Hatching Advice Please :(

[peachie600]

I have 2 LG incubators.....one with a fan and a turner.....one without either.... just used for lockdown. Several different thermometers used at the same time to keep the first at 99.5 and bewtween 32 and 40 % humidity..this is maintained by spraying them every morning....the second at 99.5 and between 60 and 75% humidity...
Almost all peeps are not pipping and not hatching.....all fully formed....yolk amost if not totally gone....I do not believe they are shrink wrapped....membrane is thin and there's not too much water..air sacks are plenty big........they never unfold!!!!!!!!!!!!
Should I be keeping that second incubator at 101.5 since it doesn't have a fan??????????
Do I have a problem with CO 2??????????
This is getting frustrating......only because I know soooooo many are soooooo close

HELP
Thanks

 

[The Critter Place]

I've heard still air should be at 101 for incubation, but im not sure about hatching.

How close are they?

 

[hdowden]

my still air is 99-100 and my humidity i try and keep it at 45% but it flutates a lot.

 

[ChooksChick]

I can only testify to my method, but you're welcome to give it a read if you like- there's a link in my signature.

If they were mine and I was consistently having that problem, I'd pip a tiny hole for them the minute they are visible moving in the aircell near hatch. That way they get a bit more time and don't suffocate. Just my 2cents.

Good luck!

 

[peachie600]

I have been brave and opened many...many y of the eggs. They all look the same!!!....They are fully formed....yolk alost gone..sometimes totally gone...but have not pipped internally. No extra water in the air cell. This leads me to believe I must be doing something wrong with the lockdown incubator.....I never open it....I use a goat drenching syringe to put my water in.......should I duct tape the edges??? I see that in pics sometimes. Chooks chicks

I read your info long ago and I do think I am following it..great stuff........YET I can't help but think I'm missing something here
The eggs have pulled down(not sure of the correct term.....when the air cell starts going down the side) before they go in the second bator and I place that side of the egg upward. These are shipped quality silkie eggs. I do have two little chicks happy in the basement......but thats out of like 3 dozen eggs

 

[The Critter Place]

Are they large end up in the turner? And are you sure your turner is working well?

I had one or two quail that way. They never got their head up to pip internally, and I was under the impression it was because my humidity got to high on occasion. They were large babies!

Are yours large?
Sometimes the large babies can't get moved around to pip.

 

[peachie600]

The turner works fine. I think they are being turned ok....I did worry a little because the silkie eggs are a little smaller in there
I don't think they are overly huge.......it looks like they have plenty of air cell.....by the time they die

 

[The Critter Place]

I hope someone who has more expierence comes along soon! I'm sorry your having so much trouble.

The only thing I can think of if they aren't pipping, is they are too large to move around .

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

60-75 % humidity sounds much too high to me. On top of using the goat drencher, you said you are misting the eggs? They are probably suffocating from all of that moisture. Eggs are less sensitive to temperature fluctuations that close to hatch time, so I don't think it's the temperature that's the problem. I'd suggest you cut back on the humidity unless you have a very, very arid environment you are trying to overcome. We run a woodstove in my house from November - March and I still just follow the directions that came with my Brinsea in terms of humidity (45%) and haven't had the trouble it sounds like you've encountered. I don't use a hygrometer, I just fill both troughs in the incubator and leave the vent 1/3rd open. Just thinking- do you use gas heat? Could you have a leak in your heating system that is letting natural gas or propane come up through a floor vent near your incubator?

I hope you can find a solution soon because that sounds very discouraging to have three dozen eggs but just 2 live chicks.

 

[oldorchardfarm]

We kept ours at 101 and my wife would put warm hand towels folded up and kept the humidity at about 80, we had a bunch die before we did this then we finaly had our first hatch, she also gave them 2 hrs to break a bigger hole in the membrane and if they did not then she would tear it from only where they had broke the egg shell