Help....1st hatch completely unsuccessful :(

[hforthofer]

My husband bought me a Brinsea octagon 20 advance incubator for Christmas this year and I was so excited to collect the eggs and hatch them. I had 18 eggs to incubate (yes I do have a rooster) however they all had Brown shells so it was never really easy to see clearly when candling. There appeared to be some changes but I started to lose heart when they entered the 3rd week and had not started filling the shell. Last night (day 23) I prepared to do a little autopsy on them. All 18 of them appeared to be around day 3 or 4. Could see the red blood from where the eye would be and the yolks were liquid, not formed like an egg you would crack to eat. There was no odor of any kind. The readout on the control panel showed humidity was 40 to 50 and the temp was set at 99.3 -99.6 throughout the entire incubation period. Any ideas on what might have gone wrong?

 

[davemonkey]

I've got no idea what could have happened. Maybe something during egg collection/storage? How did you store them, and for how long?

Try reading this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

And then try again.

 

[BrickWall Honey]

Sorry to hear that,
Since they apparently ceased very early some possibilities and thoughts:

Rooster not fertile
Eggs froze
Eggs mishandled prior to starting incubation
Bacterial or viral infection contaminated by hands as eggs are handled or dirty or not cleaned incubator even a new one never used .
Shaking / Vibrations in the early stages will kill any chick inside the egg.
Contamination from something (washed eggs, sprayed eggs, accidental contact) with chemical
Egg being chilled (interruption of incubation process)


Buy a good LED small flashlight so you can candle correctly and have some assurance that the eggs are viable and growing at 4-7 days. Buy a another thermometer and hygrometer to confirm readings.

Hope better outcome next time.

 

[Fred's Hens]

If you had found a bunch of chicks inside that died before pipping, ie quitters or died around day 18 or a mix of dead chicks in development, then you could be critical of your incubator and your incubation process.

That you had nothing at all tells me that you have issues with the eggs themselves, even before you set them. Check fertility. That'd be #1.

Check the temperature at which you store up the eggs before setting. They need to be kept very cool and turned 3 times a day, very gently during storage days.

 

[bahamabanty]

Keep trying. My first and second hatch were unsuccesful. I am on my third hatch now!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sorry about your hatch, it's so disappointing to have one be a bust. Like everybody else has said, I'd take a second look at the egg fertility, and their handling and storage. The Brinseas are usually pretty good at keeping temp, but did you double check the set temperature with another thermometer? Was the room it was in a pretty consistent temp and over 60* all the time?