Sixteen cuties! But plenty dead in shell, Why??

[leecey411]

I am thrilled to have 16 adorable chicks hatch on Sunday and Monday. However, I had quite a few eggs that have fully formed chicks that die. I opened some eggs and they look fine, yolk sac absorbed but they never pipped. Why did this happen. I am getting about a 50% hatch rate with well formed chicks that never hatch. Sometimes I have to help a chick out of the egg, I lost one from not intervening.
My new fuzzy butts are so sweet!
I will post pics when photobucket is back up!!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Happy to hear about your 16 new arrivals, sorry to hear about the rest. One never knows why it happens. It is always a hard decision when to step in, and then sometimes it is too late. Don't be to hard on yourself, it's not your fault. Enjoy your little ones.

 

[sgray136]

I have read where humidity plays a very large roll in the mortality rate of chicks so close to the hatch. From my understanding the chick will pip or break through the air cell of the egg before it pips the shell. If the air cell has water in it caused by excessive moisture the chick drowns when it pips the air cell. That may be the reason you had fully formed chicks that didn't pip.

 

[BamaChicken]

I agree with Spray. I used to lose them all the time like that from having the humidity to high. Never a total loss but lots that just drowned. I try not to let my humidity go above 73 percent.

 

[leecey411]

I am totally frustrated because this incubation went like a dream. For the most part 99.5 on the water weasel and humidity at 40-50% and then 68-70% for hatching. Some of the babies needed to be helped out of the egg. What doe that tell? Oh well, only Mother Nature knows for sure!