Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[Thebantyhenhomestead]

Hi everyone ! Was wondering if you could help me out with my NR 360 hatching issue!
** eggs are great 1-18 then never externally pip on day 21 and die **
(added what the eggs look like right before lockdown day 17-18, the huge air cell is what they are looking like on day 21-22)

Background : got first NR 360 , purchased 10 hatching eggs. Did dry hatch temp 99.5-101 humidity 30s till day 18 then I add a little water to get it around high 50s.
Conclusion I had 100% hatch rate.

Bought second NR 360 so I can have one for just incubating and one for just lockdown.
Dry hatching again, everything looks great in eggs on day 18 when I move them- then late day 21-24 nothing.. no pips no sounds, they are dying. I had 4 all great on day 18 then all 4 died on day 22 never piped. Now I have my next round of 3 eggs and only one I can actually hear pip inside the egg and see movement ! I really don’t want to loose this one!!! I attached pictures the two current other eggs that looked just like my original 4 that died from the other day. (Egg # 1 Egg # 2 both late day 21)

Can someone help from the pictures for what’s going on? Do these eggs need humidity bumped a lot more?
(Worried to drown them since I live in FL)

(extra calibrated thermometers are used)

This is all extremely discouraging.. makes me want to give up on hatching, my first experience was amazing now all I look forward too is death

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Hi everyone ! Was wondering if you could help me out with my NR 360 hatching issue!
** eggs are great 1-18 then never externally pip on day 21 and die **
(added what the eggs look like right before lockdown day 17-18, the huge air cell is what they are looking like on day 21-22)

Background : got first NR 360 , purchased 10 hatching eggs. Did dry hatch temp 99.5-101 humidity 30s till day 18 then I add a little water to get it around high 50s.
Conclusion I had 100% hatch rate.

Bought second NR 360 so I can have one for just incubating and one for just lockdown.
Dry hatching again, everything looks great in eggs on day 18 when I move them- then late day 21-24 nothing.. no pips no sounds, they are dying. I had 4 all great on day 18 then all 4 died on day 22 never piped. Now I have my next round of 3 eggs and only one I can actually hear pip inside the egg and see movement ! I really don’t want to loose this one!!! I attached pictures the two current other eggs that looked just like my original 4 that died from the other day. (Egg # 1 Egg # 2 both late day 21)

Can someone help from the pictures for what’s going on? Do these eggs need humidity bumped a lot more?
(Worried to drown them since I live in FL)

(extra calibrated thermometers are used)

This is all extremely discouraging.. makes me want to give up on hatching, my first experience was amazing now all I look forward too is death

A few things, I live in Georgia, close to Savannah, it's super humid here (like living in a sauna) but we also run the AC non stop because it's sweltering hot outside and it dries out the air in the house. If I remember correctly it averages at about 45% ambient humidity in the room where I keep my incubators. I know some people can, but I CAN NOT run my NR360s dry, my eggs end up too dry when I do and I have a higher rate of dry membrane chicks that I have to assist. This year I've decided my sweet spot for the NR360s is 45% humidity for the first 18 days and I increase it to 65% for hatch. I did have 100% hatches with 55% humidity for the first 18 days when I first started hatching, so this also works but over time I've found that I get consistently smooth hatches at 45% then increased to 65% for hatch.

Also, are you resetting the number of days till hatch when you set new eggs? The turner will not operate if you don't reset the number of days and this can also lower your hatch rate.

Are you using eggs from the same flock every time? If everything else checks out, I would consider getting eggs from someone else locally and see if it could be related to the flock.

Last question, have you done an eggtopsy on any of the chicks that didn't hat h successfully to see what was going on in there?

