Loss after lockdown

[grabapearacres]

We have been having an issue that we don't normally have. We do weekly hatches so we run an incubator and a hatch box which has controlled humidity and temperature. We keep loosing chicks right at the end based on post hatch inspection. The aren't pipping but are fully developed other wise. I'm wondering if our bator being at 100.2 could have been the issue (I lowered it to 99.3 when I noticed), or if I might need to sterilize my hatch box. I can't see any cleanliness issue but I can't think of any other reason to be having this issue. I would think the air cell could be at play because it was on the smaller side when I put them in but they never internally pipped so I don't think that would have an effect. I need to figure this out before the next eggs go into the hatch box on Wednesday! We have been hatching for 5 years an have never had an issue like this and always have smooth simple hatches so I'm lost.

 

[OneHappyDuckie]

Is your incubator forced air or still air? 100.2 is fine if it's still are, I believe. I only have a forced air one and it runs at 99.5.
If you haven't done it in a while, I would go ahead and sterilize the hatch box too.

 

[grabapearacres]

Is your incubator forced air or still air? 100.2 is fine if it's still are, I believe. I only have a forced air one and it runs at 99.5.
If you haven't done it in a while, I would go ahead and sterilize the hatch box too.

The incubator is forced air and running at 99.5. The hatch incubator for lock down is also forced air and was higher than I thought at close to 100.3 I turned it down to 99.3 when I noticed because I have read that higher Temps at hatching combined with the higher humidity can cause the chicks to struggle. A low number of chicks hatched on day 21 with no apparent issues but the rest are perfectly formed and just never pipped inside. Our hatch rate was 50% of fertile eggs but all loss happened in the lockdown stage.

 

[OneHappyDuckie]

The incubator is forced air and running at 99.5. The hatch incubator for lock down is also forced air and was higher than I thought at close to 100.3 I turned it down to 99.3 when I noticed because I have read that higher Temps at hatching combined with the higher humidity can cause the chicks to struggle. A low number of chicks hatched on day 21 with no apparent issues but the rest are perfectly formed and just never pipped inside. Our hatch rate was 50% of fertile eggs but all loss happened in the lockdown stage.

Do you know what your humidity is?

 

[Yardmom]

Was this just one batch or have you had multiple batches that have had a decreased hatch rate? Where are you getting your eggs?

 

[grabapearacres]

Do you know what your humidity is?

I do not. We haven't tracked humidity in a long time during incubation but watch the air cell space. During lockdown the humidity is 68%.

 

[grabapearacres]

Was this just one batch or have you had multiple batches that have had a decreased hatch rate? Where are you getting your eggs?

This is the second we had low rate. They are from our chickens. Did great last year with 80 to 90% success on confirnmed fertile eggs. Eggs less than a week old when going into the incubator.

 

[Yardmom]

Any changes in the health/diet of your adult birds? How many birds do you have? What ages? Are the birds genetically close relations? Are all heating elements etc. Still working as they should (I had an issue in a new incubator once where the 2 halves were drastically different even with the fan) Just trying to help think through what might be different recently, as you already know what works for hatching in your environment.

 

[grabapearacres]

Any changes in the health/diet of your adult birds? How many birds do you have? What ages? Are the birds genetically close relations? Are all heating elements etc. Still working as they should (I had an issue in a new incubator once where the 2 halves were drastically different even with the fan) Just trying to help think through what might be different recently, as you already know what works for hatching in your environment.

They are getting more closely related we actually brought in new roosters this year to keep from having issues. I didn't think that we would have this issue. We have never had any developmental issues and the few that did hatch look completely normal. Diet is the same as last year. Everything seems to be functioning normally as far as we can tell with using this new to us incubator. I did find mold in the hatch box so between hatches I sanitized and dried. What worries me now is I had a baby poult in a separate hatch unit who obviously is completely unrelated to the chicks that stopped developing on about day 26. So either I'm doing something completely wrong at lockdown Temps/humidity or somehow that incubator we borrowed is messing them up in a way that makes them pass at a later stage. I will update with how this current hatch, goes due tomorrow, but I don't have high hopes.

 

[grabapearacres]

What day do the successful eggs hatch on? I always thought that the acceptable range is 99.5 to 100.5,

Sorry just saw this. They are hatching at day 21. I keep them at 99.5 to 100 for the first 18 days and during lockdown i normally lower temp just a tad to make up for the high humidity. We had always done that but maybe that is my problem after all.