Help! Incubation issues

[MommyRooster89]

We were gifted an auto turner 48 egg incubator for Christmas and decided to try it out with our mixed babies.

48 in, candeling showed 47 fertile. 23 hatched perfectly, 5 quitters after zipping or pipping. The rest..nothing (waited unti day 25).
I checked on them often and thought maybe it was the changes in temp and humidity.

Cleaned it out thoroughly and a week later we started another 48. This time I decided not to candle at all, our rooster is active lol. So we didn't count our chicks before they hatched. I just moved them onto the rack and out of the turners per normal and waited.
We had 25 hatch perfectly (peeked at them only three times for like ten seconds each) and I waited until day 23 to remove them and I found 4 quitters (pipped or zipped).

Why are only half of them hatching?! And UGH the smell of dead chicks...horrible!
Any guesses or advice on how to fix this?

 

[Pyxis]

What have you been keeping your temperature and humidity at? Is this a forced air or still air incubator?

 

[MommyRooster89]

38.3 C and 78 % humidity

It's a little chicken dusty cause it's not in use now.

 

[Pyxis]

38.3 C and 78 % humidity

It's a little chicken dusty cause it's not in use now.

I'm not familiar with this model and whether it is forced air or still air, but if it is forced air, the temp is too high. In a forced air, it should be kept at 37.5 C. If it's a still air, it's too low. The temp for a still air should be kept at 38.6 C measured at the top of the eggs.

And 78 percent humidity is way too high for the first 25 days. If you were keeping it at that the entire time, the embryos were likely drowning in the shells. 40 percent would be a better place to keep it at, and then adjust if the air cells aren't developing properly.

 

[MommyRooster89]

Oh wow! Okay I'll check whether it's forced air or not and DEFF turn down the humidity next time.

"First twenty five days"? Must've been mistyped

 

[Pyxis]

Oh wow! Okay I'll check whether it's forced air or not and DEFF turn down the humidity next time.

"First twenty five days"? Must've been mistyped

Sorry, I had ducks on the brain when I typed that, lol. First 18 days for chicks.

But yes, way too high. Try 40% next time, watch the air cells, and adjust as needed.

 

[MommyRooster89]

Oh hubby says it's forced air. So temp and humidity down. THANKS!

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Sorry, I had ducks on the brain when I typed that, lol. First 18 days for chicks.

Depends upon the duck breed. It only takes Welsh Harlequins 23 days to hatch.

 

[Pyxis]

Depends upon the duck breed. It only takes Welsh Harlequins 23 days to hatch.

Nope, as a breeder of Welsh Harlequins, I can tell you they take the standard 28 days Unless they have started to develop before you set them or your incubator is too hot, they are 28 days like all other mallard derived non-bantam ducks.

Calls and other bantam ducks can take 26 days, and that's the fastest of any of them. Muscovies take longer, 35 days.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Nope, as a breeder of Welsh Harlequins, I can tell you they take the standard 28 days

Our WHs must not be reading the same manual. I've raised and bred pure Welsh Harlequins for over a decade and have always had them hatch out on or around Day 23, with hatch rates running 85-100%. I have a friend who lives in Wales and his WHs and Khaki's all hatch out around Day 23 as well. If you look up WHs or Khaki Campbells in the UK, you will find that they hatch out anywhere from Day 23 to Day 26.