Eggs develope fully grown chicks, but then they don't hatch and die!

[buckaroo's wife]

Quote:
So you dont add water at all untill lock down?? I had a failed 1st hatch and think maybe I will try this. Does it matter if you have a fan or not? I don't have one but was going to get one.

Nope, no water at all. I dont have a fan so it should work for you too. Keep me posted!

 

[redhd077]

buckaroo's wife :

Quote:
So you dont add water at all untill lock down?? I had a failed 1st hatch and think maybe I will try this. Does it matter if you have a fan or not? I don't have one but was going to get one.

Nope, no water at all. I dont have a fan so it should work for you too. Keep me posted!​

I have an lg bator and it had a little fluctuation in my temp so that is why i was thinking a fan. Do u have that problem with yours?

 

[pips&peeps]

If you are doing everything correctly with the incubator, there could be a couple different reasons why the chicks are not hatching.

Sometimes when a line is severely inbred, the chicks will not hatch or if they do they will be unthrifty and die. Birds that have pullorum will also exhibit the same symptoms.

If the parent birds are not getting the nutrition, particularly vitamins, the eggs will develop to a certain point and quit. And the last thing is shipping, it can cause them not to hatch also.

 

[buckaroo's wife]

Quote:
Nope, no water at all. I dont have a fan so it should work for you too. Keep me posted!

I have an lg bator and it had a little fluctuation in my temp so that is why i was thinking a fan. Do u have that problem with yours?

I actually didn't have much fluctuation with mine - which I think just makes me lucky, since I read everywhere how undependable they are. How bad are your fluctuations? Best thing to do is like that sheet said and buy three thermometors, and place them around the inside of the incubator. Let it run for a couple of days and stabilize.

 

[heathersboers]

We had the same problem on our lil giants. Come to find out after putting in 3 different thermometers-ours was off by 2 degrees causing the chicks to die in lockdown.since we upped the temp we have had no problems.

 

[redhd077]

Quote:
This is why i was thinking about getting a fan.

 

[redhd077]

pips&peeps :

If you are doing everything correctly with the incubator, there could be a couple different reasons why the chicks are not hatching.

Sometimes when a line is severely inbred, the chicks will not hatch or if they do they will be unthrifty and die. Birds that have pullorum will also exhibit the same symptoms.

If the parent birds are not getting the nutrition, particularly vitamins, the eggs will develop to a certain point and quit. And the last thing is shipping, it can cause them not to hatch also.

I know its not a problem with my line, all my hens are only a year old and my rooster is from a diffrent flock. What is pullorum? What viamins should they be getting?? I give them a mixed scrach and layer pellets and also they are free range. And last i use my own so no shipping. Thanks for your help.​

 

[redhd077]

buckaroo's wife :

Quote:
I have an lg bator and it had a little fluctuation in my temp so that is why i was thinking a fan. Do u have that problem with yours?

I actually didn't have much fluctuation with mine - which I think just makes me lucky, since I read everywhere how undependable they are. How bad are your fluctuations? Best thing to do is like that sheet said and buy three thermometors, and place them around the inside of the incubator. Let it run for a couple of days and stabilize.​

Well when i added water that would cause a change of course, but every now and again i would look at it would be at 99.0 then it would be at 100. Im not sure if it was the location or what. Will the fan affect the dry incubation?

 

[buckaroo's wife]

I'm not sure how the fan would help/affect temp. The gal that wrote that incubation cheat sheet is super nice, you could PM her and ask - she is VERY knowledgable. I do know that for still air incubators your temp should be up around 101.

 

[aveca]

I think a lot of breeders get a bad rap but its handeling mostly, its the post offices job to get things to you fast and they go through terminals and jossled ar0und on conveor belts and slide down ramps during sorting. in the smaller towns they pass through things go pretty well but when they go through city sorting they just read the address and get them on thier way any way needed. sometimes they get thrown or dropped you just never know what. but tis pressure to get things where they are going fast.

this advise is for redwood incubator but it explains what happens to shipping eggs and ones you pick up in the back yard and why shipped eggs should not have water added until the end ect...good advise. I posted it befor but I think explaining it helps

INCUBATION TECHNIQUES:



All eggs in nature are incubated flat. You'll never see a hen set them on the small end and turn them. By laying them flat and rolling them 180 degrees each time you’re making everything inside the egg shift completely. This complete shift is called “Making the Embryo Exercise”. This will give you a stronger chick when it comes time to hatch.

The only time I'll incubate eggs in the upright position is when I get eggs shipped in. Then I incubate them in the upright position for 7 to 10 days without turning them at all and then turn them for the remainder of the 18 day period. This stabilizes the air cell and gives the embryo a better chance to start growing and get strong. You should let them rest at least 12 hours prior to incubation when you use this system. When shipped eggs that have air cell damage, it's best to have them incubate in the upright position the entire time of incubation just tipping back and forth after the first 7 to 10 days. I've taken eggs that have the air cells damaged so bad that they'll shift all the way down the side of the egg and I've gotten a good percentage of them to hatch doing it this way. This is my idea from getting hatching eggs shipped in over the years and then nothing hatching because of air cell damage. I just studied the eggs and opened tons of them that didn't hatch and came to the conclusion that to get them to hatch you first had to get the embryo growing building up strength. That was always the biggest battle. That's what blood rings are in shipped eggs. The embryo starts and then dies because it can't attach itself properly in the egg. Run both of these incubator with the air vents wide open. This will keep the air healthier in the incubator and keep the humidity lower. Only go by the size of the air cell in the egg to gauge the humidity in your incubator. Some eggs dry down easier than others. Marans eggs will dry down slower than Leghorn eggs. This has something to do with the egg shell. But if you go by standard operating directions and run your incubators according to the incubator directions you'll have poor hatches. You have to shoot for getting the air cell size to grow up to 1/3 of the egg by the time the chicks are supposed to hatch. The smaller the air cell the wetter the chicks will be. Small air cells will lead to a lot of chicks pipping and then drowning in the eggs.

As far as the humidity goes like I said, just watch the air cells. They're what will determine if the eggs are incubating right. Sticky chicks are caused by way to much moisture in the egg. What you have to think about is all the white of the egg has to be gone when that chick is ready to pip out. Then what happens ,if it is still there, is as soon as air gets into the egg when they pip through, the white of the egg acts like glue and as they're pipping it's drying and eventually it plugs their nostrils up and they smother. I have all my vents wide open and I don't add any water until the eggs are pipping. I set my Redwoods up so when I start them I fill the water pans full of the hottest water that comes out of the faucet. Then let them run for a couple of hours to seal up the wood. Then set your temps. Once the Redwoods are sealed then the moisture evaporating out of the eggs seems to be enough until they start pipping. Then, when the eggs start pipping, fill the water pans with straight hot water again. I do this even with my waterfowl eggs. They hatch so much better this way.