Problem with hatching, starts piping and then stops n dies

[borgie29]

will check it out.

 

[underground chickenman]

They aren't drowning at 65% humidity. It sounds more like the humidity is too low and the membrane is drying out after they pip. Did you check the calibration on your hygrometer? I have checked a number of different hygrometers and they all registered low, some lower than others. None of them registered high. The closest I came to accurate was down 5%. Lockdown humidity should be 70-75%. If your hygrometer is low by 5% or more, that means you are really 60% or less, which means you are too dry and they are shrink wrapping themselves in the membrane after pipping.

I wouldn't mess with the temp either. I have read somewhere about dropping the temp a half degree or something like that during lockdown, but I wouldn't mess with it. The fact is these little incubators, their heaters and thermostats aren't sensitive enough to make that tiny of an adjustment. Get it to 99.5 "on average" and leave it. Use two different thermometers to increase your chances of accuracy and to check two different locations in the bator. Mine ranged from 97.5 to 100.5 the entire time, but that was on the digital, which responded to air temp fluctuations more quickly than the eggs do. The bulb thermometer stayed between 99 and 100. You have to remember that the denser eggs are not going to promptly change temp degree for degree with the air temp, so don't pay too much attention to a digital thermometer that fluctuates between a degree above and a degree below the correct temp. It is just responding quickly to the heat turning off and on. The 99.5 is an average and the egg temp does not fluctuate as rapidly as a digital thermometer does.

I am no expert, but I hatched 70 out of 100 shipped coturnix eggs recently by following the basic instructions I found on this board and other places, including the bit above about calibrating the hygrometer and temp fluctuations. Maybe some beginner's luck too, but following instructions from those with experience can't be discounted.

UGCM

 

[secretquail]

I just hatched out 18 of 26. Had about 10+ pips on day 16 or 17, and mothing happened until 18. I was convinced thet non would hatch, but just hold your breath, you will get some! One of the things I did this time, was put the eggs in one of the turners so they could hatch upright. The turner tray was just sitting on the mesh floor. Maybe try that, but don't mess with the temp too much, and I wouldn't lower the humidity. It needs to be up around 70% for the hatch. Good luck!

 

[borgie29]

Hi Underground Chicken man,

Thank you for the advise, I'm alosmt there, I did trun the dial back up to where it was up to before, was only a quarter of a turn, I've got 2 didital thermometers (one is a degree lower then it should be but i'm used to it(, both reading 37.8-37.9 degrees celcius, and I've also got the a bulb one that sits on the eggs and that reads 99-100 degrees, farhrenheit,

Do you know how I can check the calibration of the hydrometers?

I also bought a hydrometer, and have the one that came in the box, the bought one reads 75% and the one that came with the incubator reads 70%,

Is there a way of checking if they are good or not,

btw. just before I fixed the temp back another popped out, and I can hear a few other starting to chirp in the shells now, I'm getting a bit more excited.

I Secretquail.

Congrats on the hatch!!

 

[Bettacreek]

If one already hatched and the others were pipped yesterday morning, by now, I'd have gone in and "manually hatched" them. They're not going to hatch on their own after this long, and to be honest, I'd be surprised if they're still alive at this point. Just get in there and slowly pip the egg for them and hatch them out.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
I am not chicken man but...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=285284

 

[kingmt]

It sounds like the membrane has dried out. You should raise the humidity. For all of them that has been piped over 12 hours I would suggest opening there shells. I wouldn't normally worry about them being piped for 24 hours but if your humidity has been to low then you need to get them out.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
NOT TRUE MANY POULTRY FANCIERS LOWER THE TEMP 1 DEGREE DURING LOCKDOWN. PERSONALLY I HAVE NOT NOTICED ANY DIFFERENCE. I CAN SAY THAT YOU NEED TO SET THEM UPRIGHT AND YOU WILL LOOSE WAY LESS TO DROWNING, WHICH I SUSPECT MAYBE THE CASE TO YOUR LAST BATCH...

 

[JJMR794]

"They aren't drowning at 65% humidity. It sounds ..."

IF LYING ON THEIR SIDE THEY CAN AND WILL DROWN READILY. THEY DROWN IN THEIR OWN AMNIOTIC FLUID WHILE TRYING TO HATCH.

 

[kingmt]

JJMR is right on about not laying them down. I forgot to mention it by the time I got to the bottom of the thread.