Fully developed chicks dead in shell…why not hatching??

[Kiki]

Hi community!

I’ve been incubating turkey and chicken eggs, and for some reason the turkeys are fully grown in eggs but dead when I open them 1-2 days after the supposed hatch date. I’ve read online it could be from everything such as temp, humidity, turning, parents health, etc. Has anyone had this happen and really determine the cause, made adjustments, then fixed issue? Seems so sad they’re fully formed then can’t get out of the shell! I’ve lost about 7 this way!

Thanks! Sara

Do you have a salt tested humidity gauge in the Bator?

 

[cmobley]

I only dry incubate I'm in south Alabama my humidity during incubation is between 25 to 40 percent. On day 25 I get my humidity to 80 or higher for turkeys the membrane in the egg is really tough. When they pip I take the egg out and chip that shell away and open the membrane enough to see its beak this way it can breathe. I usually have 90 or higher percent hatch rate when I started doing this. I use that exact incubator you have make sure you have a calibrated instrument for temp and humidity don't use the digital read out on the incubator.

 

[saracarver3]

Do you have a salt tested humidity gauge in the Bator?

I don’t

 

[Kiki]

I don’t

Get one.
Not knowing what the humidity level is in your incubator can cause chicks to fully develop and then die at the end.

 

[saracarver3]

I only dry incubate I'm in south Alabama my humidity during incubation is between 25 to 40 percent. On day 25 I get my humidity to 80 or higher for turkeys the membrane in the egg is really tough. When they pip I take the egg out and chip that shell away and open the membrane enough to see its beak this way it can breathe. I usually have 90 or higher percent hatch rate when I started doing this. I use that exact incubator you have make sure you have a calibrated instrument for temp and humidity don't use the digital read out on the incubator.

Ok. Thanks I’ll try this. I have assisted a couple in hatching because I’ve seen bubbles forming around the mouth of some and I was worried they were drowning.

 

[saracarver3]

Get one.
Not knowing what the humidity level is in your incubator can cause chicks to fully develop and then die at the end.

What humidity levels do you use?