What else causes shrink wrap??

[BLast]

I have been hatching eggs this week. Today is day 24. Since Thursday morning and last night I hatched 13 out of my 23 viable eggs. I locked down on day 18 and DID NOT open the bator. I kept the humidity around 70-75% at all times. Today I finally and reluctantly decided to help the ones still alive that haven't done anything except a pip hole for over 24 hours. Every one of the 10 left are shrink wrapped and glued in.

7 were dead and 3 I was able to help. Over several hours to let them absorb all, of course. Anyways, I just don't understand what happened. 13 are perfect. The 3 I helped are doing ok. I'm concerned about one of them but, we will just have to see..

Here's the run down of my incubation. I have a little giant, still air. I rotated the eggs 3 times daily while sitting in a cardboard carton using a peice of sterilized wood to tilt it at each rotation. I kept my heat at 99.5 to 100 degrees. I kept my humidity at around 45 to 50% until day 18 and then bumped it to 70 to 75% there after. I did not open after lock down. I had both air plugs pulled out after lockdown as well and kept it around 99.5 degrees. I had one fluctuation to about 98 degrees on a cold night but the humidity was sill over 68%. That was on day 19. I corrected it all quickly and got it back up. My last hatch was 98%, as in I hatched 20 out of 22 eggs. The two that failed were for the same reason the 7 did this time.. The only thing I can see as a possibility is the ones that died were more close to the bottom edge of the bator. Vs the center.. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks for reading!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have been hatching eggs this week. Today is day 24. Since Thursday morning and last night I hatched 13 out of my 23 viable eggs. I locked down on day 18 and DID NOT open the bator. I kept the humidity around 70-75% at all times. Today I finally and reluctantly decided to help the ones still alive that haven't done anything except a pip hole for over 24 hours. Every one of the 10 left are shrink wrapped and glued in.

7 were dead and 3 I was able to help. Over several hours to let them absorb all, of course. Anyways, I just don't understand what happened. 13 are perfect. The 3 I helped are doing ok. I'm concerned about one of them but, we will just have to see..

Here's the run down of my incubation. I have a little giant, still air. I rotated the eggs 3 times daily while sitting in a cardboard carton using a peice of sterilized wood to tilt it at each rotation. I kept my heat at 99.5 to 100 degrees. I kept my humidity at around 45 to 50% until day 18 and then bumped it to 70 to 75% there after. I did not open after lock down. I had both air plugs pulled out after lockdown as well and kept it around 99.5 degrees. I had one fluctuation to about 98 degrees on a cold night but the humidity was sill over 68%. That was on day 19. I corrected it all quickly and got it back up. My last hatch was 98%, as in I hatched 20 out of 22 eggs. The two that failed were for the same reason the 7 did this time.. The only thing I can see as a possibility is the ones that died were more close to the bottom edge of the bator. Vs the center.. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks for reading!

Have you checked your hygrometer for accuracy? And were they truely shrinkwrapped, or just glued? A truely shrink wrapped chick will be pulled down tight by the membrane. Unless you have very porous eggs, 45-50 is more likely to cause smaller cells instead of larger cells and shrinkwrapped chicks. If your humidity readings are accurate, 70-75% is great for hatch. Did the 10 that you say were shrink wrapped all pip?

 

[BLast]

No. 3 of the 7 left were pipped. I opened all and every single one was shrink wrapped and glued.. The 13 that hatched were not shrink wrapped but a couple were slightly glued.... My hygrometer is brand new and I have it and an older one inside the bator. Both have humidity and temp on them. The only thing I can think of is placement in the bator. Both my hatches I've done had the same issue. Eggs closest to the front edge were glued and shrink wrapped.. It has to be the seal? My bator must not close quite enough in the front and gets a slight draft? Or, it's because I used a cardboard carton.. I cut the bottom out of each hole they say in to keep it from happening. But, I assume maybe it still leached too much moisture?

I just think I'm either done with the foam bator or install a fan.

One of my chicks I've now noticed isn't standing too.. It's just been a sad hatch this time.. I am going to attempt to help it with a splint. I've never seen one like this. It's as if it's knee joint on one side doesn't hold it up. When I bend it to see the issue it clicks when bearing weight. Almost like it broke it during hatch?! I've never seen this. And I don't really know what to do. I fear a brace will make it fixed. As in won't ever flex. For now, in just watching it to see if it gets its sea legs. But, I do think it's, for whatever reason, an injury..

 

[BLast]

I meant 3 of the 10.. And, one egg was indeed a bit porous. One was slightly more narrow and long than usual. But, the rest were really quite perfect eggs. The chicks inside once I opened them to see what went wrong were fully grown and fully developed. Everything except the inside membrane was tight against them and dried white from about mid egg down. One was badly positioned. It had its legs covering it's face and wouldn't have hatched. I wet and used bactrum on the 3 that were still alive and guided them out very slowly over a few hours. They're not doing good at all. They absorbed everything! But, they are just not getting on their feet. They have been out since about 10am and they are still alive and peeping but, they're just not getting on their feet.. I hate this! I have never had a hatch go so wrong. Usually I have 80-90% success. It's only 45% this time. The only other possibility, I usually get my eggs from my chickens and I got these from a friend. Maybe it's genes or some other oddity. I told her no eggs over 48 hours old. But, who knows.. I sure don't!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I meant 3 of the 10.. And, one egg was indeed a bit porous. One was slightly more narrow and long than usual. But, the rest were really quite perfect eggs. The chicks inside once I opened them to see what went wrong were fully grown and fully developed. Everything except the inside membrane was tight against them and dried white from about mid egg down. One was badly positioned. It had its legs covering it's face and wouldn't have hatched. I wet and used bactrum on the 3 that were still alive and guided them out very slowly over a few hours. They're not doing good at all. They absorbed everything! But, they are just not getting on their feet. They have been out since about 10am and they are still alive and peeping but, they're just not getting on their feet.. I hate this! I have never had a hatch go so wrong. Usually I have 80-90% success. It's only 45% this time. The only other possibility, I usually get my eggs from my chickens and I got these from a friend. Maybe it's genes or some other oddity. I told her no eggs over 48 hours old. But, who knows.. I sure don't!

It could be layer stock. The outer membrane of the egg is supposed to be white. I had a chick in my first successful hatch that was a malpositioned pip to the middleish of the egg. When it didn't make progress after 18 hours I widened the pip hole to find little toes sticking out above her head....lol She was not getting out herself. She was my first full assisted hatch. She's an excellent layer and a good bird. So I know what you mean. If she hadn't externally pipped, she wouldn't hae made it. I usually collect for a week before set.

Have you tried electrolyte enhanced water, nuri drench or sugar water for the 3 that aren't doing that good?

 

[BLast]

Yes

I'm doing that via a syringe. Two of the 3 have passed. But, I have one doing ok. I'm not comfortable saying she's going to make it for sure. But, she's peeping very loud and really starting to get around better. She is a noisy little thing! I was so worried! She and the other two just laid misty limp for many hours. One got pretty active and then faded. The other never did and passed. This one seems to be steadily getting stronger. I'm cautiously hopeful.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes

I'm doing that via a syringe. Two of the 3 have passed. But, I have one doing ok. I'm not comfortable saying she's going to make it for sure. But, she's peeping very loud and really starting to get around better. She is a noisy little thing! I was so worried! She and the other two just laid misty limp for many hours. One got pretty active and then faded. The other never did and passed. This one seems to be steadily getting stronger. I'm cautiously hopeful.

Sorry to hear that.

Hopefully the other is strong enough.