Help! Hatching Incubated chicks

[chooklover95]

Hello,

I am in desperate need for some advice. This is my first incubation (and incubator) I have been watching my eggs like a hawk and candling them all the time.
They did not hatch on day 21 even though they were wobbling for 3 days, and today is day 24. There is still 2 eggs that have wobbled today. I have candled them and they are alive, the others for some unknown reason did not make it?
I have a janoel 24 incubator, I have added 150 ml every day to one hole, then on the 18th day added 250 and kept the water up, I am baffled as to how the chicks couldn't hatch and why they have died.
So my question here is please can someone tell me what I should do about the egg that is wobbling still?
the incubator temperature has been set to the standard temperatures, it is at 37.5 degrees at the moment, and I can't see the humidity (doesnt tell me) but there is enough water there.
I opened one of the eggs that was wobbling and there was a big yellow sac with veins that appeared yellow and white. I am so confused, please I really need help, I can't lose them after so much time put into them ...

Thank you to anyone who replies

 

[Pyxis]

The big yellow sac is the yolk sac that the chick hadn't absorbed yet. Eggs that hatch late do so because the temperature was too low. Have you calibrated the thermometer in the incubator with one you know to be correct so that you know the temperature is actually 37.5? Not knowing the humidity is also a problem. Have you been monitoring it at all for the first 18 days? Too high and the chicks drown in the shell, too low and the air cell grows too large and they also die.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I am not familiar with that incubator. The temp at 99.5 f should be fine. You really need a way to determine how much humidity is in there. I hate to tell you but at day 24 and nothing hatching your probably out of luck. Adding water every single day may have been an issue. All you can do is try again with a hygrometer of some sort so you can track the humidity.

 

[chooklover95]

I have-not got an external temperature thermometer, I thought that I could trust the incubator temperature. The eggs were all developing and moving up until 2 days ago they were all perfect for the 18 days, developing at normal rate and size and wobbling actively (this all changed recently when they stopped wobbling a few days after they were due) so I assumed everything was fine and normal, but obviously not.. what do you recommend?

 

[Pyxis]

Unfortunately this time around it's probably too late. With the late hatch it seems like the temp may be low so for next time I'd get a thermometer you know to be correct and calibrate the temperature to be sure. You are also going to need a hydrometer to measure the humidity. 20-30% for the first 18 days, then boost to 50-60% for the last days. Also always watch the air cells - the way they look can tell you if you need to raise or lower humidity. Refer to this chart:

 

[roosterhavoc]

Is there a humidity reading on this incubator? If so what was it for the first 18 days?
I just did a search of this incubator and a few people said the temp was reading 37.5 c but after checking with another thermometer was actually 34 c.

 

[chooklover95]

The air cells definitely match what mine looked like, I have ordered a hygrometer now. This last egg is my last hope really, I have two broody hens half an hour drive away, do you think I should put the egg under one of them?

 

[chooklover95]

Or does anyone think that I should just raise the temperature of the incubator? I'm beginning to think its unreliable though.

 

[roosterhavoc]

You can try but to be honest I wouldn't expect much. The other thing is candling too often. If your temp was a little low and then letting heat out all the time while candling. It's hard the first few times around, but there is not much need to candle them more than two or three times.

 

[chooklover95]

I didnt know that. thank you for all the help everyone.. If anyone has any ideas about what I should do now I would greatly appreciate it.


- very sad uni student -