What causes chicks to develop completely and then die?

[Stevenson]

I hatched 15/16 eggs on Tuesday/Wednesday. Today I took the last egg out of the incubator and float tested it....no movement and it sank. I opened the egg and found a dead fully developed chick inside. The yolk was gone and the shell was clean inside. I know that the temperature and humidity were right because I did get 15/16.......so why did this one not make it? I know this stuff happens, and I am not upset by it...I just want to make sure if it was something I did that I don't do it again.

Any ideas?

 

[Emmalion]

Here is a reference that might help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/wiki/index.php?title=Incubation_Troubleshooting

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

If 15 out of 16 hatched out fine you are doing good. Some just don't make it out...

 

[Kedreeva]

You had excellent luck to have 15/16 hatch, let's keep that in mind. The one that didn't hatch is more than likely a case of "wasn't meant to". Sometimes they just don't make it and there's nothing you could have done differently to change that

Sometimes chicks are just not strong enough to pip the shell, sometimes they aren't in the right position to do it, sometimes genetics or mother nature speaks to say 'not going to happen today'. Judging by the rest of the hatch, it was probably nothing you can change for next time- in fact, whatever you did this time keep on doing it- the average hatch rate evens out to somewhere between 50-70%, and you're high above that

 

[kelseygirl707]

I figure the chick probably had some dissability that caused it to be weak and unable to pip the shell. It just happens sometimes. Too bad though, almost a 100% hatch!

 

[Stevenson]

Quote:
I know! That's what I thought too! Since it was fully developed, I was SOOOO close!

I did find out that that egg was the first egg that the hen had laid. I did hatch her second egg...I don't know if that had anything to do with it.