I don't know what I did wrong...Chick died before hatching

[ThaJuicyJuice]

101 is fine for still-air. We have to remember that the heat sits in the top of a still air incubator. The heat reaching different parts of the egg can be different due to these physics. Bypassing scientific evidence that even temperatures at 102 can lead to a high hatch rate. The problem with still air is that if there is no auto-turner, the opening and closing for adding water and/or turning results in a abnormal fluctuation in the natural thermal cycle taking place in your incubator. Late dead, meaning chicks that have died after pipping can be related to other things such as thin shells, thick shells, or even disease.

I would say the best thing you can do is add a pc fan to your bator, which is extremely easy and cheaper than the fan kit. Before I added the fan, I would rage from 97 in the mornings to even a few times coming home at 103 or 104. I worked out a cycle towards the end of that batch of turning down the thermostat before I left. Now I barely mess with i, but find 99.5 or 99.7 every time I check.

 

[Lroach711]

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Is there somewhere on here with instructions for how to put the a pc fan on?

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

If it helps you feel better, there are books written in the early 1900s that talk about how you don't want to help a chick out of it's shell and if it dies or struggles too much you want to cull it as it doesn't have the vigor you need for a good quality chicken.

I just had a chicken that didn't hatch and was fully pipped. He hadn't zipped yet but was close. It appears he just wore out. Now, my incubator got turned off one night and that probably stressed them but alas, I've had this happen when the incubator was perfect.

Another common problem for chicks pipping and dying is they get turned upside down by the other chicks and they seem to get their beaks caught in the wire on the bottom of the incubator. A few years ago, I started adding paper towels to the bottom of the bater and I don't do the "official lock down." I check my chicks and when they are dry I move them to another location. I check all eggs to make sure they are upright if they are pipping. I've decreased my death rate by a huge amount since I started this.

Dave

 

[Lroach711]

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That does make me feel better. I knew going in that it might not be the best first hatch. I'm learning as I go

So I can just hope that next time I'll have a much better hatch rate. (Plus I wont be using shipped eggs) Thanks for the info!