Need advice

[HeiHeisMom]

They both died prior to pip.
Both fully formed beautiful babies.
I believe the issue was humidity as they were both very wet, had mostly absorbed yolk sacs and in excellent position.
We had one pip, zip and stop. She started to shrink wrap with what membrane was left in shell so I put a damper paper towel around her and cheered her on. She eventually made it out ( took her42 hours from zipping), but didn't survive. Wouldn't take drench( save a chick), just laid and peeped.
I probably drowned these babies trying to save the one

 

[FarmerGirl101]

NEVER WATER CANDLE THEM!

 

[HeiHeisMom]

@HeiHeisMom are the eggs that you set from your personal flock? If they are it would be a good idea to figure out which cock or hen threw the chick with the cranial deformity and remove the bird from your breeding flock.

Only one Rooster, think it was because hens are still so young (5-6 months). First broody hatch also...
Although Rooster and four hens all came from same store. Not sure if from same hatch.

 

[aart]

First broody hatch also...

Wait What..... this was broody hatch?

 

[HeiHeisMom]

This is Amelia. Her left eye and face we're deformed, but she is healthy, strong and quite a rascle!
She and one other we're broody hatched.
The others were incubator babies.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Wait What..... this was broody hatch?

The one with deformity was broody hatch.
Others are incubator.
All we're set at same day as lay.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

NEVER WATER CANDLE THEM!

Not even. If they're past day 25?

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Out of total of three under broody, two hatched are big and beautiful , one with bad eye. One died before hatch.
Out of total eight in incubator, six live hatch one died after hatch and two that died today...my fault.
Gorgeous babies.

 

[aart]

Not even. If they're past day 25?

It's risky and unreliable....nothing to SHOUT about tho

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

I think the problem with people losing chicks right at hatch date is they overdo the humidity and blast it up to a ridiculous percentage (like up to 80-90)...... you don't have to up the humidity that high, it's even worse for chicks than a low humidity. With my hatch, I had a homemade incubator that wouldn't hold humidity past 40% and they came out fine..... just don't overdo it and you should be good. People either worry too much when it comes to chicken keeping and think every little drop/spike in a degree or opening the incubator during lock down equates to a death sentence or they get paranoid about everything thinking extra calcium in layer feed will kill your roosters and chicks and alligators and anything within 10 feet of distance, etc. etc. etc. Just don't overthink things and overdo things. Mother Nature's got your back for the most part, just don't go overboard and stay within the means. It just irks me because of some folks who strikes fear in others when it comes to chicken keeping (or anything for that matter), which in turn gets others to not think rationally and either go overboard or start to lose logic and common sense.

Rant over.