In shell death question...

[Poulets De Cajun]

While in shell death is a fact of hatching, does anyone know what its cause is? Humidity issues were my first guess, but humidity seems to be the common excuse for most problems arising during incubation.

 

[Jamie821]

I know humidity gets the blame for most things but in reality it is the cause of most. Did you open the egg. If so did the chick pip the internal membrane. If the chick did get through the membrane and them died alot of the time it is due to to high humidity during the first 18 days, Not enough evaporation of the fluid in the egg and the chick pip into fluid. If it didnt pip the inner membrane I have found it is usually a weak chick or to low of humidity during the first 18 days which dried out the egg to much so the chick could not turn to get in postion to pip.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

I haven't opened the egg yet. Its only a day late at this point, so I'm giving it a little extra time to allow for temperature differences in the incubator. If it still hasn't pipped by tomorrow afternoon I'll open it.

Stupid question, but how do you tell if it broke the inner membrane? I've not completed may disection of dead eggs so I'm a little green on the matter.

My other question is that if other eggs are hatching that were set at the same time, why wouldn't a lack of or surplus of humidity killed them also? My humidity in this large cabinet incubator runs in the 40% to 50% area at all times. Try as I might, I CAN NOT get it over 55% I've even plugged the vent holes to try and keep it in. And the worst part about it, is that it is a self fed waterer hooked up to a 5 gallon bucket, so I dont even have to OPEN the door except to move eggs to the hatching tray...

 

[Jamie821]

Sometimes the egg sac is not always even and one may pip at a little lower part of the egg. You will have chicks even in to high humidity that will pip a little higher or miss the fluid. I have a sportsman and the way I get my humidity up is right below the hole where your hose fills the water I put a bowl and put a new sponge in there. If the humidity wont come up I run my syringe through that hole and wet the sponge with warm water, Make sure you dont plug all holes as the eggs need some oxygen. I always have one hole on the top open and get my humidity up with sponges.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

One of the major problems I have encountered is that the chick may "pip, peep", but it does not get through the membrane and it will suffocate. I always check to see if i see a beak in the peep. They will stay this way for hours if they find the air, they just rest.

I have not had the problem with too high a humidity so i can not tell you how this works.

 

[Jamie821]

to see if they pipped the inner membrane open the top of the egg and slow break away the egg shell till you see the membrane. If they pipped the membrand you will see a small slit in it and the chicks beak right where the slit is.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Well I fear this hatch isn't going to go to well. I was just pulling out the LG to set it up as a hatcher, and while I was doing that I checked on the newest blue chick in the brooder. It is favoring one leg, partial splay leg I am assuming. So maybe I have more humidity issues than I think I do....

I've got the LG running, filled the trays, and moved the digital hydrometer. I'm going to run it until tomorrow morning and see how high the humidity gets. If I can get it higher than the big one, then I'll be using it as a hatcher from now on. I can't afford to be having in shell deaths and other humidity caused issues.

 

[steffpeck]

I am sorry that things are going well. I am getting ready to set eggs tomorrow for my first hatch of the season, and while I am excited I am also dreading it a bit. I have lost so many chicks that make it to day 18 and don't hatch, and I really am not looking forward to that again. I hope everything turns out well for the rest of your chickies!!

 

[I'vegotchickenfever]

I have lost so many chicks that make it to day 18 and don't hatch, and I really am not looking forward to that again.

this sounds soooo depressing. It's our first hatch - half way through day 21 and only one has hatched out of 36. I know we still have a couple of days, but I've been reading alot of this stuff. It's so hard to deal with.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

I'vegotchickenfever :

It's so hard to deal with.

If you hatch enough, you get used to it. Its not hard to deal with for me, but it is a bit disappointing...​