Hatching quesitons

[dustponds10]

Ok well I just woke up and had some chicks that didnt hatch out yesterday pip the eggs. Problem was they werent making any progress and so I helped them out. THere was 6 and only 4 chicks hatched out on there own out of 23 eggs that made it to lock down. Here is what my bator was set at. Its a Dickie cabinet incubator and it was consistent. temp 99.4-99.8 (cause I would play with it a little.) humidity was 53-54 the whole time. I didnt add a sponge this time cause I wanted to see if I could raise my humidity by just closing the slats in the back. It didnt work and through lock down the humidity was only 54 55 tops. Is this the reason that these other chicks didnt hatch out? because I didnt get the humidity up to 60-65? Also a couple of the chicks that I helped hatch still had not developed all the way on there rear end what would be teh cause of that? Thanks for any help.

 

[midget_farms]

OK - good questions.

1) Humidity caused a ton of issues for me on my first hatch - keep in mind the source - I've only had 1 hatch.

That said - low humidity makes the membrane inside the egg sticky & its really hard for them to hatch by themselves.


2) development - try not to help them in the first 24 hrs after they pip. They breath by having blood go to the membrane & exchange oxygen with the air through the shell. The pip is the membranes first sign to start to detach the blood supply to the chick & let it breath on its own. So - once they pip it can take a long time for the membrane to stop curculating blood. If you help them out too early..... you get the point. Its best to open the top of the egg & leave them in it until they work it out. They may even drag the shell around for a bit with the umbilical still attached. That is normal & it will dry up & break off in a day at the most.

 

[Gypsy07]

When you say you tried to raise humidity by closing slats in the back of the bator, are these ventilation slats? Because you're supposed to increase ventilation for lockdown, not decrease it. That *may* have been a part of your problem...

 

[chickee]

If chicks die in the shell or are sticky when they hatch, it could be because they have not lost enough moisture (humidity too high) during incubation. High humidity also causes the chicks to grow too large and they cannot move into the correct position to pip and zip. It is really important to be sure that your hygrometer is accurate! I had a lot of chicks die in the shell or get stuck because my hygrometer was not accurate. I found by doing the salt test that my hygrometer had been reading 10% lower than the actual humidity. I have found that keeping the humidity at 40-45% day 1-18 and 60% during the last 3 days works best for me. Also for a good hatch it is best not to open your incubator until all your chicks have hatched. Once the chicks have pipped it is normal for them to rest and absorb their yoke for up to 12 hours and I have had some go up to 24 hrs and hatch by themselves. It is always best not to help chicks hatch. It sounds like the chicks you helped were not ready to hatch and were still absorbing their yokes. There is a lot of trial and error that goes into hatching chicks! We have all been there. Hope this helps!

GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FUTURE HATCHES!

 

[dustponds10]

Thanks all for all the great input. I do really appericate it all. I wont help next time for sure knowing that the process is happening with the membrane and all. I had not a clue that that was the case. Also when i said I closed the slats yes I did just close them a little but I have a fan in the incubator to help with circulation also so I wouldnt have thought that would have been a problem. Next time I am going to lower the humidity level a bit and keep the temp the same. That being said I have a hatch coming in 6 days and then one7 days later and I just set some more eggs today. I have to get it right because if I dont when I do order the eggs I really want at $55 a dozen and dont know what I am doing then I will for sure be disapointed. Thanks again all.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I like this explanation.. A+

I just want to add.. I do not know how the dickie is built, but I have heard it is very similar to my 3 sportsmans.. I close and open the holes in the rear to control the humidity.. there is enough air exchange that you do not have to worry about the chicks suffocating.. I have one bator with all of the holes closed and I even hatch goose eggs in it..

If you open an incubator when an egg is pipped, the fresh air and sudden drop in temp will turn the wet albumen around the pip into instant glue.. that is what kills the chick.. it can no longer move it's head..

to get an idea of this take an egg out of the refrigerator and get some of the albumen (the clear "white") on your finger.. see how long it takes to dry and then see how sticky it is..

 

[dustponds10]

My incubator is probably exactly just like yours. Two holes in the back that are adjusted to control the humidity. I am lowering my humidity for this next batch and then raising it up to 60 to see what that hatch is going to be like. I am pretty excited to get it right and get new babies. I just hope that I can get a higher hatch percentage this next time. Thanks again all for all the great information.