Why can't I hatch eggs?!

[lenz48]

I am having a lot of difficulty incubating my eggs. This is the 5th set of 12. Maybe 5th times the charm?! I turn them twice a day and keep the incubator at 100. My humidity is around 45% and then on day 18 I bump it up to 75% and lock it down. I tried quail eggs too. Nothing is hatching.. Can anybody give me some advice or helpful tips? Thanks in advance!

 

[AmericanMom]

where do you live? after several bad hatches I tried dry incubation (adding no water during the first 18 days) and then minimal water the last three days and got 16/18 to hatch. I incubated chicken and Turkey eggs..

What type of incubator are you using?

 

[lenz48]

I live in north Texas.

 

[dekel18042]

That's a bummer. A couple of questions: What is the source of your eggs? Shipped? Local? Your own? Are you sure of the fertility? You'd think at least a few would hatch.
Do you candle the eggs? At what point do things seem to go amiss? Never started developing? Early quitters? Developed but just didn't hatch? Any pips?
For my incubator, temperature recommended is 99.3 to 99.6 F so not sure how slightly higher temps would affect the eggs. Lockdown I try to keep humidity near 70% but not over. In the 60-70% range. So again, not sure what the higher humidity would do, especially if and when the eggs start to pip.
Good luck this time.

 

[dekel18042]

And something else I just thought of. Do you keep the incubator on all the time? After day 8, some manufacturers recommend shutting the incubator down for an hour or two a day. This mimics the mother hen getting off the nest to eat and drink. Don't do this the first 8 days or during lockdown, but I do this and have an excellent hatch rate with my own eggs.

 

[AmericanMom]

You might do a search here for dry incubation and especially look up a poster by the name of Viola, she has a dry incubation guide link that works...
The last time I incubated I was also told by another poster to not go by what my instrument I was using told me my humidity was because it was more than likely off but to go by the air cell development, there is also a chart you can search for here and print out. I would link everything to you but I cannot figure out how to copy and paste here...

people think your humidity has to be high in order to help the chicks hatch, I can tell you I hatched Turkey, one of the most difficult.. like I said , first 18 days no water, at lockdown I cut a small sponge into three strip and got them wet, placed them in the incubator and the next day I had my first pip, I allowed the hatching chicks to keep the humidity up where it needed to be ( I didn't track it) The first 14 chicks piped and zipped and hatched with absolutely no problems.

 

[lenz48]

   That's a bummer.  A couple of questions:  What is the source of your eggs?  Shipped?  Local?  Your own?  Are you sure of the fertility?  You'd think at least a few would hatch.
    Do you candle the eggs?  At what point do things seem to go amiss?  Never started developing?  Early quitters?  Developed but just didn't hatch?  Any pips?
       For my incubator, temperature recommended is 99.3 to 99.6 F so not sure how slightly higher temps would affect the eggs.  Lockdown I try to keep humidity near 70% but not over.  In the 60-70% range.  So again, not sure what the higher humidity would do, especially if and when the eggs start to pip.
   Good luck this time.

They are my own and yes I candle them. I usually only have a few that aren't fertilized. They seem to make it about half way. They never develop fully. No pips! Thank you

 

[AmericanMom]

They are my own and yes I candle them. I usually only have a few that aren't fertilized. They seem to make it about half way. They never develop fully. No pips! Thank you

Have you ever had a broody hen? If so what is the hatch rate under her??....

 

[dekel18042]

Sounds like conditions are OK to get them started, but not enough to sustain them. Could conditions in your incubator be a little off? Have you tried a second thermometer to see if temps are accurate and the same for humidity.
I thought the same thing about trying a broody if you have access to any or do you know anyone with an incubator who could try hatching some of your eggs?

 

[AmericanMom]

Sounds like conditions are OK to get them started, but not enough to sustain them. Could conditions in your incubator be a little off? Have you tried a second thermometer to see if temps are accurate and the same for humidity.
I thought the same thing about trying a broody if you have access to any or do you know anyone with an incubator who could try hatching some of your eggs?

I was going to suggest trying another incubator, either borrowed or give someone some eggs to incubate... If the Op lived closer I would give some a whirl for them...