Help! Sticky chicks drying/dying in there

[ChickInNanaimo]

Hi there. Any help would be appreciated. This is my first batch and I am not having an easy first experience. Of the 14 I put into lockdown at a calibrated temperature of 37.7 and 65% humidity 7 have now hatched. I have 3 others that have pipped but then stopped and have not moved for 12 hrs. They were peeping loudly at first and now are not peeping as much. The outer area around the pip appears crusty with yellow gunk. I am terrified of hurting them or causing them to bleed by helping them but I am starting to think I need to. The other eggs (5) which candled alive and well before lockdown have no action at all. I have increased the humidity to 85% for the last 24 hrs because of the issues. What else should I do...help the pipped ones? Should I pip the ones that are not doing anything? Today is day 22 for them. Stressful!

 

[fried green eggs]

Sorry your hatch isn't going well. The temp needs to be 37.5 C. and the humidity doesn't need to be more than 65% I am worried that some of your chicks may be drowned. Here is a link from a BYC member that put all hatching info together with all the how tos and when to help answers. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101 https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching and here is after hatch analysis to help figure out what to change for next time. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatchability-problem-analysis

 

[ChickInNanaimo]

Well it turned out mostly ok. I have 9 healthy chicks out of the 14 I put in lockdown. Two of the 14 had died a few days before I opened them and the other three died during the hatching procedure as a result of shrink wrapping. I maintained humidity at 45% for the first 18 days and then increased it to 65% for the last three days and yet half the chicks were too dry. The six that hatched on their own did it with no trouble and no dryness. The three that I helped hatch were either glued into their shell or shrink wrapped. I am confused about how this could have occurred but I will do more research and try with higher humidity next time. Crazy experience. Thanks very much for the info on this site about how to help chicks hatch...those three little guys would have died for sure if I hadn't hatched them. As it was for the ones I helped I had 3/3 survive and do well so obviously the advice worked.

 

[fried green eggs]

Congrats! I'm glad you were able to help the ones that needed it. Before you do your next hatch I think you should make sure your Hygrometer is accurate. I am guessing it reads higher than it actually is in your incubator. You can calibrate it by putting table salt in a milk cap and add enough water to make a very wet paste. Put your hygrometer in a small air-tight ziplock bag with the salt/water cap. Leave it alone for 12 hours and the hygrometer should read 75%. If it is off, high or low put a note on the Hygrometer so, you will remember how much it is off and can adjust accordingly.