 

[Thebantyhenhomestead]

A few things, I live in Georgia, close to Savannah, it's super humid here (like living in a sauna) but we also run the AC non stop because it's sweltering hot outside and it dries out the air in the house. If I remember correctly it averages at about 45% ambient humidity in the room where I keep my incubators. I know some people can, but I CAN NOT run my NR360s dry, my eggs end up too dry when I do and I have a higher rate of dry membrane chicks that I have to assist. This year I've decided my sweet spot for the NR360s is 45% humidity for the first 18 days and I increase it to 65% for hatch. I did have 100% hatches with 55% humidity for the first 18 days when I first started hatching, so this also works but over time I've found that I get consistently smooth hatches at 45% then increased to 65% for hatch.

Also, are you resetting the number of days till hatch when you set new eggs? The turner will not operate if you don't reset the number of days and this can also lower your hatch rate.

Are you using eggs from the same flock every time? If everything else checks out, I would consider getting eggs from someone else locally and see if it could be related to the flock.

Last question, have you done an eggtopsy on any of the chicks that didn't hat h successfully to see what was going on in there?

Hi thanks for your reply !
I ran into the incubator stopping the auto spin and realized after 3 days (stopped once I moved the first 4 eggs that didn’t make it)
All the others in the incubating NR 360 still had strong life after the mistake- now I’m really paying attention

I think I’m going to try your levels of humidity and go from there- I have no idea what else would cause I great looking egg at day 18 to turn into that huge funky air cell and no life, no attempts of hatching on day 21-22

!! Side note, the one chick that I have heard cheeping since this morning and it’s now 11pm still hasn’t made an external pip and I’m getting worried it’s about to end up just like the others.. it looks like the eggs #1 and #2 but it actually has movement and I can see the beak I think but still a huge air cell !!

These are my first time hatching from my own flock of silkies, never hatched from them before but they have been breeding with roosters for over a month now and the eggs look like they have good movement/development until hatch day, could it still be my chickens?

I have not opened any of the eggs because I didn’t want to face reality of what the chicks would have looked like if they lived, I already am feeling really bad about this whole failure

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Hi thanks for your reply !
I ran into the incubator stopping the auto spin and realized after 3 days (stopped once I moved the first 4 eggs that didn’t make it)
All the others in the incubating NR 360 still had strong life after the mistake- now I’m really paying attention

I think I’m going to try your levels of humidity and go from there- I have no idea what else would cause I great looking egg at day 18 to turn into that huge funky air cell and no life, no attempts of hatching on day 21-22

!! Side note, the one chick that I have heard cheeping since this morning and it’s now 11pm still hasn’t made an external pip and I’m getting worried it’s about to end up just like the others.. it looks like the eggs #1 and #2 but it actually has movement and I can see the beak I think but still a huge air cell !!

These are my first time hatching from my own flock of silkies, never hatched from them before but they have been breeding with roosters for over a month now and the eggs look like they have good movement/development until hatch day, could it still be my chickens?

I have not opened any of the eggs because I didn’t want to face reality of what the chicks would have looked like if they lived, I already am feeling really bad about this whole failure

First of all, don't feel bad! These things happen even with experienced hatchers! We just need to get to the bottom of what's going on so you don't have heartbreak every time you hatch.

If I'm reading this correctly, you had a successful hatch your first time from a different flock correct? and have had failed hatches since trying to hatch from your own flock? That would make me suspicious of something in the flock causing issues.

Eggtopsies can be difficult but they can sometimes give you answers to what is going on as well. From your candling images the air cells do look really large which would lead me to believe that you need to increase humidity during incubation. I always base my humidity on air cell growth, so if the air cell seems small, I decrease humidity, and if it seems large I increase humidity. For the most part almost all of my hatches this year have primarily been at 45%, if I altered it I always stayed between 35-55%. (With 65% at hatch)

As far as the baby you're concerned about right now all you can do it wait unless you're prepared to try to do an assisted hatch. I'm a very hands on hatcher when necessary but many many people choose to sit on their hands and wait because it's not an easy task.

 

[CrisAnderson27]

From your candling images the air cells do look really large which would lead me to believe that you need to increase humidity during incubation.

