Embryo death at abou 16-18 days

[sgoff]

I consistently have "quitters" at about 16-18 days.

Last batch of 12 only 1 hatched- right on time. I waited another 6 days for the 6 that candled and showed near term maturity. Never hatched. Did eggtopsy and it looks like they are quitting during the last week before hatch day. Not sure what I am doing wrong. I am using dry hatch method and bringing humidity up to abou 60-70 % for lock down. My humidity wants to flucuate quit a bit during that last 3 days, though. Could that be the problem? I work during the day and get the humidity up before I leave in the morning, it is down again by evening when I get home, get it back up, go to bed, in the morning it is back down. (Yes I have a cheapo styrofoam incubator with an egg turner from TSC.) Temps seem to stay pretty consistent, unless, of course my thermometer is off???)

Any clues?

 

[kathyinmo]

See the links in my signature.

Are you opening up your vents? They need oxygen. Could that be a problem?

 

[sgoff]

All vents are open. I keep them open from day 1. I have at CPU fan installed also to keep air circulating.

 

[hdowden]

do the chicks appear very wet or has the inner memberan shrunk around them

 

[Mriker03]

I just had the same problem. I also have an LG from tsc I don't have fan but do have turner. First time hatch put in 12 and hatched 1 chick. at 18 days all but one looked good opened up eggs to see what happened and most looked fully developed but eggs had blood clots. The one that hatched is huge one other pipped in the middle of egg and didn't make it . The one that hatched was 3days late. Any ideas on what happend would be great also membrane was like tissue paper .

 

[nurse_turtle]

I blame the LG and always will. Some folks have good luck with them. I used one once and it fried 36 shipped eggs, so I renamed it the murder-bator and sold it. I use dry incubation as well. My humidity during the first 18 days is 20-25% and at lockdown I add warm water to the bator to reach 50-60% humidity, max. Either calibrate your thermometer or get a new one. The little ones in the aquarium section with the suction cups work pretty well. Get a couple of them.

 

[hdowden]

lg i use works just fine execpt for humidity for lockdown i found a cheap hova bator that works great at holding humidity for lockdown so i will be transfereing my eggs over to it. my first hatch in the lg and my chicks were fully formed yolk asorbed and ready to hatch but they were to wet and drowned in the shell

 

[steelersfan43]

I only use a hovabator for days 1-18 then I switch to a lg. I can keep the humidity stable by placing a couple pieces of old towels in the bottom under the screen that soak up the water. Then you can just add water with a syringe in the holes. Squirt directly on the towel. Works great for me. Good luck

 

[sgoff]

Membranes appear ok, not shrunk over chick, but they are a bit wet. Not sure how wet is to wet. If they had hatched that wet they would have made a mess, but I think they expired several days before d-day. I did note that the yolk was not totally gone.

I am going to modify the bator with an extra air vent, get two new thermometers from the acquarium section and pop another batch o eggs in. And see what happens.