.... I hatch all my eggs in cartons of some form with eggs in a up right position. If you are laying them on the floor of the bator they will rest naturally as they should be. The most important factor is to be left still. The lock down period is basically to give the chick the chance to properly orient its self to pip into the part of the air cell that is up. If the egg is rolled just before it pips into what he thinks is the top of the air cell, it could pip into the bottom of the air cell. When this happens, the chick only has a small amount of time to beat a hole in the outer shell. If it cant get a hole thru the shell fast enough. The remaining fluid surrounding the chick can drain into the air cell, displacing the air with water, thus drowning it. A lot of the chicks that are lost right as they should hatch are really just drown in the shell. Hatching in a upright position almost completely eliminates this.... . Hope you have a great hatch, Bill
This is the best explanation of what's going on at pipping and could explain why I have lost so many at this stage. Thanks Fat Daddy. I'm trying a different approach to eggs turning and keeping them upright at lock down this time to see if it will make a difference. (I also tried another experiment this time, 1 tray of washed eggs and one without washing, to see if it makes a difference.