Why are my chicks having trouble at hatch

[curious1969]

I do staggered hatches in my GQF cabinet incubator. I just leave the humidity alone until right before hatch starts and move the eggs to the hatching tray at the bottom for hatching. This way I don't have too many high humidity days on eggs set earlier and no upset to the other eggs. I don't know what incubator you are using and I have no experience with table top models at all. I run my humidity between 25% and 40% but try to keep it about 30-35%, This works for me, but I do know (from working in ND) your natural humidity is much higher than mine. I would recommend you candle your eggs and follow as closely as you can with the air cell chart you can find online. This way you can tell if you need to lower your humidity or increase it for best development of your eggs.

 

[northdakotaoutfitting.com]

This, actually may be the root of your problem. Staggered hatches can be very problematic because of the necessity for raising the humidity so much during lockdown and hatch. This causes the remaining eggs to be unable to lose the correct amount of moisture to allow them to hatch well. The remaining eggs are also subjected to the hatched chicks pushing them around, often quite violently.

Eggs that are unable to lose the correct amount of humidity often have enlarged chicks because the air cell does not expand correctly. This also causes difficult hatches.

If possible, I would try to plan your incubation all at once. Collect you eggs and store them cool and quiet for a week and then incubate them all at the same time. I think your hatch rate will increase.

But if I left my humidity the same 50% it shouldn’t matter then right? I also know one thing I did wrong was I didn’t write the dates on the eggs when I put them in this time so they were left in the turner and the turner was still moving through out lock down. I should of taken them out. I have seen ppl leave them in the turners and hatch them before. To many things went wrong here I guess. To much humidity and didn’t take them out of the turner.

I would put more eggs in at a time but I’m down to 3 laying hens so thats why I’m doing a staggered incubation. I’m suppose to be getting about 200 eggs from someone but they haven’t pulled through yet.

 

[northdakotaoutfitting.com]

I do staggered hatches in my GQF cabinet incubator. I just leave the humidity alone until right before hatch starts and move the eggs to the hatching tray at the bottom for hatching. This way I don't have too many high humidity days on eggs set earlier and no upset to the other eggs. I don't know what incubator you are using and I have no experience with table top models at all. I run my humidity between 25% and 40% but try to keep it about 30-35%, This works for me, but I do know (from working in ND) your natural humidity is much higher than mine. I would recommend you candle your eggs and follow as closely as you can with the air cell chart you can find online. This way you can tell if you need to lower your humidity or increase it for best development of your eggs.

I built an incubator for hatching 200+ eggs. I posted the pics in another thread if u want to look at it.

 

[abraga]

I agree w him. I keep my temp between 99.5 to 99.7. Humidity at 40/45%..and raise it to 70% at lockdown. I think 50% is to high.

 

[curious1969]

I built an incubator for hatching 200+ eggs. I posted the pics in another thread if u want to look at it.

Very cool!!

 

[northdakotaoutfitting.com]

Yea thanks but it needs to produce now lol. I hopefully have peasant eggs to put in soon

Very cool!!