Okay, few more questions....

[PattiS72]

Well, this is the 23rd day and no hatching. So should I assume they aren't going to?

 

[lazy gardener]

Can you give a re-cap of how your hatch went? Forced/still air, temp, and humidity. Any temp spikes? Was your thermometer(s) calibrated to 100 degrees? What did you see at last candling? (air cell size, egg fill, movement)

At this point, you can take an egg out, tap, listen, feel for movement. Then you can do a float test to look for signs of life. Never do a float test if there is even a hair line crack in the egg. Read up on it in the learning center before proceeding. I wish you the best.

 

[PattiS72]

Can you give a re-cap of how your hatch went?  Forced/still air, temp, and humidity.  Any temp spikes?  Was your thermometer(s) calibrated to 100 degrees?  What did you see at last candling?  (air cell size, egg fill, movement)it was still air. Temp between 101-106, humidity 45-65% until lockdown-then between 65-77%. As for candling, I thought there would be at least two of the remaining 5.

At this point, you can take an egg out, tap, listen, feel for movement.  Then you can do a float test to look for signs of life.  Never do a float test if there is even a hair line crack in the egg.  Read up on it in the learning center before proceeding.  I wish you the best.

 

[PattiS72]

I messed up on the message. The temp has been between 101-106, humidity between 45-65%. Since lockdown humidity was between 65-77%.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Can you give a re-cap of how your hatch went? Forced/still air, temp, and humidity. Any temp spikes? Was your thermometer(s) calibrated to 100 degrees? What did you see at last candling? (air cell size, egg fill, movement)

At this point, you can take an egg out, tap, listen, feel for movement. Then you can do a float test to look for signs of life. Never do a float test if there is even a hair line crack in the egg. Read up on it in the learning center before proceeding. I wish you the best.

I messed up on the message. The temp has been between 101-106, humidity between 45-65%. Since lockdown humidity was between 65-77%.

It's a still air home made incubator, Gardener. I agree check check and double check and if there is no sign of life do the eggtopsies.

 

[lazy gardener]

Patti, generally, temps over 103* which last long enough to heat the embryo to that temp are fatal. I agree with Amy: you really should do an eggtopsy to find out what went wrong. If you know when those temp spikes were, and can correlate that to the date of death of the chicks, you have your answer. If they made full development, and are the right size and developmental level for day 20 - 21, then my guess would be that your humidity was too high. Did you read all of the fantastic articles in "hatching 101"? They give all of the nuts and bolts, including calibration of your thermometer/hygrometer, to doing an eggtopsy and diagnosing failure. I hope this doesn't disuade you from trying again. Did your bator swing routinely between those temps, or did you have a single temp spike? If it had routine swings 101 - 106, it would be practically impossible to have a successful hatch. Back to the drawing board there! (don't give up!)

 

[fiset94]

In the same boat as you.

Thinking that this hatch was a FLOP!

 

[fiset94]

Still no pips...so i called the head of our Chicken Department at our County fair and he thinks that it was humidity related... he told me to crank the humidity up ... ( I put both my plugs back in) and if they don't pip by this morning ( Sunday) that they are not going to...

I took them out of the bator with any doubts that there was life left in them last night.. and candled them...No movement. I was about to do an eggtopisy but decided to wait until Sunday am to give them a full night of hope.

This morning.. nada.

i brought them all upstairs and got my camera ready ( I was going to take photos and put them on here to get some opinions as to what happened) .... When before i had the nerve to crack the shell... I decided to do one more thing.

I put them in a large pan of water. I was going to water float them....

ALL of the eggs had just the Air sack above the water.. then all of a sudden 3 eggs started moving all around the pan.. jiggling and wiggling... like.. no... we are in here!!

I ran back downstairs and put them in the bator....

What do you think of that?

The 21st day was on Friday....... Do you think that they are shrinkwrapped and Can't get out?? I had Humidity issues the whole LOCKDOWN... the highest that I could get it was 60- but I had condensation on the windows the entire time... so I am going to check my thermo. - I took it out of the bator... at this point I figured that it is useless anyway and It would be better to check it for the next hatch.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Still no pips...so i called the head of our Chicken Department at our County fair and he thinks that it was humidity related... he told me to crank the humidity up ... ( I put both my plugs back in) and if they don't pip by this morning ( Sunday) that they are not going to...

I took them out of the bator with any doubts that there was life left in them last night.. and candled them...No movement. I was about to do an eggtopisy but decided to wait until Sunday am to give them a full night of hope.

This morning.. nada.

i brought them all upstairs and got my camera ready ( I was going to take photos and put them on here to get some opinions as to what happened) .... When before i had the nerve to crack the shell... I decided to do one more thing.

I put them in a large pan of water. I was going to water float them....

ALL of the eggs had just the Air sack above the water.. then all of a sudden 3 eggs started moving all around the pan.. jiggling and wiggling... like.. no... we are in here!!

I ran back downstairs and put them in the bator....

What do you think of that?

The 21st day was on Friday....... Do you think that they are shrinkwrapped and Can't get out?? I had Humidity issues the whole LOCKDOWN... the highest that I could get it was 60- but I had condensation on the windows the entire time... so I am going to check my thermo. - I took it out of the bator... at this point I figured that it is useless anyway and It would be better to check it for the next hatch.

If you condesation you had well than enough humidity. I would say that the hygrometer is off. You are using a hygrometer right, and not a wet bulb thermometer?

 

[Bradfordj]

Throughout this thread, weather or not it was mentioned I'm not sure but I forgot to ask, still air could be the cause for condensation at lower humidity levels. Still probably enough moisture for hatching though I would think. If its forced air and you are getting condensation then I think its time to have a serious debate on what method of destroying your hydrometer you will take.