions for hatching eggs. Most of the chicks hatched alright but they died from being too wet - they never dried out. What happened and why was there so much more humidity than with just 6 eggs?
Also we noticed that a couple of the eggs had what looked like body on the outside of the fully unhatched egg - what happened here?
Any assistance would be most appreciated - I don't ever want to go through that again!

 

[chooks4life]

Hi and

I don't use artificial incubators so I can't help you there, but maybe someone who is experienced with them can. It may help to clarify this:
Quote: Is that a typo? "Body" on the outside of the unhatched egg"... I don't understand what you mean there.

I highly recommend using a good broody hen if you can. Lots of labor and trouble doing it yourself. But, each to their own. Best wishes.

 

[Pooman]

The high humidity was caused by the extra eggs.... Each one is a parcel of moisture (and some other things lol)

Maybe the body on the unmatched egg was a chick from another egg? Dont know, bad luck, need to figure out how to reduce the humity when they start hatching... Or use a broody

 

[sumi]

I have a Brinsea 24 egg capacity incubator as well and I've had wonderful hatches in it regardless of the number off eggs I put in there. I actually have a chick busy hatching in it now. What I did add to mine is a reliable hygrometer, so that I can monitor the humidity levels. What I found is I sometimes need to add a splash of water to the wells, but I often run it "dry" and maintain humidity of 50%, due the high levels humidity where we live (between a river and the sea).

 

[gimmie birdies]

I dry hatch in my own homemade incubator


they come out just right. eggs create their own moisture. the box is small and holds in moisture.

 

[chooks4life]

I think healthy eggs from well-kept parents will survive most things, but some eggs and embryos lack that health from their creation onwards, as in they are formed and laid in a less than great health state, and these eggs are at a higher risk of any type of failure, whether from lack of moisture or invasive bacteria or just not being able to cope with some rough treatment or adverse events.

I have, over the years, stopped brooding any egg that does not have a healthy and smooth "bloom" to its shell. It may still hatch even if it doesn't have that, of course, but the shell shows that full health was already lacking, and you can't put in later what never went in, in the first place. Never seen a prime chick hatch from a sub-prime egg.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I think healthy eggs from well-kept parents will survive most things, but some eggs and embryos lack that health from their creation onwards, as in they are formed and laid in a less than great health state, and these eggs are at a higher risk of any type of failure, whether from lack of moisture or invasive bacteria or just not being able to cope with some rough treatment or adverse events.

I have, over the years, stopped brooding any egg that does not have a healthy and smooth "bloom" to its shell. It may still hatch even if it doesn't have that, of course, but the shell shows that full health was already lacking, and you can't put in later what never went in, in the first place. Never seen a prime chick hatch from a sub-prime egg.

So very, very true.