first time-chicks keep dying

[BuckeyeFam]

We've had 1 chick get out successfully,1 cracked the shell,but never came out and 1 last night seemed promising..it was cheeping and shaking and we could see it's beak out the hole,but it didn't make it out either. I think it's a humidity issue and DH is just like "we'll try again ",n but I can't handle this and my little boys aren't happy either. It's a little giant incubator. Thoughts?

 

[Toast n Jelly]

How old are the eggs?
Were the eggs shipped?
If so, did you candle them to check for saddle shaped air cells?
Have you double (or triple) checked the temp and humidity with reliable instruments?
Has the incubator been opened often which would affect the temp and humidity?

Perhaps buying some chicks would ease the pain a little.

 

[kuchchicks]

So of the eggs that did not make it, and the ones that started to hatch but did not finish, did you eggtopsy them? No one really likes to do it but if you are trying to figure out what is going wrong it can help. You will be able to determine if the chicks were deformed (keep in mind that a yolk sac that is not completely absorbed does not mean that there was something wrong with them, they continue to absorb it while they are resting after pipping). You can check to see if they did not get out because they were "glued" into the shell and could not turn - this would be an indication that the humidity was too low during hatching and they dried out while trying to hatch.

Let me ask you this... was your temp steady during incubation? What did you keep your humidity at during days 1-17 and then during lockdown?

In my past experience with eggs that got to this point but did not hatch it was because I was just learning and did not have my humidity high enough. Now that I have got it down, I am averaging 85%-90% hatch rate. I still have some chick deaths during hatch but that is going to happen even if you do everything right. Some chicks are not strong enough to hatch, some we never find out why they did not hatch.

Don't give up. In the beginning when I first started I was lucky to get 15% to hatch. I stopped incubating for a couple of years. But then this spring I started up again. I did a lot of research and have done back to back hatches since February. My last 3 hatches have been 87.5% to 90%. I have a set of quail due Monday. What I am trying to say is that in the beginning when you are trying to figure things out it can be very frustrating and depressing. But you will figure it out. My suggestion is to start keeping records is you are not already. Keep track of any temp fluctuations and how long, humidity during days 1-17, humidity during lock down, where you got your eggs from, at what point during incubation you lost them, hatch rate, and then what the results of eggtopsy are. If you get a bad hatch rate you can look back on your records and will be able to develop an educated guess as to what went wrong and if it is something that you can correct with your next hatch or if it was something beyond your control (like genetics, shipped eggs, or lack of fertility).

I hope this helps. Just remember we all go through this in the beginning when we are trying to figure it all out. It is not as easy as just dumping them in an incubator and walking away. My husband use to tell me "you worry about those eggs too much", but now that my hatch rate is up where it is he sees that it does take a specific set of circumstances and if something seemingly small is out of whack it can have a huge impact on your hatch rate.

 

[BuckeyeFam]

The eggs are ours and were put in on 6/23 and some 6/25..due to the different dates,there hasn't really been a lock down and the incubator has been opened often. I think the temp has been steady,but the humidity has dropped to 41%!! How can we keep it higher? DH didn't even know that the last few days needed to be 65% until I read it on here and told him.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

The eggs are ours and were put in on 6/23 and some 6/25..due to the different dates,there hasn't really been a lock down and the incubator has been opened often. I think the temp has been steady,but the humidity has dropped to 41%!! How can we keep it higher? DH didn't even know that the last few days needed to be 65% until I read it on here and told him.

To begin with, I wouldn't do staggered hatches w/o a hatching incubator, especially when you are first starting out trying to find what works for you. Which LG model is it? and still air? I incubate in an lg. The trick is figuring out your incubator and what works for you. A good share of hatchers that try the first hatch w/out aid from an experienced hatcher have problems simply because there's so much conflicting info out there.

To start with, no matter what kind of incubator you are using the first and foremost thing is having a reliable thermometer/hygrometer. Never trust the gages on the incubators (especially the LG 9300 model) or any thermometer (even brand new) unless they have been checked for accuracy or at least have 2 or more that read in the same range. Having a faulty thermometer can compromise your hatch. (Temps should be 99.5F if you have a forced air incubator and 101-102F taken near the top of the eggs for still air.) Once you know that you have accurate instruments, the next thing is getting the incubator steady BEFORE you add the eggs. Run it a couple days before adding the eggs to get it stable and figure out the quirks. Take this time to see what your incubator's humidity is with it running dry.

Now let's talk about humidity. If you are not in a high elevation or a extrememly arid environment, I HIGHLY recommend a low humidity incubation method for the styro bators, in conjuction with monitoring the air cells for growth to know how to adjust your humidity. This is the method I use: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity At lockdown, if you are a meddler (like me) who opens the bator during hatch, you want 70-75% humidity. If you are hands off and leave the incubator and eggs/chicks alone during hatching you can easily get away with 60-65%. The best and easiest way to achieve a higher humidity for lockdown is fill all the wells underneath and add wet sponges to the bator (I put mine right on the screen with the eggs.) Sponges also make it easier to replace and keep the humidity up during hatch. Just pull one out rewet it and stick it back in.

We have to cover turning the eggs. If you are not using an automatic turner you should be manually turning (from one side, then back on the next turn) at least 3xs a day. Most people stop turning at lockdown (day 18 for chickens) but the eggs do not NEED to be turned after 2 weeks.

Lockdown is when you do last candling and marking the air cells (if you are marking-which I also suggest) and remove turners if you are using them, laying the eggs down on the screen and upping the humidity to hatch levels. Many people consider lockdown as hands off from that point. Others of us have a more liberal philosophy about lockdown. Either way, the importanat thing is to let them rest and get the humidity up to a range that is going to work for you. Note:condensation on/in the bator at any point signifies too high of humidity and it should be cut back.

Don't be afraid to try again. I know how hard it is to loose a hatch. My first hatch was compromised by a faulty thermometer and I ended up with one lone chick. With a little extra research and some guidance from fellow hatchers I found what works for me and every hatch since that first bad hatch has been 80%+ with my last hatch being 100% lockdown-hatch rate. There are many of us here that are happy to help and answer questions, most of us welcome questions in pm as well.