Question about shipped eggs - when to call it over?

[suburbanfarm]

Maybe it's worth making a safety hole and see if you can see any movement? If not proceed to assisted hatch/eggtopsy?

Thanks, I think I'll go through float/hole steps today

 

[HuffleClaw]

If it helps, I had a day 23/24 hatch and it yielded 2 healthy baby chicks.

 

[suburbanfarm]

If it helps, I had a day 23/24 hatch and it yielded 2 healthy baby chicks.

Amazing! Would be such a great surprise

 

[suburbanfarm]

Update: they were all gone

We did an eggtopsy. I'm trying to work out where things went wrong so I can correct for the next batch.

1. I think there's cold spots around the edges where I had the eggs once I laid them flat.
2. I upped humidity too early.

The chicks that died looked well formed. I think there were some malposition issues and air cells too big. Most didn't have veins. Yolk not absorbed.

 

[suburbanfarm]

Update: they were all gone

We did an eggtopsy. I'm trying to work out where things went wrong so I can correct for the next batch.

1. I think there's cold spots around the edges where I had the eggs once I laid them flat.
2. I upped humidity too early.

The chicks that died looked well formed. I think there were some malposition issues and air cells too big. Most didn't have veins. Yolk not absorbed.

Also, they were in fluid... Does that tell me anything?

 

[Cazook]

My guess would be they drowned on internal pipping. As you said, humidity too high and air cells too big.

 

[suburbanfarm]

My guess would be they drowned on internal pipping. As you said, humidity too high and air cells too big.

Yeah that makes sense.... That's why they were in fluid?

It's such an awful thing to have stuffed it up for these poor chickies. Really want to learn all I can

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

If humidity was too high air cells will be SMALL with fluid in eggs.

If humidity was too low you'd have LARGE air cells.

The air cells sound like they were damaged and saddled. That causes malposition and trouble hatching (late quitters).
Shipped eggs are known for late quitters. Consider incubating and hatching shipped eggs upright next round. I've had slightly better hatch rates like this is with shipped eggs. Like an extra 1/12 will hatch. It's not much but it is a trend for me. Some hatches are just rougher than others. I'm so sorry you're experiencing this for your first one. Consider trying local eggs first. Just a normal hatch go dial in what humidity you need for your area. Than try shipped eggs. Best of luck with the next round.

Here are some links that help with troubleshooting a bad hatch:

http://extension.msstate.edu/content/trouble-shooting-failures-egg-incubation

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/eggs/res24-00.html

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Adding a fan will help with the cool spots.
I have a concern about using the tilted egg carton method of turning in a still air incubator. There will be over a degree difference in the upper tier of eggs and the bottom tier due to thermal stratification.

 

[Cazook]

If humidity was too high air cells will be SMALL with fluid in eggs.

If humidity was too low you'd have LARGE air cells.

duh, this is right, not sure how I confused these

though I was under the impression that detached air cells are obvious on candling?