Why do some eggs hatch fine, others get verydry & sticky & dont hatch?

[Smokin Silkies]

I had 2 bators (about 3 dozen) of eggs and while most of them hatched fine, I had some that pipped and zipped but never made progress after 24 hours. The others hatched 2 days before those so I had to get them out of the bator. I grabbed the zipped egg while I was quickly snatching up the chicks and noticed it had died. It was very very dry. It zipped almost the whole way around and I don't know why it died? The other 3 that had zipped with no progress, I took out and helped. They were also extremely dry and very sticky. They came out of the shell with no problem once I got it wet and peeled away the shell. The chicks were so sticky, their wings were matted down to their sides. Why does this happen? My humidity was between 75%-85% the last 3 days and about 40%-50% the first 18% so I couldn't imagine it would be a humidity problem? Then I had a bunch of eggs that never pipped at all but I know they were developing at day 18 when I candled...the egg was all dark. I just don't get how it could've been so dry in there? I had about 3 dozen eggs in there and 24 hatched, so it wasn't too bad of a hatch. None of the others that hatched were dry? Anybody?

 

[walkswithdog]

Sometimes one hen or two hens lay more porous eggs, those chicks will often be dry and stuck. I have one hen whose eggs I know well, and I am always on the look out to help her chicks out. She's a GREAT mother, great layer and sweet so I still keep her, but it's always a battle to get hers out. They're strong and normal afterward, the egg shell is the problem, not the chick's fault.

If you're questioning your results, next time dry hatch and see. Oddly and sort of perversely dry hatches seem to hasten/hurry a hatch along and I got better results with the porous eggs which I am not sure why but I'll take what works, I keep very picky notes. I have to help fewer to none when I dry hatch so that's how I do it here but that took a LONG time and many hatches to sort of end up with.

I do candle, so I can see if a whole hatch is running to dry or if it is an individual thing.

You can also weigh eggs as you go along and fiddle with your humidity based on weight loss. The goal is 12% weight loss over the course of the hatch. More indicates a drying egg. There are charts that show how much and when in the "how to hatch" sticky at the top of the forum.

Take notes. Change on thing at a time. Run a whole hatch of free eggs and see what you get. Then if that's not 90-100% either fiddle with that thing again. Or change something else a tiny bit.

Calibrating your hygrometer/thermometer and using a waterwiggler or fake egg so you know internal temps also reallllllyyy helps stop the guess work.

It's a process and each home is it's own micro-climate so the RULES that are one size fits all - don't fit well in all homes.

Calibrate. Establish a fake egg. Pick one thing to change. Do it a little at a time. Take notes so you remember what you did and then see what happened.

You will get there. I know it's frustrating. Good luck.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

I had a previous hatch that I didn't add any water to it but the humidity still stayed at 35%, then the last 3 days I added a little water. That hatch didn't turn out so well. I had 2 that hatched out of over 2 dozen and weren't very strong. I had calibrated my hygrometers and thermometers also. I noticed I get better hatches when the humidity is higher throughout. Thanks for answering!

 

[walkswithdog]

Good luck with the next hatch!!!!

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction.

Even normal healthy hens produce weak/deformed chicks. That's just nature being nature. Happens no matter how perfect conditions are because no living thing has entirely normal genes, and malformations happen.

Not everything is going to be the fault of incubation under a hen or in an incubator.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I still haven't gotten an answer that is understandable.

Are sticky chicks because the humidity is too low?

 

[Germaine_11.20]

bump

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Doesn't anyone know?

 

[TerriLaChicks]

according to what I've read, low humidity does cause sticky chicks. I had 2 like that a couple of hatches ago & my humidity was on the low side. I watched it more carefully my last hatch & didnt' have any problems.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

See, I thought it would be because of low humidity, but my humidity was between 75%-85% for the last few days and I still got 3 sticky chicks. The other 21 that hatched was fine. You would think with my humidity up that high that it wouldn't be a problem, but I'm not sure???

 

[walkswithdog]

Porous eggs lose far more moisture than less porous eggs. They'll be dried out even if your humidity is right on for all the other eggs in the incubator.

Eggs left outside LONGER than other eggs in the heat can also be internally drier, and even proper humidity can't fix some of them.

Eggs shipped and left out in heat will sometimes lose lots of moisture and may not recover sufficiently during the incubation period and be sticky.

Lots of reasons why some eggs can react differently in the same period. Notes and marking eggs, including any time outdoors after lay, shipping, and hen if you know it do really help sort stuff out.