Help ~ I need advice on hatching eggs> I just had my worst hatch rate

[fried green eggs]

I ran humidity in incubator at 30 to 40 % for first 18 days. Candled and had movement in all 10 eggs before putting into lock-down. I put them in my hatching bator and had it about 60-65% humidity. The temps in both incubators stays very even at 99.5 - 99.9 deg. On day 20 five chicks hatched no problems and quickly. I had one more that externally pipped and broke a fairly large hole and then didn't progress at all for the next 12+ hours. The other eggs hadn't pipped so, I decided to help this chick hatch and pre-heated bathroom and raised humidity with hot running shower. I pulled the egg out quickly and bator humidity dropped from 66% to 65% but temp remained at 99.5 degs so, I thought that was OK for the remaining eggs in there . The membrane was stuck to the chick like concrete and only it's head was free. I very carefully removed the egg shell, I made sure the yoke was absorbed and there was no blood.and then put the chick in pre-heated 100 deg water and let it soak until membrane could easily be removed.
I put chick back in bator and added hot water to pan and humidity went back up to 67%.

The last four eggs made no progress for the next 36 hours. I saw and heard no pips so, I figured they could be stuck so, I pulled them to candle but, found they no longer had movement so in the first 3 eggs the chicks had membrane shrink wrapped to them and where very wet like they drowned inside membrane but, the last chicks membrane was ply-able and the chick was pretty dry with yoke absorbed and no blood but, just as dead as the other 3 .

What did I do wrong? Even though temp and humidity stayed pretty consistent - Did I kill four to save one? But, they seemed so different - 5 easily hatched, one pipped then stuck and needed help, 3 chicks in shell never pipped and drowned? and one just didn't pip but, looked like it should have without problem. Could I have saved these chicks if, I had candle them earlier?

 

[SierraView]

Were the eggs shipped? I know when I have shipped eggs that look good going into lock down I end up with a few that don't hatch. If your other eggs wern't pipped then don't think opening the incubator they way you did had any effect on the remaining eggs. Are you sure your hygrometer is accurate?

 

[fried green eggs]

Yes they were shipped eggs. I started with 14 and 9 of them went into hatcher and only 5 hatched. I have three hygrometers I haven't calibrated them yet but will soon. The hygrometers were reading within a % of each other and I had lots of condensation on the viewing windows like my last few hatches so, I think it was OK. Why would these shipped eggs die at this point if they developed well and had movement just before lock-down? What should I do different? This is so frustrating

I have more shipped eggs that will be going into lock-down

next week so, I need to know if I did something wrong.

 

[nurse_turtle]

You did nothing wrong. With shipped eggs, I'd be thrilled with that hatch rate. Maybe the unhatched eggs were more porous than the others and lost more moisture or were less porous and didn't lose enough moisture. Sometimes there are variables that we have no control over. It is frustrating but don't change a thing.

 

[SierraView]

I don't know why it happens.

I get 100% hatch rate from my own eggs most times and hatch shipped eggs at the same time. The shipped eggs always have some that don't hatch, or sometimes pip the wrong end and die. My incubators have been running since February, hatching every week. It could be possible your humidity is to high days 1 - 18, and even lock down. I never see moisture in the viewing window. My lock down is 58% to 60% and when they start hatching it goes up never going over 65%

I set 30 shipped eggs a week ago, candled and tossed 11. If all 19 make it to lock down I expect 15 chicks and this would be a great hatch for shipped eggs. Overall a 50% hatch on shipped is fantastic for me. I've had lots of dud 0% hatch on shipped eggs. It's risky for sure. Hope you get lots of chickies

 

[fried green eggs]

Thank you for the replys. Now I don't feel as bad, thinking I killed these poor chicks. This is my first hatch in my newest hatching bator but, it's running very consistent and I'm doing the same as what had gotten me 75-80% hatch on the few shipped eggs and 100% on my own in the.past. I'm still new at this but I have been doing staggered hatches since early March. I haven't turned off my first incubator since I made it. One of these eggs was cracked from shipping. I had sealed it with candle wax but scrapped some of the wax off just before lock-down - I will leave wax on if I have one like that again.

 

[SierraView]

Let us know if the candle wax one hatches. I had 2 cracked eggs on my last shipped batch and just tossed them. I seen people do the wax before.

 

[fried green eggs]

Let us know if the candle wax one hatches. I had 2 cracked eggs on my last shipped batch and just tossed them. I seen people do the wax before.

Darn - You should have tried to seal them with wax first. Nothing to lose by trying it - right? The cracked egg I sealed with wax was good on day 18 candling with movement but, I should have left the wax on and not scrapped any off before lock-down - then maybe it would have made it. I have seen post with pictures of eggs with big dent/cracks where wax was used and chicks hatched fine. Good luck with your hatch !