Drowning Chicks I need some Advice…

[CanadaEh]

just posted in regard to unhatched duckling

This is going to be a graphic post for some but maybe some will find it interesting.

I frequently hatch call ducklings and am experienced in assisting them. 24 days ago I started my journey with my first Show Quality call duck eggs. I candle often to check for bruises or internal pips.

When doing my check/candle this morning, I noticed that all the veins had receded from this little one. It had movement and was alive earlier yesterday. No movement so I removed it from the incubator. This one has always had a much smaller air cell than the others. I assume it didn’t lose enough moisture.

Upon opening I noticed an abundance of clear fluid. I also noticed that there was what looked to be a blood clot by the bill. I’m not sure if that occurred premortem or postmortem. The baby was in the right position but never broke through the membrane. It had a small little bill. Such a shame but I’m excited for the others to hatch. These will all be white call ducks.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I disagree. As more chicks hatch, it bumps up the humidity even more. Chicks do drown in eggs right at hatch time.

I've also had chicks drown in their fluid filled aircells before hatch, or during hatch.
It was a mistake I made in the beginning when using an incubator. I didn't know about using a separate calibrated thermometer, & hygrometer at that time, until I read on incubation articles on BYC.

 

[Mellowmalt]

it is possible for chicks to drown and it is possible for them to suffocate in the egg but drowning is ridiculously rare.

Out of these 23 none will have drowned. I can see I won't get any upvotes to that statement yet if I said they all drowned I would get 5 likes. I will still say it!

The next person will say half of his drowned because liquid came out. The next person will say oh this happened to me too. Seems they all drown...

Hogwash. What makes liquid remain at hatching time is an uneven temperature.

The thing that influences growth rate the most is temperature. Humidity doesn't play much role in that. The humidity will just influence the air cell size. Too big or too small will cause problems sure but not as much as the wrong temperature.

So if the temperature is not right then the embrio will not develop as well and excess liquid will remain. The chick will be too weak and will die in the shell before even breaking the membrane. Thus confirming it was impossible for the chick to drown. They swim in the liquid for 3 weeks, it's only once they pierce the first membrane that they start breathing!

These chicks hadn't even pierced the membrane before they "drowned"

I just don't like people making the wrong conlusions - ie to change the humidity when that won't fix a single egg surviving any better.

 

[CanadaEh]

What makes liquid remain at hatching time is an uneven temperature.

could you elaborate?

 

[ZeiaZeia]

it is possible for chicks to drown and it is possible for them to suffocate in the egg but drowning is ridiculously rare.

Out of these 23 none will have drowned. I can see I won't get any upvotes to that statement yet if I said they all drowned I would get 5 likes. I will still say it!

The next person will say half of his drowned because liquid came out. The next person will say oh this happened to me too. Seems they all drown...

Hogwash. What makes liquid remain at hatching time is an uneven temperature.

The thing that influences growth rate the most is temperature. Humidity doesn't play much role in that. The humidity will just influence the air cell size. Too big or too small will cause problems sure but not as much as the wrong temperature.

So if the temperature is not right then the embrio will not develop as well and excess liquid will remain. The chick will be too weak and will die in the shell before even breaking the membrane. Thus confirming it was impossible for the chick to drown. They swim in the liquid for 3 weeks, it's only once they pierce the first membrane that they start breathing!

These chicks hadn't even pierced the membrane before they "drowned"

I just don't like people making the wrong conlusions - ie to change the humidity when that won't fix a single egg surviving any better.

I went with the Rcom because I was hoping it would be extremely accurate. Yet right now I can’t get it under 82% humidity from my hatch. So I have 66 eggs running at 82% humidity eventhough it’s set to 30%. Perhaps when I had turned the eggs the drop in temperature effected the fluid not fully evaporating? I just want this clutch to be more successful then my last fiasco. So I’m trying to learn from my previous mistakes.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

What color are the eggs you're incubating? I've noticed that darker eggs, in particular, lose moisture more slowly than most lighter-colored eggs. When I incubate dark Black Copper Marans eggs, humidity is very low until first external pip. I have a batch in the incubator now, and have added almost no water based on independent hygrometer readings - and I'm in the southeast, too.

 

[ZeiaZeia]

I had 3 white maran eggs the rest were very light brown or white.

 

[CanadaEh]

I went with the Rcom because I was hoping it would be extremely accurate. Yet right now I can’t get it under 82% humidity from my hatch. So I have 66 eggs running at 82% humidity eventhough it’s set to 30%.

you will not get proper air cell development incubating at 80%! As previously was said if this is your humidity running it dry, you need to dehumidify or AC the room to decrease the ambient humidity. Or wait for colder season if you ever get one.

 

[ZeiaZeia]

you will not get proper air cell development incubating at 80%! As previously was said if this is your humidity running it dry, you need to dehumidify or AC the room to decrease the ambient humidity. Or wait for colder season if you ever get one.

It was 45-55% when I set it to 30% before my first hatch I’m going to call the company I think there’s something wrong with this machine. That’s all I can figure.

 

[casportpony]

What's the lowest you can set it? MY RCOM goes to 20.