Help me figure out what I did wrong

[WGregge]

So I am on day 22 of my first hatch. I ordered 22 shipped eggs. Upon arrival I let them sit pointy end down in cartons for 48 hours. I then placed them into the incubator which had been running for 2 days. I did buy it used but was told it was only used once. It’s a nurture right 360. I placed the eggs in the egg cartons and did not turn for the first 3 days. After that I tilted them side to side 3 times a day. By day 18 I had 10 left that all looked really good with lots of movement. I kept them in the cartons for lockdown as I was advised to do by many. I stopped turning and did not open the incubator after this time. My humidity days 1-18 averaged in the 40s but occasionally dropped in the 30s. Mainly it was 30-45. I had 4 other thermometer/hygrometers in there to check everything and they all read lower than the incubator. On day 18 I upped my humidity to 65. So far I have had 2 pip at the wrong end of the egg and died immediately, I’m assuming drowned, there was liquid coming out of 1. I had another that pipped the right end very close to the air cell, it made a pretty big hole like it was trying to zip, I woke up and found it gasping for air with fluid all around it. I went to help but was too late and it died. So I believe those 3 drowned. And the other 7 have done nothing as of this morning. I am so upset over this and it’s been a horrible experience. I was so excited to hatch some chicks and now I don’t think I’ll even get 1. I don’t want to just give up so I will try again... but I really need to know what went wrong to fix it?? Everyone keeps saying it sounds like high humidity during incubation but I just can’t understand how that’s possible. I’ll attach some pictures of one of my thermometer/hygrometers readings over the whole hatch and also some pics 2 of the ones that didn’t make it.

 

[MGillis]

I am still a bit of a newbie, I have only 1 successful egg hatch. But I have read many places that at lockdown, the eggs should be laid on their side. This allows them to rock around and move into position while hatching. I wonder if being in the carton didn't allow them to move around as much and that might have hampered your hatch success. I know the one egg I had hatch used her feet to push that last part of the shell off when she was unzipping. She wouldn't have been able to do that if the egg had been oriented in an up position. It helped that she was pushing sideways. Hope this helps! Good luck on your next hatch!

 

[FortCluck]

Let me help you a bit, I have some hatching experience under my belt. My first hatch was a wreck, but I learned many things from it that I still use today.

Who told you not to turn for the first 3 days in the incubator? You should be turning every day that eggs are in the incubator at least 2 or 3 times a day. 3 times or more is usually what most of us prefer. The first 7 days of incubation are the most crucial.

How old were the eggs when you got them? Usually you should let shipped eggs sit for 24 hours then put them in the incubator. If they are fresh from your flock you can store them pointy side down for 7 days after that they start to lose their viability.

Wrong end pips are usually due to malpositions...

Did you continue to turn after day 18? You should stop turning at day 18 and leave the eggs alone. This is why they call it lockdown. You are not supposed to be touching anything (many of us do, but only when it is a dire need to).

It looks to me like your incubator may have been too humid for the chicks because the second pic looks very gooey, which means the inside of the egg did not get absorbed. Drowned chicks are usually caused by the humidity being too high.

I would try to lower your humidity the next time that you hatch. I would aim for 50-55% at lockdown. This is the humidity that I use at lockdown because when chicks start to externally pip they add more moisture to the incubator and it causes the humidity to spike.

At this point I would candle all the eggs that have nothing (open the incubator fast and shut it fast) and see what those eggs are doing. If there are chicks in them you are safe to wait up to 48 hours after day 21 before you assist them.

I am sorry that you have suffered losses But we are here for support

Here are some BYC articles to help you with hatching:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...hatching-chicken-eggs-aka-hatching-101.64195/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hatching-shipped-eggs.75470/

Here are some BYC articles to help you with assisted hatching if the other chicks are still alive:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

And Join the July Hatch a Long...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...y-hatch-a-long.1381520/page-179#post-22968700

 

[WGregge]

Let me help you a bit, I have some hatching experience under my belt. My first hatch was a wreck, but I learned many things from it that I still use today.

Who told you not to turn for the first 3 days in the incubator? You should be turning every day that eggs are in the incubator at least 2 or 3 times a day. 3 times or more is usually what most of us prefer. The first 7 days of incubation are the most crucial.

How old were the eggs when you got them? Usually you should let shipped eggs sit for 24 hours then put them in the incubator. If they are fresh from your flock you can store them pointy side down for 7 days after that they start to lose their viability.

Wrong end pips are usually due to malpositions...

Did you continue to turn after day 18? You should stop turning at day 18 and leave the eggs alone. This is why they call it lockdown. You are not supposed to be touching anything (many of us do, but only when it is a dire need to).

It looks to me like your incubator may have been too humid for the chicks because the second pic looks very gooey, which means the inside of the egg did not get absorbed. Drowned chicks are usually caused by the humidity being too high.

I would try to lower your humidity the next time that you hatch. I would aim for 50-55% at lockdown. This is the humidity that I use at lockdown because when chicks start to externally pip they add more moisture to the incubator and it causes the humidity to spike.

At this point I would candle all the eggs that have nothing (open the incubator fast and shut it fast) and see what those eggs are doing. If there are chicks in them you are safe to wait up to 48 hours after day 21 before you assist them.

