Hatching Headaches and Hot Weather

[NatJ]

Thanks. I did that. We decided that it was possible that 3 more had chicks inside. Candling was hard- couldn’t see much so I was guessing.
I cracked open only those as the others were runny when shaken,
I was correct. 3 fully formed soft wet but not moving chicks. Yolks not absorbed completely. I felt a little sad. I guess she left to feed the 5 she hatched and can’t wait forever. I wonder why those didn’t hatch and if they would have, if she waited? No abnormalities noted. Correct positioning I think.head under wing

Some chicks do die at that stage. I do not know all the reasons.

But it is a good question whether they would have hatched if she waited-- or if they were already dead before she left the nest.

If they were developing at the same rate as the rest, but died before they finished absorbing the yolk, then they would have died about the same time the live ones started pipping. That would make them dead before the hen left the nest.

On the other hand, if they died after the hen left the nest, that means they still had unabsorbed yolk (not ready to hatch) at a point when the other chicks had completely finished hatching. I would say that being late could mean they had other problems, except that the other ones were early. So these ones might have just developed at the normal rate despite the high temperatures, unlike the earlybirds.

I really don't know what happened, so I'm just thinking out loud here (er, thinking into a keyboard?)-- you may have already thought of all the same things

 

[RcoM]

Those were my thoughts too. Here is another. Maybe the positioning of the eggs in the nest: centre vs outer ring, esp with 12- affected the heat transfer and development time of each egg. Interestingly the chicks did not stink so I do actually suspect that they died fairly recently. I looked for external pipping and found none. Although it had been nearly 48 hours since first pip, it was actually only Day 21.
The good news is that the others look and are acting normally in every respect and are thriving so far.

 

[NatJ]

Maybe the positioning of the eggs in the nest: centre vs outer ring, esp with 12- affected the heat transfer and development time of each egg.

Yes, that makes as much sense as any of my ideas. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to tell for sure what happened.

Interestingly the chicks did not stink so I do actually suspect that they died fairly recently.

It seems to take at least a few days for dead chicks to start to stink after they have died unhatched. So not stinking is not as helpful as it could be, for figuring out when they died.

(My experience is with eggs in an incubator. After all chicks hatch, it's easy enough to leave the other eggs for quite a few days "just in case." So I know I've had ones that sat for at least a few days after the point at which they must have died, and they didn't stink enough to be a big deal when opened outdoors. But I did not stick my nose right on them for a good sniff.)

I looked for external pipping and found none. Although it had been nearly 48 hours since first pip, it was actually only Day 21.

Yes, that does complicate it, not knowing if they "should" have hatched early or not.

The good news is that the others look and are acting normally in every respect and are thriving so far.

That is very good news

 

[RcoM]

Thank you for your support guys, I’m just trying to learn so I can be a good chicken mummy.
My husband knows how dedicated I am. He suggested that for our wedding anniversary he might buy me a rooster! The irony was just too funny- although he was quite serious! He was trying to make me happy. My answer was ‘not yet’. The plan is after I have enough hens. Then I’ll grow my own (again). At the moment I’m in the ideal position. My hen thinks I’m a rooster and she dotes on me and lets me do anything. I don’t want to be usurped!

 

[RcoM]

One thing I learned is that these chicks will have greater natural heat resistance, according to one scholarly scientific article, due to the hatching conditions.