Eggtopsy *GRAPHIC PICS*

[Rainier]

besides your spike how was your temp and humidity? A lot of factors could have been the reason behind the early quitters. A lot of people have success with dry hatch. It's what I use. If it wasn't for my temps killing the chicks I believe I would have had a good hatch rate.

I used a dry hatch. Temp was 101 and humidity was 30%. Lock down temp 101 and bumped humidity up to 55% - 60%

 

[kada6305]

I used a dry hatch. Temp was 101 and humidity was 30%. Lock down temp 101 and bumped humidity up to 55% - 60%

Sounds like you did everything right to me. maybe it was the temp spike? who knows. Hopefully you have better luck next time.

 

[Rainier]

To be honest I'm just happy they made it as far as they did. Egg 1, 2, and 3 came from a neighbor who got them from a neighbor. I have no idea how old the eggs were or how they were stored before I got them. They were in my fridge for two days before I pulled them and set them on the counter. Egg 4 came from my cockerel and pullet (both six months old). The eggs sat on my kitchen counter for about a week, in an egg cartoon fat end up before I put them in the incubator. To be honest I do believe if I had not had that temp spike they would have hatched but that doesn't explain how Egg 4 survived the temp spike. That egg was set a day behind the other ones.

 

[redhen689]

I keep my incubator in the bathroom with an electric heater in it. That room has the most stable temperatures in the house. Wishing you better luck this time around.

 

[spotsplus]

Sorry you lost so many chicks. I would say the temperature spike had a lot to do with it as the chicks were well along in development. But- genetically some may not have been viable enough to get through total development. This is common.

 

[Red Star Rob]

I'm so sorry Rainier.

I built a forced air incubator where the temp stays at 100. I was under the impression that a still air incubator had to be 1-2 degrees higher so that the temp at the level of the eggs stays between 99.5-100.5 degrees. I agree with the other posts above. The temp spike is the likely culprit. I know that you are prob limited regarding space, but to avoid the high/low temp swing the room with the incubator should really have a stable temp, this way when you get your incubator temp adjusted properly it is able to hold steady. Also, if you haven't done it yet, using heat sinks like jars of water with the tops closed (unless you need the extra humidity) or clean large rocks work really well to help hold temps steady in the incubator when the temps out of the incubator change.

Again, so sorry about your loss, we are all here with you and pulling for you with your next hatch.

 

[Peep_Show]

Hi there, Rainier. I'd do a guess that it was your temp spike that did them in. Also the one that survived may have been damaged by the spike and the damage didn't manifest until later on, like that chick was then handicapped and then succumbed. (Think maybe organs had to overcompensate or something along those lines)

So sorry that your hopes got dashed as incubating is a time and emotional investment. Keep hatching because when it does work it's great.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Temperature spikes for any significant length of time are deadly.
Another thing some people don't consider is nutrition of the breeders. Regular chicken feed is sufficient to produce eggs but not always viable embryos.

Deficiencies of the following nutrients can cause hatchability problems.

Vitamin A - early embryo death
Vitamin E - early embryo death
Late embryo mortality can be from deficiencies in:
Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, B12, Thiamine, Niacin and Manganese

 

[Frizzlett]

The link worked on my tablet but not the laptop. Anyway, sorry you lost them all. So close. Good luck next time.

 

[Rainier]

Sorry you lost so many chicks. I would say the temperature spike had a lot to do with it as the chicks were well along in development. But- genetically some may not have been viable enough to get through total development. This is common.

I'm so sorry Rainier.

I built a forced air incubator where the temp stays at 100. I was under the impression that a still air incubator had to be 1-2 degrees higher so that the temp at the level of the eggs stays between 99.5-100.5 degrees. I agree with the other posts above. The temp spike is the likely culprit. I know that you are prob limited regarding space, but to avoid the high/low temp swing the room with the incubator should really have a stable temp, this way when you get your incubator temp adjusted properly it is able to hold steady. Also, if you haven't done it yet, using heat sinks like jars of water with the tops closed (unless you need the extra humidity) or clean large rocks work really well to help hold temps steady in the incubator when the temps out of the incubator change.

Again, so sorry about your loss, we are all here with you and pulling for you with your next hatch.

Hi there, Rainier. I'd do a guess that it was your temp spike that did them in. Also the one that survived may have been damaged by the spike and the damage didn't manifest until later on, like that chick was then handicapped and then succumbed. (Think maybe organs had to overcompensate or something along those lines)

So sorry that your hopes got dashed as incubating is a time and emotional investment. Keep hatching because when it does work it's great.

Temperature spikes for any significant length of time are deadly.
Another thing some people don't consider is nutrition of the breeders. Regular chicken feed is sufficient to produce eggs but not always viable embryos.

Deficiencies of the following nutrients can cause hatchability problems.

Vitamin A - early embryo death
Vitamin E - early embryo death
Late embryo mortality can be from deficiencies in:
Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, B12, Thiamine, Niacin and Manganese

I had a lot of things going against these chicks. Everything from storage to them being from pullets. I made several changes as this hatch progressed. I moved the incubator to the bathroom, placed the bator on a blanket, filled up several glass jars with water, and added decorative glass marbles to the bottom. I also glued a lid to the thermostat which made adjustments easier. I made a water wiggler that constantly said 101 but the bag started to leak (didn't get the eggs wet) so I took it out. All of the temp monitors in the incubator read within .5 degrees of each other.

For me the hardest part of keeping the room temperature stable is I don't have AC or forced heat. We heat our home by wood burning stove. The temp swings were really crazy during this incubation. We had outside temps from 100 to low 70's during the day. I was constantly checking on the eggs and adjusting the thermostat accordingly.

I was feeding them X-CEL layer feed and recently switched to Purina Flock Raiser. Even though the Purina has higher protein they act like they are starving on it. I ferment their feed and give them Rooster Booster once a week in their water. They also roam over 1/4 of an acre and eat bugs, grass and some weeds. We also give them treats like scrambled eggs, fish, Romain lettuce, bell peppers, apples fresh picked from an orchard that does not use any pesticides, noodles, and table scraps. They have free access to oyster shells and grit.

I was able to find the chemist report on the X-CEl that go back to 2007 and it pretty much is the same. The chemical analyzes of X-CEL is:
FD-02-0022-13 LAYER RATION COMPLETE
Crude Protein: 16% 16.3%
Lysine: 0.6% 0.675%
Methionine: 0.1% 0.236%
Crude Fat: 2% 5.2%
Calcium: 3.2% 4% 3.49%
Phosphorous: 0.45% 0.709%
Selenium: 0.04ppm

Report on Purina Flock Raiser:
FD-02-0147-13 PURINA FLOCK RAISER CRUMBLE
Crude Protein: 20% 20.2%
Crude Fat: 3.5% 4.4%
Calcium: 0.8% 1.3% 1.03%
Phosphorous: 0.7% 0.785%
Sodium: 0.1 0.1 0.568 D (D = Deficient/Excess than what the label states)
http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalFeed/Publications/rpt_Feed_Nutrient_Chemist_Findings2013.pdf

ETA: the the first number is what is on the label the second number is what the chemist report found. If there are three numbers then the label gives a range. The last number is what the chemist found.

Cleaned out the incubator and set another batch (21st day is Oct 19th). These are all from my flock, all have been sitting on my counter in egg cartons fat end up, and none are over a week old. If these eggs have early deaths then I know its a problem with my flock and their nutrition. I do think that the air cell developed the way it should so I think that keeping it at 101 and humidity at 30% worked.

Thank you all for your thoughts, ideas, opinions and input. I appreciate you taking the time to read and respond to this thread.