Help!! Chicks not Hatching

[shining08]

I am almost at my wits end with this one!!
I am having 0% hatch rate but good fertility and embryo devcelopment
None of the chicks break into the air sack and candling the eggs which were due last saturday, all of the chicks are still alive and moving vigerously in the shell.
I have been moving chicks into the hatcher on the thursday when they are due on saturday but this time I have put them in a day earlier
Humidity and temperature are fine
Please help!!
Thanks

 

[Cherlyn]

Last Saturday? As in, the 5th? And that was the 21st day?

If you are seeing no movement, hearing no cheeps, and there are no pips to be found, then try candling them. At this point that most likely will reveal no viable chicks.

Sorry!

~Cherlyn

 

[shining08]

yes the 5th

Does anyone know why this would be happening?
I have had a number of batches where this has happened

 

[Cherlyn]

What are the numbers? Temp, humidity? Moving them into lock down on day 18 is best - not 17 or 19. Are you opening the incubator at all during the last three days?

So you are on day 25 - that is not good. I personally would open them up to see if you can determine why they did not hatch.

~Cherlyn

 

[cattbird]

This is what I'm trying to work out too.

What are you trying to hatch? Which method of incubation are you using? I'm going to Dry incubate my next and last hatch to see if it makes a difference.

Did you open the hatcher at all?

 

[Cherlyn]

What are the numbers? Temp, humidity? Moving them into lock down on day 18 is best - not 17 or 19. Are you opening the incubator at all during the last three days?

So you are on day 25 - that is not good. I personally would open them up to see if you can determine why they did not hatch.

~Cherlyn

 

[Cherlyn]

Sorry about the double-post - silly Internets.

~Cherlyn

 

[shining08]

It's frustrating hey!!

Didn't open the incubator once,
temp has been 101f because its a still air
and humidity is 63% was higher but lowered it to see if it would make a difference
there were about 8 eggs in there
thanks cherlyn I think I will open them tomorrow, I wasn't planning to hatch them at this stage but left them in the hatcher to regulate it for the next batch

I think I may try dry incubation if the next hatch fails

 

[walkswithdog]

Still air should be 102 measured accurately at the top of the eggs with a thermometer you calibrated and KNOW that's accurate.

101 measured accurately at the top of the eggs would DELAY the hatch and chicks are often too weak to hatch out.

If your thermometer was reading a degree high because you didn't calibrate it and didn't know then it was actually say 100 at the top of the eggs which would delay the hatch and cause birth defects.

Anything less would allow development but in general prevent successful hatch.

If there is any activity in the eggs at this point I suggest assistance, cold incubated eggs have significant trouble hatching and are weak.

I'd suggest reading the sticky thread on Hatching at the top of this forum and calibrating your equipment prior to your next attempt.

 

[Grampa with chickens]

I would suggest bumping up the temp a little bit also. I had hatches that sucked at the recommended temps. Then by accident, my temp was a tad higher on one hatch and my numbers were better. I have run my temps higher since and have had better hatch rates. Hatching is one of those things where the rules are more like guidelines. You will find what works for you.