I have silkies eggs, from my own healthy flock.
I incubate clean(free of poop)eggs at 101-102 in a clean(cleaned with bleach and water) still air, dry incubator(no water) with an automatic egg turner. I wash my hands before and after handling eggs with anti-bacterial soap.
I candle at 7 days, 90% are fertile, with veining, air sack and heartbeat(movement). I candle again at 18 days, and I can see movement, a vein or two and the air sack. The rest of the egg is full and dark.
Day 18, after candling, I place eggs in new carboard egg cartons, in a clean hatcher(cleaned with bleach and water), temperature 101-102 with a new, clean wet sponge, humidity runs 55-60 %.
I do not even get a pip. I re-candle the eggs after waiting 4 days, and there is no movement, I break the egg open, to find fully formed, dead chicks.
(btw-I just started using a splash of bleach in my hatching water because it was thought bacteria may have been the problem-which it may be-this is my first hatch using it, I do have one pip right now)
I did have some hatching eggs I purchased on-line, that came to me very dirty. I did the best I could to clean them, using a clean new scrubbie without getting them wet. I do not incubate my own eggs if they are dirty when I collect them, but since I paid a good deal of money for these shipped eggs, I went ahead and tried to hatch them. That seems to be when my problems started. Those eggs did not hatch, but I was not candling then, or doing eggtopsy's so I just assumed they were scrambled in the mail.
If it is a bacteria problem, would bacteria cause a chick to die before hatching? I have heard of a product to sanitize eggs before incubating them. Does anyone know its name, can I buy it at a feed store or TSC? Why are my chicks dying? What am I doing wrong? I hope someone can give me some suggestions please.
I incubate clean(free of poop)eggs at 101-102 in a clean(cleaned with bleach and water) still air, dry incubator(no water) with an automatic egg turner. I wash my hands before and after handling eggs with anti-bacterial soap.
I candle at 7 days, 90% are fertile, with veining, air sack and heartbeat(movement). I candle again at 18 days, and I can see movement, a vein or two and the air sack. The rest of the egg is full and dark.
Day 18, after candling, I place eggs in new carboard egg cartons, in a clean hatcher(cleaned with bleach and water), temperature 101-102 with a new, clean wet sponge, humidity runs 55-60 %.
I do not even get a pip. I re-candle the eggs after waiting 4 days, and there is no movement, I break the egg open, to find fully formed, dead chicks.
(btw-I just started using a splash of bleach in my hatching water because it was thought bacteria may have been the problem-which it may be-this is my first hatch using it, I do have one pip right now)
I did have some hatching eggs I purchased on-line, that came to me very dirty. I did the best I could to clean them, using a clean new scrubbie without getting them wet. I do not incubate my own eggs if they are dirty when I collect them, but since I paid a good deal of money for these shipped eggs, I went ahead and tried to hatch them. That seems to be when my problems started. Those eggs did not hatch, but I was not candling then, or doing eggtopsy's so I just assumed they were scrambled in the mail.
If it is a bacteria problem, would bacteria cause a chick to die before hatching? I have heard of a product to sanitize eggs before incubating them. Does anyone know its name, can I buy it at a feed store or TSC? Why are my chicks dying? What am I doing wrong? I hope someone can give me some suggestions please.
