What am I doing wrong?

[billiebrat]

I have tried to hatch 5 different times. The first time I got not one chick out of 25. The second I got one chick out of 25. The third I got 3 chicks out of 20. The fourth I got 2 chicks out of 20. The fifth is in the bator now and due wednesday. I don't get it. I have used several thermometers, the temp is great. The humidity is great. I don't know what I am doing wrong. They were all shipped eggs and I even changed carriers thinking it was USPS. This last batch are Lisa's frizzles and NN, I am so hoping I have a good one this time. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

How many times do you turn your eggs? What kind of incubator are you using?

 

[billiebrat]

I have an LG forced air and an auto turner

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I heard that some people have problems with LG's. I never used one though. Could be bacteria in the pores of the Styrofoam?

 

[MissPrissy]

What temps are you incubating at? What is the humidity levels?

Hatch rates with shipped eggs can be poor at times. It is the risk we take to get better than hatchery chicks.

 

[billiebrat]

Temp stays right about 100 max 100.5 min 99.5 Humidity was 45-50 until last 3 days then 60-65.

 

[Akane]

It was just posted on another forum to make sure all the boxes of eggs you got were marked "Do not xray". They found out that's why all their shipped egg hatches have completely failed. It might also be worth it to hatch some local eggs. Ask at your feedstore if you need to find some. See if those will hatch better for you or if it's something with your incubator.

 

[eggchel]

Im curious about which part of the incubation is failing....

Do you candle the eggs when they arrive and are the air sacs normal?
Sometimes shipping causes the air sacs to distort or rupture.

Do the eggs remain clear and not develop at all?
This could result from shipping damage or from infertility.

Or do they start to develop and then quit after a few days, with a blood ring?
Likely due to incubator temps or shipping/storage problems.

Or, do they develop nearly fully and then die a few days before hatch ?
This can be caused by bacteria in the incubator or by lethal genes (rare), also by lack of oxegen/ventilation.


Here is a link to a hatching troubleshooting site :

http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/trouble.htm

I just candled a large batch of eggs that we have in a new incubator and saw more blood rings than I have ever seen before. Then my dd reminded me that we had a very high temperature spike just a few days into this incubation that probably caused it. Weird thing is, there are several eggs with live embryos in them that also appear to have a blood ring or a "wash" of blood on one side. Now Im wondering if the turner is working. Gaaaah.


Chel

 

[billiebrat]

I had a lot that started to develop and stopped. Both batches this time had those. The frizzles and NN are still in the bator till Wednesday. I checked them tonight after I found the NN about to explode. I have about 4 that seem to be moving. The rest are the stop developing deal. I don't know what is going on.

 

[hinkjc]

I would recommend starting over from scratch...meaning get some local eggs and try to hatch them first. That will rule out the shipping factor and put more focus on incubation. If you dont' have any of your own eggs, try a local farmer who has a rooster in the pen with his girls and ask him to save you a dozen or so eggs for your incubation experiment. Most old timeres are happy to help.

Is your LG an electronic thermostat or wafer model? Even tho your guages are telling you everything is right, doesn't mean "they" are right. What kind of thermometer/hygrometer have you tried? Where is your incubation located - inside, basement, garage? The reason I am asking is depending on location, there could be fluctuations you are not noticing because you can't watch it every hour of every day.

We could go on and on troubleshooting, but until you get some "unshipped" eggs, it will be a guessing game. Good luck with your current hatch.

Jody