I am sorry that you have suffered losses But we are here for support

Here are some BYC articles to help you with hatching:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...hatching-chicken-eggs-aka-hatching-101.64195/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hatching-shipped-eggs.75470/

Here are some BYC articles to help you with assisted hatching if the other chicks are still alive:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

And Join the July Hatch a Long...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...y-hatch-a-long.1381520/page-179#post-22968700

Thrse are shipped eggs from eBay, the woman I bought them from told me to not turn for the first 3 days of incubation to let the air cells “heal”. A few people I talked to agreed and some even said they leave them for 7 days with no turning. The eggs were 7 days old when they went in. I let them rest for 48hrs upright in cartons before I put them in the incubator, I did not turn them during this time either. I also read the big long post someone wrote on here about hatching and there was a section on shipped eggs and I believe it also said not to turn for a few days. From what everyone is telling me, my humidity was too high on days 1-18, which I just can’t fathom because people tell me all the time that they keep theirs at 55 and mine was always between 30 and 45. I think I will dry hatch the next batch, I’ve got another incubator running now with no water and it’s staying around 35-37. I sure hope that’s low enough. I think I’ll only raise to 55 for lockdown and also place them on their side at lockdown. And yes I stopped turning at day 18. I did not open the incubator after that until I tried to assist the one with all the bubbles.

 

[FortCluck]

Thrse are shipped eggs from eBay, the woman I bought them from told me to not turn for the first 3 days of incubation to let the air cells “heal”. A few people I talked to agreed and some even said they leave them for 7 days with no turning. The eggs were 7 days old when they went in. I let them rest for 48hrs upright in cartons before I put them in the incubator, I did not turn them during this time either. I also read the big long post someone wrote on here about hatching and there was a section on shipped eggs and I believe it also said not to turn for a few days. From what everyone is telling me, my humidity was too high on days 1-18, which I just can’t fathom because people tell me all the time that they keep theirs at 55 and mine was always between 30 and 45. I think I will dry hatch the next batch, I’ve got another incubator running now with no water and it’s staying around 35-37. I sure hope that’s low enough. I think I’ll only raise to 55 for lockdown and also place them on their side at lockdown. And yes I stopped turning at day 18. I did not open the incubator after that until I tried to assist the one with all the bubbles.

I run my incubators without water too because if I add any water to them before lock down, it drowns the chicks. I believe it has to do with the humidity in my house, which is weird because I have central air that should rid my house of humidity... guess not.

I would have checked the air cells before I put them in the incubator after 24 hours of letting them stay in the upright position then see how they were. If they weren’t messed up, I would’ve turned the eggs instantly.

I am wondering if the turning you were doing was enough because the embryos could’ve attached to the membrane not allowing them to hatch.

 

[WGregge]

I candled them before putting them in and they were still wobbly or detached. Maybe I can incubate them upright for a few days and then lay them down? I did about a 45 degree tilt 3 times a day in the cartons. The 3 that tried to hatch all drowned im pretty sure and 2 of those were malpositioned. One was right but still drowned and there was so much liquid around its beak while it was trying to zip. The humidity in my house has been reading like 65% so maybe that’s causing it, but I was kind of under the impression that that didn’t really matter because the humidity inside the incubator wasn’t that much? Maybe I’m confused on that.

 

[FortCluck]

I candled them before putting them in and they were still wobbly or detached. Maybe I can incubate them upright for a few days and then lay them down? I did about a 45 degree tilt 3 times a day in the cartons. The 3 that tried to hatch all drowned im pretty sure and 2 of those were malpositioned. One was right but still drowned and there was so much liquid around its beak while it was trying to zip. The humidity in my house has been reading like 65% so maybe that’s causing it, but I was kind of under the impression that that didn’t really matter because the humidity inside the incubator wasn’t that much? Maybe I’m confused on that.

Do you have a pic of the actual incubator?

I want to check something

When I add water it makes my hygrometer read insane readings because without water my incubator stays at 30% by itself. I have hatched successfully dry hatching, but it’s not for everyone.

Hatching is an experiment and each time you learn more for the next hatch.

I’m trying to think of other reasons why they wouldn’t absorb and be gooey...

I hatch upright because I had zero success with laying them down and turning them.

All I can think of is the breeding stock that would be the last issue if I can have a look at the top of your incubator that you’re using.

 

[WGregge]

Do you have a pic of the actual incubator?

I want to check something

When I add water it makes my hygrometer read insane readings because without water my incubator stays at 30% by itself. I have hatched successfully dry hatching, but it’s not for everyone.

Hatching is an experiment and each time you learn more for the next hatch.

I’m trying to think of other reasons why they wouldn’t absorb and be gooey...

I hatch upright because I had zero success with laying them down and turning them.

All I can think of is the breeding stock that would be the last issue if I can have a look at the top of your incubator that you’re using.

heres a picture I have in my phone. It’s the nurture right 360

 

[FortCluck]

I was checking to see if it have sufficient air flow. Making sure you don’t have the holes plugged with tape like some do

 

[WGregge]

Do you have a pic of the actual incubator?

I want to check something

When I add water it makes my hygrometer read insane readings because without water my incubator stays at 30% by itself. I have hatched successfully dry hatching, but it’s not for everyone.

Hatching is an experiment and each time you learn more for the next hatch.

I’m trying to think of other reasons why they wouldn’t absorb and be gooey...

I hatch upright because I had zero success with laying them down and turning them.

All I can think of is the breeding stock that would be the last issue if I can have a look at the top of your incubator that you’re using.

i have the incubator in a back bedroom that we don’t use. I keep the door shut and I turned theA/C vent in that room off. It stays 75-80 degrees and like I said my hygrometer was reading around 65% in that room. Does that have anything to do with it?