Major hatching problems-- PLEASE HELP!-- *warning, dead chick pics*

[Brickman House]

I would echo the prior posters' concerns.


1/ You say you're doing a staggered hatch-- do you have a separate hatcher? If not, how are you doing lockdown?

2/ Get a decent thermometer, and calibrate it. With artificial incubation, there's a pretty narrow temperature window for a successful hatch, and a half degree in either direction can significantly affect the hatch time and development of the chicks.

3/ Get a hygrometer, and calibrate it. Humidity isn't quite as fussy as temperature, but extremes can totally tank your hatch.


Good luck with your next hatch!

 

[dieselgrl48]

With the blood and the unabsorbed navels they were not ready to hatch.You can get a therm. at wally world that has humidity on it for about $6 the brand is Springfield I think. I have one in my LG and I use a sep LG for hatch stage and have one there as well.If at 25 days they still looked like that you r temp is probably lower than what your therm. says.If you ever find trying to help a chick out of egg if any blood appears stop immediatley that means it has not absorbed all of the egg contents and will most likely die. I try not to set egg's that are due no less than a couple days apart now since I am having to use the LG's now.That usualy leaves a fair window for the first to hatch before messing up the whole incubator opening and closing it putting in eggs and taking out new chicks.So sorry about your chicks hope you get a better hatch next round.

 

[MandyH]

As others have said, it is essential that you get a good thermometer (I use at least two) and a hygrometer. By the looks of those pics your temps were too low, AND your humidity was too high.

 

[greathorse]

Yepp

 

[ChickenCharmer]

Thanks so much for all the info and links, I will try everything.

@ Brickman: The chicks hatch in my one bator (the one I use for all the other eggs) then go to the brooder. After each hatch, I quickly clean the bator while the eggs sit in room temp for about 5 min. (I assume this is fine since mother hens have to take breaks during incubation. Also, what's lockdown?

 

[babsbag]

I don't want to be rude, or sound like a know it all, because I am not either one of those, but if you don't know what lockdown is then you need to read, A LOT.

Lockdown is the last 3 days of the incuabation. On day 18 you raise your humidity and stop turning the eggs. That is lockdown. I agree with what everyone said about temps and humidity. And I don't know how the hen does what she does, but I moved mine into the house in a cage on day 18 and she didn't budge off those eggs for the next 3 days. I fed and watered her, in place.

I run my humidity around 35% for the first 18 days and then up to 60-70 for the last 3 days. And leaving the eggs at room temp for 5 minutes is ok. AS LONG as it is not during the last three days of any of those eggs incubation.

Good luck, and happy reading.