Help! Humidity problems with chicks!

[Justagoose_18]

Hi everyone! I need some help with some incubation issues I'm having. Today is day 22-23 for these chicks, which are Buff Orpington and Wyandotte mixes. The cabinet incubator I am renting/using is a GFQ 1202, large and holds temperature steadily but requires lots of water because of the fan. There is also NO WINDOW! This has been such a struggle for me during lockdown because of my anticipation, and I had even considered moving the eggs to two tabletop incubators to prevent these issues. I don't know why I didn't. I have opened the incubator to mist and take out chicks, as the owner says he does it often and he has no issues due to the incubator's stability. Today was the first day I have taken any out, a total of 5 chicks out of the 80 eggs that are in there. I believe there are maybe 2 more in the back. On day 18 when candling, there were large spaces at the pointy end, which signifies malposition to me. The eggs seemed to need a few more days at that point as well. The eggs placed in the incubator are from two different sources. The Buffs are all from a separate farmer, and I had some of my own mixed backyard eggs upstairs (about 40). They are hatching on day 21 as they were one day behind. They also seem to be a bit behind, which may be an issue with the temperature. However, one of the chicks that hatched is stargazing and his legs are splayed in front of him. He cannot walk and ends up on his back. Additionally, when I opened the bator I saw several chicks trying to hatch but dried out membranes. Some are unmoving and one has its feet where its head should be in the hole it made. I have a few options: open the incubator to add water and move all the pipped, dried eggs into a hovabator with high humidity for assistance or just let the ones too far gone go and open the incubator to add water. I have heavily misted the incubator each time (twice) I have opened it. It's just a mess and I'm so anxious. P.S I do not have a hygrometer in there because I have no way to check it other than to open the incubator.

 

[Mellowmalt]

sounds like temps were too low resulting in them hatching 2 days late. That will invariably cause the problems you are facing and there isn't much you can do to remedy the fact it was running slightly too cold for 20 days. It is such a large incubator it should hold humidty well like the owner said. But if temps were off and they are born malformed, weak and have struggle hatching you can assist but if it's too weak to be born then I wouldn't bother. There are varying opinions on this and personally I would always try to assist, I am soft like that. I vigorously check temperatures with several sensors. The real challenge of growing into a chick is done by the egg itself, all we have to do it provide the right temp and humidity but I have rarely found an incubator sensor to be calibrated right which is not an issue aslong as it can hold the temperature it is set to but to rely on a second hand sensor to be accurate without double checking and not checking humdity, well those are pretty much the only parameters we are in control of and the diffference between splayed legs, malpositions and problems hatching.

Hope most of them make it.

 

[Justagoose_18]

sounds like temps were too low resulting in them hatching 2 days late. That will invariably cause the problems you are facing and there isn't much you can do to remedy the fact it was running slightly too cold for 20 days. It is such a large incubator it should hold humidty well like the owner said. But if temps were off and they are born malformed, weak and have struggle hatching you can assist but if it's too weak to be born then I wouldn't bother. There are varying opinions on this and personally I would always try to assist, I am soft like that. I vigorously check temperatures with several sensors. The real challenge of growing into a chick is done by the egg itself, all we have to do it provide the right temp and humidity but I have rarely found an incubator sensor to be calibrated right which is not an issue aslong as it can hold the temperature it is set to but to rely on a second hand sensor to be accurate without double checking and not checking humdity, well those are pretty much the only parameters we are in control of and the diffference between splayed legs, malpositions and problems hatching.

Hope most of them make it.

This incubation process was actually a research method focusing on refrigeration and its effects on development. I would definitely say that temperature had a factor as the ones I put in at room temp have hatched about one day late. Some of the eggs were refrigerated for a week while others were for days (but laid much earlier), which was definitely an influence. I have had 100% hatch rates with refrigerated eggs and I wanted to see if this could be applied to older eggs or not, and it seems negative. I also had additional thermometers in there and hygrometers that read 99 throughout the first 13 days but had to move the hygrometers later on. I hope so too, thank you for the response.

 

[Justagoose_18]

This incubation process was actually a research method focusing on refrigeration and its effects on development. I would definitely say that temperature had a factor as the ones I put in at room temp have hatched about one day late. Some of the eggs were refrigerated for a week while others were for days (but laid much earlier), which was definitely an influence. I have had 100% hatch rates with refrigerated eggs and I wanted to see if this could be applied to older eggs or not, and it seems negative. I also had additional thermometers in there and hygrometers that read 99 throughout the first 13 days but had to move the hygrometers later on. I hope so too, thank you for the response.

My thermometer was only in the middle region so there may have been cold spots within the incubator itself. I did not rotate the egg positions. I will update with the total outcome, which will lead to more conclusive findings. I've been doing this for about three years now and I feel like I'm still making rookie mistakes :/

 

[Justagoose_18]

Update: There were 4 sticky chicks when I opened the bator against last night. I would not say shrink-wrapped because all of the chicks that I had to move to a separate incubator did not face humidity issues. 1/4 was already dead in the shell without making it very far. The other 3 needed assistance so I tried my best. The membrane was completely stuck. I already knew they wouldn't have a way to turn so it was just a question of the yolk. I feel so bad for not taking a chance and opening the incubator to add water, but fortunately, all 3 have made it so far. Only one has curled toes and they are just smaller than normal but peeping strongly. I'm going to wait for them to fluff up before moving them to the brooder. I have given them some probiotic honey water. The wryneck was only present in one chick and there have been no other issues. I'm just hoping that the other chicks in the incubator will be ok. I hear faint peeping so that's amazing.

 

[Justagoose_18]

Last update: had to assist about 9 chicks and they are so weak. 3 didn’t make it and two are fine, the other 4 have slim chances. There were no other instances of wry neck and I discovered a few chicks stuck at the back of the bator!! I’m going to do eggtopsied tomorrow. I believe humidity was ok throughout hatch.. I really think it was temperature by a degree and humidity during the end, since the chicks I helped were sticky and literally fused. The eggs I moved upstairs were also all out by day 23. The other hatch I have right now is going so much better, which is entirely relieving!