It is a Repti-pro so I don't know the exact humidity. I try just watching the condensation. The eggs were probably about a week old. They tried hatching on time but I think they went over. After the internal pip, the eggs filled with fluid and drowned the ducklings. It came from inside the membrane. I am shocked I saved two. It took a couple days and a lot of work to get them hatched alive. I have one trying to pip now and it isn't breaking through the shell.
This is what I am talking about. This baby had an internal pip yesterday and was working quite vigorously to get out. Last night before bed, I checked again. No pip but still trying. This morning I candled and the beak was no longer moving. I opened it up to find this.
I am sure it upsets you, again we do not know what the humidity was, plus you are stating you are doing a lot of handling of the about to hatch eggs---whether that hurts your hatch or not---I can't answer. It would affect them alot here. I use to open the incubator at will even with the first pipping started and I got a very, very low hatch---a LOT of dead in the egg birds like your pic---it took me a while to figure out that was Not working. Now, I monitor the temp/ humidity and when I increase the humidity 3 days before they are due to hatch----My eggs go into Lock-down---Meaning My Incubator WILL NOT be re-opened for ""nothing"" till all the eggs hatch Or 1 day after the due date-------Maybe I do not have to be that strict about opening it, but with 95 to 100% hatch rate for the last 2 years and 1000's and 1000 and 1000's' of chicks hatched----I am not going to change a thing. My last hatch was 2 days ago---my incubator moisture was increased and the incubator was closed the end of day 18-----I reopened it on day 22 took 233 chicks out of 236 eggs. If someone tried to open my incubator during those last 3 days-----I would probably break their arm---LOL----naw but I would be mad.
My chicks are hatching well. I have them in a different incubator. Only holds 48, nothing like yours. But my ducks and goslings haven't been doing well so I pulled out my Repti-Pro. I hatched three goslings but they had issues getting out as well. I am ordering a Dickeys next month. I am hoping it gets better. I was locking down and I had a zero hatch rate. So I started checking as all those dead babies was getting to me. I am hoping a better quality incubator will help.
Golden Cascades and Khaki Campbells. Also Sebastopols.
They are doing great!
