Please help me: Every chick dying during lockdown

[spatulagirl]

I am cleaning out my incubator tomorrow (the eggs are already gone, most were not in the right position and did not absorb the yoke and were still very very wet) and then will plug it in and let it run while I wait for my egg-o-meter. I am going to try a complete dry hatch this time with a slow increase on humidity during lockdown.

I will not let humidity get any higher than 60% during lockdown. Hopefully I can set eggs on Sunday.

 

[deerman]

They're supposed to hatch Friday, the 4th of May. I was really excited because I kept the humidity at the right levels the whole time. Sounds like I'm in for a major disappointment.

I wonder why the incubator instructions are written incorrectly?

don't think they are incorrect .....sea level makes a different. here in Ohio thats what i hatch by. Hatch rate 85% to 95%..for chicken and pheasant, quail.

i run my vent open all the way open. control humidity with water surfaces.

 

[timbuck2mom]

I had one pip. I've seen movement from 8 of the 10 eggs today. Hopefully, that's all good signs that my chicks may survive.

 

[spatulagirl]

I got the egg-o-meter and then DH gave me a nice aquarium thermometer he wasn't using. They are running the same temp, off by several degrees from the one I was using!

I am setting eggs on Wednesday now, collecting today and tomorrow. Hopefully I will have 12 to set.

I am also running at about 35% humidity with nothing added to it. I hope this hatch goes the way I need it to go!

 

[Sprinkles212]

don't think they are incorrect .....sea level makes a different. here in Ohio thats what i hatch by. Hatch rate 85% to 95%..for chicken and pheasant, quail.

i run my vent open all the way open. control humidity with water surfaces.

I am in Louisiana. I will be setting my first batch this coming week. How does sea level effect me?

 

[Sprinkles212]

Affect not "effect".

 

[spatulagirl]

Thank you so much for all your help!

I set 9 eggs. One was clear. Eight eggs made it to lockdown and all 8 eggs hatched within 24 hours of each other!

They all look super healthy and I am not hatching out 8 Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucana eggs with high hopes.

I ended up dry hatching and doing my best to keep the temp between 98-100. It fluctuated with the outside temp but I kept a super close eye on it. Then I brought up the humidity to between 60-70% for lockdown and went out of town. We even had a big storm roll in and lost power for 12 hours while we were gone but when I came back Monday night I had a chick in there!

I was feeling so down when I started this thread and now I am feeling so elated!

 

[Sprinkles212]

Congrats, Spatulagirl!!!! So happy for you!

 

[mondotomhead]

Thank you so much for all your help!

I set 9 eggs. One was clear. Eight eggs made it to lockdown and all 8 eggs hatched within 24 hours of each other!

They all look super healthy and I am not hatching out 8 Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucana eggs with high hopes.

I ended up dry hatching and doing my best to keep the temp between 98-100. It fluctuated with the outside temp but I kept a super close eye on it. Then I brought up the humidity to between 60-70% for lockdown and went out of town. We even had a big storm roll in and lost power for 12 hours while we were gone but when I came back Monday night I had a chick in there!

I was feeling so down when I started this thread and now I am feeling so elated!

Oh, yay!!! I'm so happy for you. The feeling of seeing chicks hatch after all the worrying and watching is just so wonderful. Congratulations!!

 

[4hcoyotemom]

the only thing I can think of is oxygen? I hatched with a still air incubator and did not follow the instructions to leave the holes plugged during lock down and I got about 70 percent