my chicks are dieing for no reason

[hollys chicks]

my mum brought me a incubator in late october i hatched the first lot out and after the first few days they started dieing i found out it was the food they company put the wrong food in the worng bag i lost 4 or 5 chicks.
the next few lots hatched fine no problems with them, but the recent lot i hatched four babies one of them died within a few hours of hatching it wasnt until a while later i looked at the incubator and saw that there was alot of blood, he hatched too early i think and just bled out. then 2 more died they were doin fine eating and drinking fine i dont know what happened to them i still have the one left he is fine for now he is nearly 2 weeks old now, mum thinks its because i dont sterilse it after all the chicks out then my grandfather thinks there is something worng with the incubator.
i really need help, it hurts me find them dead when before they were doing fine. to be honest im sick of digging graves of the poor things

 

[countrygoddess]

Your mum may be right about not sterilizing the incubator. You definitely should be doing that.

Can you tell us more about the incubation? What kind of incubator is it? At what temperature and humidity do you run it? On what day are the chicks generally hatching? Are they hatching early or late?

 

[drumstick diva]

I'm sorry you are losing the chicks, it is depressing to have to bury so many. The incubator should be sterilized but, maybe your incubator isn't working properly. If the temperature and/or humidity levels are wrong it could cause death, or defects in the chicks. Please check out the learning center and also the information on incubating chicks and hatching for more information.

 

[hollys chicks]

they all start out great eating n drinking then they just die

 

[hollys chicks]

the temp the instructions said was 38 degrees celcius and the i put water on the bottom of the incubator every few days if i put too much in they die before hatching

 

[animallover505]

Are you covering the loose bedding with paper towel or something? If they eat the loose shavings it can starve them.

 

[hollys chicks]

they are wrapped up in a towel with a hitwater bottle under the towel

 

[countrygoddess]

What are you using for a thermometer? Often, the ones the incubators come with are inaccurate. The incubator could be running hot or cold. At what day are they hatching? Do you use a hygrometer?

 

[countrygoddess]

And if there is bacteria in there that gets into the eggs, they can still hatch okay, but then the disease progresses within the chick and can cause them to die a week or two after they hatch.

 

[hollys chicks]

they normally hatch the day their suppose to.
whats a hygrometer?