- May 9, 2010
- 77
- 9
- 91
This weekend's hatch is the worst I've ever had! Started with 20 fresh eggs from our hens, candled at 18 days, 6 failed to develop & were discarded. Down to 14 eggs....
Using a Hovabator with fan & automatic turner, which was removed at 18 day lockdown. We use the top 1/2 of jumbo cartons lined up in the hovabator, and I normally put a few thicker brand wet paper towels alongside the cartons to keep humidity optimal. Have had almost 100% success in past hatches doing this.
Even my first try at hatching, when we first got the incubator, & did not candle at all resulted in better than 50% hatch rate! I've hatched month old refridgerated eggs & had great success, too. But not today!!!!
So, of the 14 remaining eggs, 8 failed to pip at all, and were fully formed, dead in the shell. Of the 6 live chicks, one has a herniated spot, where the yolk should have absorbed, protruding from its body ( & is spreading yolk all over inside the incubator, but still flailing around - unlikely to make it. From experience, abnormal chicks ALWAYS die of the anomaly) The 6th chick is weak, & I just helped it out of the egg, as it was a bit stuck. These chicks almost always are fine, in my experience.
The only real difference this time around was super low humidity (20%) at end of week one, & my husband put the wet paper towels IN the carton tops, then set the eggs on them!!! (arrrrrgggghhh!) Wondering if the eggs wound up getting "water-logged" from this. Also, my thermostat seems to be going haywire, certainly not good.... having to make huge adjustments with the lever to control it, whereas only a nudge is usually needed.
Wondering what the experts here think of my sad situation.... or perhaps its time to ORDER those Buckeyes I've always wanted...?!? Stinko...& disappointing!!!
Using a Hovabator with fan & automatic turner, which was removed at 18 day lockdown. We use the top 1/2 of jumbo cartons lined up in the hovabator, and I normally put a few thicker brand wet paper towels alongside the cartons to keep humidity optimal. Have had almost 100% success in past hatches doing this.
Even my first try at hatching, when we first got the incubator, & did not candle at all resulted in better than 50% hatch rate! I've hatched month old refridgerated eggs & had great success, too. But not today!!!!
So, of the 14 remaining eggs, 8 failed to pip at all, and were fully formed, dead in the shell. Of the 6 live chicks, one has a herniated spot, where the yolk should have absorbed, protruding from its body ( & is spreading yolk all over inside the incubator, but still flailing around - unlikely to make it. From experience, abnormal chicks ALWAYS die of the anomaly) The 6th chick is weak, & I just helped it out of the egg, as it was a bit stuck. These chicks almost always are fine, in my experience.
The only real difference this time around was super low humidity (20%) at end of week one, & my husband put the wet paper towels IN the carton tops, then set the eggs on them!!! (arrrrrgggghhh!) Wondering if the eggs wound up getting "water-logged" from this. Also, my thermostat seems to be going haywire, certainly not good.... having to make huge adjustments with the lever to control it, whereas only a nudge is usually needed.
Wondering what the experts here think of my sad situation.... or perhaps its time to ORDER those Buckeyes I've always wanted...?!? Stinko...& disappointing!!!