Is something wrong with my incubator? Hatching problems

[SamuelMcF]

I have the hovabator genesis and I set `12 eggs. on Thursday I put them into lock down and when I candled them I found two to be underdeveloped so I took them out. Well I thought that the rest looked really good. So come yesterday when they were all supposed to hatch One pipped and hatched in like an hour and was SUPER cute and healthy. Well its been in the incubator since then and No others have even pipped. I'm not opening the incubator for fear of shrink wrapping. But this is the second time that this exact thing happened. One really healthy chick and a bunch of fully developed no pips. My humidity and temp are the same as They've always been and i've had great hatches until the last two times. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

 

[SamuelMcF]

update: okay so tonight I took the one chick that hatched out of the bator and decided to candle the remaining eggs. None of them were moving that I could see so I gently cracked each one open and this is what I found:

4 that seemed to have died like late week 3 probably day 18 or 19
5 that looked full term. None of them even pipped internally or externally.
any thoughts? Temp was 99.5-100.5 throughout incubation and humidity was 35 percent until lockdown and then it was about 58.

ANY IDEAS? cuz i'm STUMPED!

Thanks for any help!

 

[Lacrystol]

Well I'm not an expert on the Hovabator but from what I'm reading from there trouble shooting page is this:

Many chicks fully formed in shells with only some
hatching or piping on the expected
hatch date.

1. Humidity incorrect in the incubator.
2. Incubator door opened too frequently during
hatch
3. Insufficient oxygen.

or

Chicks fully formed but none hatched or piped.
1. Temperature setting too extreme.
2. Sudden and prolonged temperature change at
time of hatch.
3. Insufficient oxygen

I'm thinking perhaps it's an oxygen problem???

 

[SamuelMcF]

Hmm that is the only other thing I can think of. The genesis only has one hole on the top and I never plug it.

 

[Lacrystol]

because your temp sounds good, Humidity sounds good, perhaps there's some way to put more holes in it? and try again with another batch and see if it improves?? Again I'm no expert.. I don't even know if putting more holes would be possible... Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful..

 

[SamuelMcF]

Oh no any helps appreciated. I've been thinking more about every detail and most of the chicks died right around day 18 or after. Which Is lockdown time. When I fill the troughs I fill them up all the way and water drips out sometimes and puts the humidity up at 70 for a couple hours. Do you think that small period of time would be enough to create that much damage? Making the air too thick so the chicks suffocate?

 

[Lacrystol]

Oooooo that could be a possiblity. Exspecially for long periods of time. What did the babies look like when you opened them. Did it look like to much water. I know I have gone into lock down a couple of times and had the humidity go up as far as 80. It was for just a short time no more then 30. Minutes of course I open my bator to release it and get it back down. I know your not suppose to open it at lock down but sometimes you really are left with no choice. So perhaps the high humidlity for that long is what did it. Seems strange why its happening only at lockdown.. each time.. how's the one doing.

 

[SamuelMcF]

Yes when I opened the eggs up it did seem like an awful lot if fluid! But I've been doing that same humidity procedure ever since I started hatching. Ive gotten really good hatch rates before. But maybe it's cuz they were shipped eggs. Even though I thought if the eggs started developing than there was no shipping damage. My last couple hatches have been shipped. With horrible luck. But they've all been fertile and fully developed

 

[SamuelMcF]

And the chick that did hatch is wonderful! Eating drinking and everything. He's just lonely

 

[Lacrystol]

Awee the poor little guy. Its soo hard to predict with shipped eggs. I personally think they are a weaker chick probably from all the movement and shaking around. So it could be from the batch of eggs, have you tried doing the same procedure with your own eggs? I have had many shipped eggs and I'm really lucky if I get one or two chicks. I just had 42 eggs sent to me and threw out 13 of them. The rest I have 3 have loose air cells don't think they will make it but I see veins so will see what happens.