Lost 7 eggs after lockdown ..

[motorafung]

I had 20 gambel's quail eggs in lockdown since 3 days ago.

And today 13 of them hatched and 4 of them died inside the eggs even there were some pecks on the shell. The rest 3 are still in the bator.

This is my third hatch and all the lockdown eggs hatched before...

I felt sad because I might be able to save them if I had have peeled the shells for them.

Anybody know why the chicks died inside the eggs? Is this common?

Can't stop thinking what I did wrong.....

 

[sumi]

It is fairly common, with incubator hatches especially, that chicks will fail to hatch. The most common cause is incorrect temperature and/or humidity during the incubation or specifically during the last 3 days. Other possible causes may be inadequate turning of the eggs, which could affect embryo development and the age of the eggs. I.e. if they were stored too long, pre-incubation. The breeder's diet could have an effect on the egg and embryo quality as well. (A lack of manganese, Vit B12 and/or zink in the hen's diet.) Another more rare cause is when the chick loses it's egg tooth while pipping, making it impossible for it to chip the shell. But I've only heard of this happening once or twice though. And, of course, if the chicks were malpositioned in the shell. Often malpositioned chicks cannot hatch without assistance.