Eggs zip but chick dies before it pushes out of of egg.

[TNBarnQueen]

This is the second hatching this has happened. The eggs will zip..some completely..some almost complete then the chick dies. I incubate at 99.5-100 with humidity 45-50 and LD temp at 99 and Humidity around 55. There are a few who hatch fine but it seems that the splash have the problems. I have never seem this happen before. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing it and how to fix it. I use a still air Hovabator. Thanks!!

 

[Bens-Hens]

Do you know what the parent birds are eating?

I am not expert, but I have read there are two main reasons chicks fail at that point.

Incubation conditions, or they run out of fuel to complete the journey.

From your post, it sounds as though the incubation conditions are correct, so assuming that is fine, might pay to consider what the parent birds diet is and if they are passing on enough energy to the egg to complete their hatch. Got to remember, the chicks are fueled by the egg contents, so it payed to have as much energy as possible.

I am new to the concept, and have read some people just have their birds on normal layer feed and not have an issue, where breeders recommend a feed high in protein diet to the parent birds for strong chick growth.

I am sure more experienced people will be able to elaborate on my shady explanation!

 

[The Chickeneer]

Im not really sure, but this used to happen a lot with me and my duck eggs. Usually 1 or none hatch out of like 15 eggs. The one time I had a successful duck hatch was when one of my hens became broody and I let her hatch them. I started saving duck eggs again to hatch, and hopefully this time they will do better..... I think it the issue was the humidity. I had it very high in the incubator, and under the hen it must have been lower. Since you are doing chickens, I would go to about 60%-65%. If they still don't hatch well, then don't raise the humidity at all, just leave them be.

I recently just hatched guineas this week, and had completely forgot that they were supposed to hatch. I did not raise the humidity at all, they were still in the egg turner, which turned them 4 times every hour, and 5 out of 6 eggs hatched! What I noticed with this low humidity hatch was that there was no stink, and no mushy mess like there usually was. It was a nice clean healthy hatch, and I didn't even put them in lockdown. It might have just been good luck, but I think it was more that that. This has happened more than once, when I forget to add water during a hatch.What I have noticed is that the hatching eggs actually produce their own humidity and it raises by its self , weather or not you add water to the incubator.

My advice is, your humidity is wrong somehow. It's either to high or too low for incubating in the area where you live.(outside temp. and humidity can effect internal conditions in the incubator, especially a styrofoam one) Try raising it and see if it works better, and if it doesn'st then your obvious option is to make it much lower and that should work. Hope this helped. Good luck on your next hatch.

 

[TNBarnQueen]

Do you know what the parent birds are eating?

I am not expert, but I have read there are two main reasons chicks fail at that point.

Incubation conditions, or they run out of fuel to complete the journey.

From your post, it sounds as though the incubation conditions are correct, so assuming that is fine, might pay to consider what the parent birds diet is and if they are passing on enough energy to the egg to complete their hatch. Got to remember, the chicks are fueled by the egg contents, so it payed to have as much energy as possible.

I am new to the concept, and have read some people just have their birds on normal layer feed and not have an issue, where breeders recommend a feed high in protein diet to the parent birds for strong chick growth.

I am sure more experienced people will be able to elaborate on my shady explanation!

There does seem to be some validity in what you are saying. I have always hatched pretty much the same way for 4 years and this has been a new and frustrating problem. Especially since 2 completely zipped but did not seem to have the energy to push out. May have to see about some changes there.
I have dried hatched with success....used humidity with success...this one just really stumps be beyond frustration.
Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Bens-Hens]

I just did a real quick search and found this thread. I only got as far as page two and it seems to cover some good information.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/400733/what-do-you-feed-your-breeding-chickens

This article (although I am sure you know most of it already) also talks about feeders for layer birds and higher proteins for breeder birds.

http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/17469/pnw477.pdf

Good luck, no body likes a bad hatch!

 

[TNBarnQueen]

I just did a real quick search and found this thread. I only got as far as page two and it seems to cover some good information.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/400733/what-do-you-feed-your-breeding-chickens

This article (although I am sure you know most of it already) also talks about feeders for layer birds and higher proteins for breeder birds.

http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/17469/pnw477.pdf

Good luck, no body likes a bad hatch!

I was talking to my friend whos eggs I am incubating and told her about all this.. She thinks it makes a lot of sense because when she checked back...about the time she changed from the higher protein and more ingredients in it to straight laying pellets....that was when the problem happened. Before then hatches where going good. So...she is switching back to what she was feeding before. Thanks so much for your help and input. It was a huge help!!

 

[Bens-Hens]

Not a problem, glad I could give back to the forum.

 

[rachmickmurphy]

are you hatching silkies like your avatar