Need to know what I did wrong

[McGoo]

I had 20 eggs for hatching with only 1 success. I left all but 3 eggs in the bator throughout the 21 day process. The 3 that I took out were undeveloped and inside it was watery and bubbly.

So tonight I gave up and opened them up. Here's what I found:

1. 5 Barred Hollands - all undeveloped - liquidly w/yolk
2. 5 Easter Eggers - all developed (one a bit less) and all dead

3. 8 Marans - 5 undeveloped - liquidly w/yolk, 3 developed, 2 of them died

with only 1 hatch and it's healthy

So it looks like 50% were not viable to begin with, but 2 Marans and 4 of 5 Easter Eggers were fully developed. What causes this? Was it something that was wrong near the last day or two?

I am reading written material on this, but know that you folks do this all the time and have invaluable experience.

thanks for any insight.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

How is your temp and humidity? Any variations during the hatch? Is your thermometer accurate(recently tested?)?

Sorry, so many the little things didn't make it.

-Kim

 

[ebonykawai]

What were your conditions for the 21 days?

 

[McGoo]

I used a digital thermometer and hygrometer that is supposed to be excellent. Perhaps a backup is always good.

I kept the temp around 100 - 102 max. I do know that one day it went up to 103 for a couple of hours, however I read that in a still air (which is what I've got) that this is not horrible. The humidity was around 60% for the first week and then, after being told to drop it, I did - to about 45% - 50%.
On day 19 I started to increase the humidity... to about 70% hwen they were ready to hatch.

Oh I did candle on day 16 - hope that wasn't a problem. Also, I stopped turning on day 18, which was really day 17. I did not notice that any of them were stuck to the side, but maybe that was the problem?

Appreciate all of your support and helpful questions and suggested reasons.

 

[Must Be Losing It]

Sounds like you were a bit warm but other than that, as a newbie, you seem to have done everything right.

 

[speckledhen]

Sounds like the undeveloped ones were either infertile, or more likely, development was stopped right at the beginning, so that it wasn't discernible to the naked eye, a common thing with shipped eggs that have a rough trip. It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, Colleen.

 

[McGoo]

I was very careful during the incubation, and I'm home most of the time to keep an eye on it, but what causes completely developed chicks to not hatch? Does this happen to the same extent when broody hens sit on them?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Only things I have listed that might cause fully formed but none hatch or pip is Temps settings too extreme, sudden and prolonged temp change at time of hatch and insufficient oxygen...

Check accuracy of thermostat and thermometer...and check to see vents were not completely closed.....

 

[tiki244]

I had the same problem and my thread is still on page 1 I think----I suspect my chicks did not have enough ventilation and the humidity settings were not right and there was some inconsistency with the temps and humidity. I seem to be have trouble with spikes and dips. But will try again. Good luck next time.

It sounds like everything was good. Did you have bad weather these past few days? Last night it snowed here and the humidity went way up in the hatcher but I dont know if they were related. Someone else had that problem too last night.

who knows one of these days we will all come up with wonderful hatches and wonder why it was ever so hard.

 

[Animallover606]

I have had that happen to me out of 43 eggs only 2 hatched!!!!
IT was my uncles homemade incubator!