New to this, have some questions...

[Goose3984]

So I started incubating Barr Rock chicks, i recently started my little flock with a rooster and 2 hens, i have Little Giant incubator, with automatic egg turner and circulation fan. My first clutch of 8 was 100% succesfull. since then i have had 1 or 2 eggs that crack but then a yellow clear discharge emerges and the chicks seem to die after breach, why? has anyone encoutered this before? The rest of the hatchlings all do well, temp has very little fluctionation and humidty stays about the same. thank you for all your help.

 

[loveourbirds]

a lot of times the eggs are cracked before you put them in, you just cant see them. also if your egg shells are to thin, they will crack or even ooze without cracking.

make sure your eggs are set where they wont roll in your turner. when you candle your eggs, if you see a lot of thin spots; they eggs are not good eggs to hatch.

 

[Goose3984]

It's defiantly a breach crack, i inspect the eggs very thoroughly before placing them in the incubator. the chicks inside appear to be fully developed, It looks like there is a lot more fluid in these eggs than the others, the chicks in these eggs appear to die just after breaching. Thank you for your input.

 

[loveourbirds]

my next guess is your humidity might be high? are they piping in the middle or the big end?

 

[Goose3984]

I keep it at around 85% for the first 20 days then up to 90% for the remainder, they breach at the same point as the others.

 

[loveourbirds]

i run mine 40% for 19 days and increase to 60% for the hatch. that may be your problem.

 

[Goose3984]

OK i will try that, i had read the other, that seemed high to me, but again learning. thank you so much for all your input.

 

[loveourbirds]

best of luck

some other quick secrets:
open your incubator for 15 or so minutes a day, this simulates the hen getting off the nest to eat and be herself. also if you have a power outage it will condition your eggs to handle it a touch better.

to high of temp is worse than to low of temp.

don't help chicks hatch, if you think they are struggling; still don't help them out (exception might be call ducks I have never hatched them). if a chick cannot make it out of the egg, there is usually something wrong with the chick.

don't open the incubator while they are hatching, you lose all your humidity and can cause the chicks to dry and stick in their shells.

if for some reason your house gets cool. and it cools your incubator do not adjust it, raise the temp around it.

hope this helps
brian

 

[Goose3984]

Thank you for the tips I got a digital thermometer hygrometer to help with fine tuning