If I recall (from the Facebook group I directed them here from)...those pictures are from day 21 or later, not day 18. There's pictures of current eggs at day 18. I'm sure they'll be shared.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

If I recall (from the Facebook group I directed them here from)...those pictures are from day 21 or later, not day 18. There's pictures of current eggs at day 18. I'm sure they'll be shared.

You make a good point. I'm on a fresh night's rest now and looking back at her pictures I see that the last one is the day 17 candling opposed to the others being day 21.

@Thebantyhenhomestead it is normal to see the air cells make a significant change from day 17 to hatch day because the air cells will draw down as the chicks get in position for hatch.

Do the Silkies you're breeding all have vaulted skulls? Sometimes the chicks can get stuck while trying to get into position when they have those giant noggins. I still don't think that would cause a 100% fail rate. At this point I think in a couple days if you still find your chicks don't hatch successfully then your best bet would be doing eggtopsies for some answers if you can handle it or get someone else to do it? You may find there is a genetic issue, vaulted skulls causing malpositions, chicks in position that can't pip through a thick dry membrane, possibly signs of a bacteria. Sometimes we don't get answers even after doing eggtopsies but there are a lot of things you can rule out by looking.

Again, I'm sorry this has been so difficult for you! I hope you wake up to some peeps this morning!

 

[Thebantyhenhomestead]

You make a good point. I'm on a fresh night's rest now and looking back at her pictures I see that the last one is the day 17 candling opposed to the others being day 21.

@Thebantyhenhomestead it is normal to see the air cells make a significant change from day 17 to hatch day because the air cells will draw down as the chicks get in position for hatch.

Do the Silkies you're breeding all have vaulted skulls? Sometimes the chicks can get stuck while trying to get into position when they have those giant noggins. I still don't think that would cause a 100% fail rate. At this point I think in a couple days if you still find your chicks don't hatch successfully then your best bet would be doing eggtopsies for some answers if you can handle it or get someone else to do it? You may find there is a genetic issue, vaulted skulls causing malpositions, chicks in position that can't pip through a thick dry membrane, possibly signs of a bacteria. Sometimes we don't get answers even after doing eggtopsies but there are a lot of things you can rule out by looking.

Again, I'm sorry this has been so difficult for you! I hope you wake up to some peeps this morning!

Well the one that was piping last night and early this morning is now dead .. I waited to long to step In because I was trying to give as much time as possible for it.. I opened it up should I share the pictures? It looks like a normal chick to me that couldn’t hatch

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Well the one that was piping last night and early this morning is now dead .. I waited to long to step In because I was trying to give as much time as possible for it.. I opened it up should I share the pictures? It looks like a normal chick to me that couldn’t hatch

I'm so sorry! Yes, you can post pictures.

 

[Thebantyhenhomestead]

I'm so sorry! Yes, you can post pictures.

I feel like the chick looks big.. right?

This is now 7 eggs that didn’t make it past lockdown, I have 3 more to add to lockdown and im really not looking forward to these next 4 days

I would say for the most part all my silkies have a bigger poof but I don’t know if they had a vaulted skull as a baby, only one of the females I had from a chick and she probably had one, but it’s very common in silkies, plus yeah the successful hatch I had from a different flock 90% had a vaulted skull

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I feel like the chick looks big.. right?

This is now 7 eggs that didn’t make it past lockdown, I have 3 more to add to lockdown and im really not looking forward to these next 4 days

I would say for the most part all my silkies have a bigger poof but I don’t know if they had a vaulted skull as a baby, only one of the females I had from a chick and she probably had one, but it’s very common in silkies, plus yeah the successful hatch I had from a different flock 90% had a vaulted skull

It does look really big... Is this the one that internally pipped? It looks like the beak is facing away from the air cell which would be considered a malposition.
Otherwise you can see that the membrane isn't tough, there isn't any gelatinous fluid or swelling of the abdomen, and there aren't any malformations that are visible so that's good.