frustrating experience in duck hatching

[njchickenrookie]

I have tried to hatch duck eggs for 3 years with Genesis 1588.

First 24 days at 50-60 humidity, 99.5 degree and last four days at 80-85 humidity and same temperature.

Every time, embryos developed well and usually <10% eggs not fertilized. Yet I typically only get 10-20% of hatch rate.

Well developed ducklings, sometime even with yoke fully absorbed, somehow just cannot pip and get out of the shell.

I noticed through candling many stopped moving right around 23-25 days, and the blood veins get blurry.

Same type of experience for Muscovy, Welsh Harlequin, Appleyard, Pekin ...

Thinking of giving up hatching. Too frustrating.

Any one can tell what the reason is?

duck rookie

 

[Kiki]

Could your humidity be TOO high?

 

[Emmaxx]

Where are your eggs from?

Are you using calibrated thermometer/hygrometer? Just one or do you have a back up?

You've said you have candled at day 23-25, what day do you start lock down?

I take it you have opened the failed eggs to know if the yolks are absorbed or not?

Sorry for all the questions but it can be really hard to work out what might have happened without knowing your whole process. It sounds like the problems you are having are quite consistent, so it may be easier to narrow it down

 

[lomine]

I had similar experiences with chicken eggs. They were developing nicely but then only a few would hatch. I did the typical 50% humidity and 65-70% at lockdown. I checked unhatched eggs and they were full of liquid and it seemed the chicks drowned. I asked here on BYC about it and folks pointed out that it could be because I am at high altitude. I looked into hatching at high altitude and found that many had the best success with dry incubation.

I tried the dry incubation method this year. I did 25-40% humidity and then 60-65% at lockdown. I also weighed the eggs along the way to track their weight loss. Though I still had a few quitters early on and a couple not hatch this method has been much more successful for me (I still need to work on my low fertility problem).

 

[njchickenrookie]

I am in NJ, and the egg was from my own backyard flock.

WH and Applyard were from Holderread stock.

Humidity is just what I read out of the incubator as well as from the hydrometer from incubator warehouse.

Air pressure here is about 30 psi which means you add 20 to the reading for wet bulb humidity. I was following Metzer Farm's instruction.

I candle them daily after week 1 and it also serves as a 5-10 minutes cooling period.

I go to lockdown (a separate still air incubator) at 24-25 day or so. Typically a few have internally pipped at that stage.

I have tried 10-20 degrees lower humidity wise before. But same thing.

Hate to see those well developed ducklings dying in the shell.

They were all doing great until 22-23 day window.

One last thing: I wash the egg in warm water b/f putting in incubator with very diluted chlorine.

 

[Kiki]

Next time I think you should try lowering your humidity.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I know nothing about wet bulb readings, but seems people have good success at much lower humidity in general. I'm still learning about incubation but around 30% seems a general guideline.

Marking aircells and watching their progress helps make sure the babies aren't all swollen with extra fluid and have room to zip. If I understand correctly. Don't give up, just try lower.

 

[njchickenrookie]

i will try 30-ish next time which basically means no water added ...

 

[Kiki]

i will try 30-ish next time which basically means no water added ...

 

[Kiki]

I know this is going to sound silly but I'm going to say it anyways. You can't trust instructions that come with bators...just like you can't trust their thermometer or humidity gauge.