Incubation Blues.....

[americanchicks]

HI all!
This spring is the first time I have tried hatching eggs. When it comes to chickens I seem to be good. Have hatched 2 clutches and have an %80 hatch rate. Ducks however have been a pain. Have gone through two batches of muscovies. Fist clutch all where fertile, lost 7 over time for what ever reason but got 5 to the 35 day term. After 37 and no signs of life all where dead yet to absorb yoke. Second clutch started off great but then again one after another died and I was only left with 3. Same thing as before they died before absorbing yoke.

Well I have some welsh harlequin that where given to me in the incubator now. Had high hopes because I have read that muscovies can be hard to hatch. Well again started off great but one after the other dead eggs. I am down to my last egg with only 8 days left but checked this morning, no movement and some dark spotting in the egg.

I don't know why chickens I have down but ducks keeping dying off. Right now I have a nature right incubator that stays between 99.5 and 100.3 and humidity is around %50. Are ducks just more sensitive? Any advice if I try ducks again? Prob wont be for a while, I need a bit of an emotional break
Thanks for reading.

 

[Pyxis]

When you've been cracking them open, have you noticed there is a lot of moisture inside? What you're describing sounds like a humidity issue. For me 50% would have been too high and would have caused the eggs to not lose enough moisture.

 

[americanchicks]

When you've been cracking them open, have you noticed there is a lot of moisture inside? What you're describing sounds like a humidity issue. For me 50% would have been too high and would have caused the eggs to not lose enough moisture.

Not that I noticed in the clutches before. There was some fluid around the ducklings but it was congealed. However theses eggs did seem to be more moist inside than the other clutch, the air cell was not as large as I remember the last ones. My research said %50 humidity even the directions say up to %55. What Humidity do you prefer? I also discovered that my Zoomed digital themo. is on the fritz. It was fluctuating between 98.2 and 101.6. I thought it was my incubator but after placing another them. inside turns out it is the Zoomed. So who knows even though it was reading 99.8 the real temp could of been off.

Thanks for reading.

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

Have you double-checked with a thermometer-hygrometer to make sure your incubator has the right settings? I have lost chicks because I hadn't double-checked incubator thermostat and it was off by a few degrees.