Having trouble getting keets to day 28....

[critters]

This is maybe my 3rd season to breed and incubate my guinea eggs...
Have not had any major problems before until this year...

it has been a slow start for any eggs from my birds....
3 flocks, 2 free range flocks and 1 flock penned...

my problem this year, now that eggs are flowing in, seems to be getting
the eggs from day one all the way thru day 26/28... when I candle them, all looks good...
veining, shadows, movement...all looking well...this time though it appears they have
all gone bad, died or something with less than a week to go til lockdown.
I candled eggs on Friday....fine, no problems. Well, decided
to candle again before lockdown since this coming Friday is day 28...

started with 20 eggs...2 were 'duds' to begin with and rest started out ok
til last night...anyway there are now only 2 thriving..and 4 very 'iffy'...

what do you think I might be doing wrong??
Same Lil' Giant incubator I have been using past few years...
temp @ 101 and humidity @50*....

any ideas....I have a new 2nd incubator that I have just put a new batch of eggs
into this evening but still wondering if I have started doing something wrong?
don't want to kill these eggs, so to speak.

I tried incubating chicken eggs earlier this season and did not do well there
either.... cleaned bator with hot water and ssntizing soap and let dry out
in the sunshine before putting up last year and after chicken eggs...

any ideas? or just bad eggs? bad bator?... I'm lost and miss the baby keets.....

 

[JanO]

Your heat could be too high. I keep mine at 99-100. Also, my humidity is a little higher as well.

I'm sure others will chime in, I'm just guessing based on what my experience has been.

 

[critters]

got up @ 4:30 am this morning...it's Tuesday...
by habit, looked in bators....eggs...

just heard scratching noises on wire and to my
surprise but delight I have a baby keet just hatched
out....this was just after 6am....early but alive..

I'll take him...hope his buddy hatches too!

!

 

[PhilH]

Good deal.. Maybe that will break the bad streak.

Congrats on the baby keet...

 

[JulieOK]

Do you have a spare thermometer to double-check the temperature reading on the incubator? Maybe it is off a little vs. last year. I have heard of that happening.

 

[critters]

well now have 2 healthy looking keets...
believe one to be a partial pearl and the other
a pearled royal purple....glad at least a couple made it !!

I had 3 thermometers in the old incubator...
believe the problem may have been in the
incubator itself....anyway, do hope so...
bought a new bator and trying to keep that
positive attitude....

also have people wanting keets and hard
to do if you don't have successful hatches!