help, consistent late hatches

[mixedflockmomma]

I havery the little giant foam, still air incubator with optional turner from tsc. Hatching quail, ducks, standard and bantam eggs. All seem to be hatching 7-10 days later than they should be. Checked the temp in bator with 2 completely different thermometers, I keep it between 99-100° f. Entire hatches are late, so not cold spots. I collect eggs daily. Store them pointy end down for a week tops, to allow them to warm to room temp. I only add eggs on the days I candle.

Also having issues with late chick death in hatcher. Hatcher is little giant also, but no turner. I very carefully move eggs 3 days before supposed hatch. Hatcher is kept as close to the same condition as incubator as possible. Most are not even piping into the air cell at death. I've opened a few and I don't see any issues. By all accounts, they should be hatching, not dying. Please help?

 

[Pyxis]

7 to 10 days later is extremely late, how are you counting days? For a still air, you want to keep the temperature at 101.5 degrees at the top of the eggs, so you may be running a little low at 99 and that would explain maybe a day or two late but definitely not a week or more. As for the late dying in the shell, that can be a direct result of too high or too low humidity during incubation - what are you keeping the humidity at?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

7 to 10 days later is extremely late, how are you counting days? For a still air, you want to keep the temperature at 101.5 degrees at the top of the eggs, so you may be running a little low at 99 and that would explain maybe a day or two late but definitely not a week or more. As for the late dying in the shell, that can be a direct result of too high or too low humidity during incubation - what are you keeping the humidity at?

xs2 I really wish the manufacturers of the still air bators would stop recommending a 99.5 temp for their machines! Still air should be 101-102, not 99.5% and the temp should be monitored near the top of the eggs. I agree even that doesn't account for them being that late.

And I agree with the humidity issues as well. I find that most fully formed chicks that die in shell can usually be connected to a humidity issue if the eggs are good quality and from genetically sound/disease free chickens.

Out of my last hatch I had three that did that. One egg was extra large and even the chick had moving room fully developed (should not have put that one in the bator,) and apparently (probably because of size and maybe shell quality) that egg did not loose enough moisture because it had quite a bit of liquid still inside and I am assuming it probably aspirated in it. The second internally pipped, but appeared to be shrink wrapped. (Possibility that egg was too pourous and lost too much moisture.) The third is a mystery. Perfectly formed, in position, not too wet/not shrinkwrapped, absorbed yolk...no idea what happened.

You do have the plugs out for better air circulation in your hatching incubator, right? Sometimes people forget to take those out too.

Hope you can figure out the issues so that you can have better hatches.

 

[mixedflockmomma]

Ok, I will raise the temp in both. My thermometers sit on top of the eggs.I leave the plugs out of my hatcher. I don't have hygrometers yet. So I watch air cells and adjust humidity that way. With rainy water last few weeks I haven't had to add water. I wish the bators would come with a hygrometer as well, not just the thermometer.
Ever egg I've opened was fully developed, in position, not too wet or too dry, yokes fully obsorbed.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Ok, I will raise the temp in both. My thermometers sit on top of the eggs.I leave the plugs out of my hatcher. I don't have hygrometers yet. So I watch air cells and adjust humidity that way. With rainy water last few weeks I haven't had to add water. I wish the bators would come with a hygrometer as well, not just the thermometer.
Ever egg I've opened was fully developed, in position, not too wet or too dry, yokes fully obsorbed.

Even if the bator came with a hygrometer it'd probably be wrong with the track records they have with gages..lol. I have a hygrometer but I judge by the air cells as well, and I run dry days 1-17. The hygrometer, for me, is most important at lockdown and hatch because I like to have my humidity up around 75% and you can't use the eggs at that point to know if your humidity is high enough.