I killed them all.

[Susan10]

They were shipped and had saddle air cells but really not very bad. I've hatched shipped quail, chicken, and duck before in a crappy Bator with no fan, temp and humidity fluctuations, turned by hand, and had better hatches than this. This time I was meticulous and did everything so carefully to a T and had them all die in lockdown. Makes no sense and I feel horrible. I'm worried my other eggs are Ll going to due in lockdown too.

 

[Susan10]

I don't believe my eyes. I LITERALLY do not believe my own eyeballs in my own head. I'm so sick, the thermometer I used in the hatcher which I just calibrated 6 days ago and matched precisely with my incubator's thermometer is now showing 6 degrees low. This is unreal. After all the blood, sweat, and tears I put into getting that 100% right down to lockdown, and my thermometer craps out during lockdown and kills my precious Angels?!?! I have no words. I am just sickened to death.

 

[Susan10]

What humidity would you recommend I adjust to for the rest if my other eggs incubation period? And then upon lockdown what would you say?

 

[Orca5094]

Wow, so sorry your thermometer seems to have failed you right at the end. That is most likely what the problem was.

Shipped eggs are also notoriously hard to hatch out, at least for me and many others. Some people have great luck with them, but that is not always the case. It's kind of a luck of the draw sort of thing.

I agree with AmyLynn that you need to monitor your other egg's air cells very closely and compare them to the chart. If they are smaller than they should be at any time, lower your humidity right away and candle again in a few days. If the air cells are ever larger than they should be, increase the humidity and check again in a few days. Alot of incubation is trial and error.

 

[steve56616]

Have PM'd you Susan.
Sorry to read this and I feel lucky I managed to get both mine through. Everywhere I read said Mandarins are so difficult to hatch. I am sure mine would have died also if I ignored my gut instinct to open, or maybe they would have hatched on their own, I didn't want to risk it.
All I can say is I incubated dry at around 30% most of the process and didn't spray and cool at all. Only sprayed a little at lock down and raised humidity right up.
I started incubating another two as I purchased 4, although there was a gap in laying so I had two sent followed by another two (now one as one didn't produce many veins and died around 8 days). So mine is due on 21st May with 4 runner ducks.
My first batch of runners all had detached air cells only two made it to lock down but both died. One showed brown staining coming through shell at the bottom. I opened thinking it had died as no movement at all and strange empty spaces top and bottom. Baby was alive but so squash in round the middle of the egg. I had do try and break a air hole but it died late last night. Other one was dead and was only a head and body with no limbs at all :-(
These four runners also have detached air cells some worse than others. I followed advice on keeping them upright for 6 days with slight tilting but they still remain detached. I think I may encounter the same problems again and I don't really know what to do so I hope someone can advise me also.

 

[Susan10]

Well these last three I have in the incubator have rolling air so, but I'm going to monitor and compare them to the charts instead of relying on specific humidity percentages. I have never monitor the air cells before so I will draw lines and post pictures later tonight and ask the advice of more advanced hatchers. It's strange because when I hats as an adolescent I never had a hygrometer or automatic Turner or fan I turned my hand and just kept it at that temperature that fluctuated because I had a Styrofoam incubator. And now that I have invested in the more advanced equipment and started to monitor and candle, I get a terrible hatchery. Ironic. But I am still holding out I hope for the best of the three.

 

[Susan10]

I know I am going to purchase a at least three more hygrometers and thermometers so I will have a total of four at the same time. I cannot take the chance of one crapping out on me again and killing my lovely lovely angels.

 

[casportpony]

This might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I would put my money on the high humidity. 57% humidity in my opinion is WAY too high. I believe in low humdity incubation and checking air cells for proper growth as detailed here: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity.

First off, make sure that you have a thermometer and hygrometer that is checked for accuracy. A faulty thermometer/hygrometer will devestate your hatch...ask how I know....I relied on a BRAND NEW thermometer for my first hatch only to have my hatch compromised and to find out it was 6 degrees off...so first, check your equipment. Second, lower that humdity. I would follow the method in the link I gave you. Check the air cells and compare to the chart to see how your humidity needs to be adjusted. I prefer 30-35% for the first 17 days and then up to 75% for lockdown and hatch. That is where I would start. Good luck.

X2.

-Kathy