What am I doing WRONG!!!

[Shaun]

I had 8 Blue slate eggs in an incubator, seemingly doing fine two weeks ago. They had lost the proper amount of weight and the air sac was looking good. They should have hatched on Monday, early this morning I carefully candled the eggs and found 4 obvious duds and 4 that look like they have poults and should have hatched. Giving them until Sat am before I do a post, out of pure optimism. I lowered the temp a bit to 98.5-99 and raised the humidity to around 60-65% (the best I can get in this incubator) at day 25, which was what I've been told I need to do with turkey eggs. And still it looks like fully developed eggs have failed to hatch again. I've had lots of failures, but most were shipped eggs, these were laid here and carefully stored prior to incubation. I do have 8 other eggs in a newer Brinsea, due to hatch in 3 weeks - but seemingly everything was going well for at least half these eggs until the very end. Any ideas???

I sure don't want this next 8 to meet a similar fate.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

From your description I honestly don't know what's wrong. I can commiserate though. I originally had around 75 eggs in my incubator and things aren't going as well as i thought they would. I've had several early several hopefully coming late and several deaths in shell prior to and after pip. Everything seems ideal here too. I have some healthy ones in the brooder but am constantly peering in the incubator biting my nails because I had never had chicks die after pipping before and am on "eggshells" (no pun intended) worrying. When to help? When not to? I will keep my fingers crossed for you please do for me too! Good luck! (mine aren't turkeys but death is universal)

 

[ColbyNTX]

I also use 98.5 from day 24 on but I use about 78% humidity. I have hatched some with 65% but they had a harder time. Don't know what you are doing wrong unless your bator could have had some temp swings you didn't notice or your thermometer is off. Don't know but hope you have better luck. My self collected eggs are hatching about 85-90%.

 

[Shaun]

How do you get 78% humidity? I used lots of water in the bottom, with paper towels up the sides to wick up more water, but I can't get much about 60-65% even with our ambient humidity this summer. I should be able to get higher humidity in the Brinsea - hope that hatch goes better.

 

[LaurenM23]

Have you tried using soaked sponges in the bottom of your bator? I cut up two (making four) and placed one at each corner. They were well soaked (not dripping exactly) and it brought the humidity to 72% and I allowed it to level off over the course of lockdown. It got down to 65%, then spiked to 72% after the first pip, then 75% after the first hatch and second pip. I lowered it by opening another vent to keep it from going too much higher than 75%, just in case that was too much. Good luck on the rest of your hatch!

 

[Shaun]

Thanks for the hint - don't think (at least I hope) I'll need it with the Brinsea, but I'll go buy a new sponge, just in case. Have 3 weeks to go with the new eggs in the Brinsea - they all seem to be doing well. Put a couple fresh chicken eggs in with them to hatch at the same time. Have 8 Lavender eggs in there. Will hope for better results this time.

 

[ColbyNTX]

The sponges will help. I have a Dickey's and a GQF with the auto humidity system and I can make the humidity as high as I want but try the sponges.