Why do they quit?

[IggiMom]

I just finished a large hatch in my new Lyons. It was all shipped eggs and really it was a good hatch, so I should not complain.

But I checked the eggs that didn't hatch and every one, except the ones I had tossed previously because they candled clear, had a little chick, all feathered out, but dead. What a sad thing to see.

I think the Bater is a little cool, because they all hatched a day late, but that shouldn't make them die, should it?

I just can't understand why they would start developing and then quit.

Catherine

 

[Chickenmaven]

Sometimes they just quit. Like a miscarriage.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I don't understand it either. I did the same with my last hatch and every single un-hatched chick was fully developed.

 

[rancher hicks]

I am sure you meant all fluffied out as newborns don't have feathers. However the march issue of practical poultry mag. has a very good article on DIY hatching and the problems that can occur. Another issue addresses the position of the chick in the egg. Chicks have to be in the right position to "get out" of the egg. They may be fully formed but can't "break" out and die trying. Even having the beak tucked under the right wing. Not sure if it's left or right.

I read everything I can on chickens, sometimes twice , since i'm sure to miss something. As anyone on this forum can attest to I miss alot.

IMO you have to find what works for YOU. There are many differences of opinions here. Ex. wash egg, don't wash eggs, store them pointy end up or pointy end down, temps high or temps low. Humidity is one I've seen vary widely. Every incubator has it's own quirks.

My recent hatch there were a number I went against my own advice and opened the incu and took the egg and cracked up the shell a little more because it seemed like they zipped all the way around but couldn't "push" out. One even had it's whole leg out but couldn't escape.
I believe it was 4 total. The last two were taking to long for me and I just broke them up put them back in the incu and left them. In half an hour they were out and are fine. I did use the egg carton method which is new for me. I will say all of them zipped in a circle all the way around but some had a hard time it seemed with the membrane or pushing out. I did open the incu and took out all the other chicks. One chick hatched two days early and I took that one out.

I've got 20 out of 23 and the three that didn't hatch are different breeds. Which I find interesting. All however were stored pointy end up per PP mag. I conclude that pointy end down is better, but with out more hatches can't really say. They were all in the same carton at lockdown. Could that be it? I don't know. Even which part of the incu they are in might be worth researching.

So OP what I would do is keep a record of the variables of your hatch. Storage, breed (even parentage), where the egg was in the incu, which area, age of the egg, if shipped the breeder, cleanness of the eggs. ( I just bought eggs and some of them were unbelievably filthy).
temp and humidity fluctuations. ( this last hatch the humidity went down into the 20's and up into the 40's, Temp went down into the 98's and up into the 99's, even to 100.0*) Yet I got 20 out of 23. These were my eggs, not shipped. The temp of the room your incu is in and the outside temps. And of course read and reread what you can on incubation techniques. Try different ones and find the one that works for you.

 

[Jess N Jeff]

I just finished a hatch and only 5 of the 12 babies hatched. All others were completely formed but never internally pipped. Not sure why, but for there to be 7...something went wrong. Maybe a temp spike that I didn't see?

 

[Daidohead]

I was wondering the same so I did a bit of looking into it. As near as I can figure ( I am a carpenter, not a scientist ) the majority of chicks that mature to hatch but don't exit the egg suffocate. There is a point where the oxygen supply the chick uses for 18-20 days drys up or is no longer able to supply enough oxygen for the chick. This is the point that a chick needs to pip. The air sac provides a very limited amount of air and if the chick is not able to get access to an outside air supply it dies from lack of oxygen.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
The shell of an egg is porous, letting air in and carbon dioxide out. However because of this to much humidity can "drown" the chicks. It's also why you need to use clean eggs. Bacteria can get in. One of the eggs that didn't hatch in my last batch has some yolk on it. How I missed this I don't know. One has a bumpy shell, this to can affect the hatchability. Eggs should have smooth even shells. Wavey or bumpy shells are risky at best.

 

[Penturner]

Most eggs fail either in the first three days or the last three. Failures in the first three days are due to things like rough handeling, freshness, bacteria, genetics of the parent (Although this can also cause later embryos to fail as well) and timepreature or turning issues.

The last three days has a lot more to do with the position of the chick in the egg. The correct position for the chick to hatch is with the head toward the large end of the egg, with it's head tucked under it left or right wing (cannot recall without looking it up just what wing the head is under) the head can often be on top of the wing without effecting it's ability to hatch but is still considered Mal Positioned since in some cases even this has caused chicks to fail.

The following is just my way of understanding what is happening at hatch time. from the moment an embryo begins to develop a network of blood vessels begins to form that will stretch out through the eggs membrane. this network of vessels is acting like the embryos lungs. it carries away toxic gasses and carries in oxygen that passes through the egg shell. At approx 20 days the embryo reaches a size that this network can no longer supply enough oxygen for or carry away enough of the carbon dioxide. this causing an actual overload of carbon dioxide in the chick. One effect of the carbon dioxide overload is muscle spasms. It is these spasms that cause the beak to puncture the air cell. It is at this moment that the embryo is able to take it first breath of air with it's lungs. It is also at this moment that the embryo is no longer an embryo and becomes a chick. It is also at this moment that a very balance trading of one way of breathing replaces another. The chick is now in the egg inhaling and exhaling, filling the egg with it's own carbon dioxide. But the blood vessel network still has not completely shut down. the chick is getting oxygen from two sources but is now producing carbon dioxide with it's breathing. again this overload causes even more spasms resulting in the external pip of the egg. this external pip allows more fresh air. All the while tha blood vessel network is still in the process of shutting down and the chick is having to rely more and more on it's lungs. as the carbon dioxide level rise and fall more spasms are caused. and so on and so forth. in this way the. it is this very ballet that keeps the chick breaking free without going to fast and damaging blood vessels that woudl cause it to bleed to death. it is in fact the shutting down of the blood vessels that cause the actions that break up the shell.

This is just partially why it is so hard to know if to help out, and if so how much and when. there is a very intricate interaction going on and if you think about it it helps explain all the starting stopping, pauses and then sudden progress.

It is also understanding this delicate balance that also makes it pretty clear that it does not really take much for a chick to die in this final process. it is in fact in a dance with suffocation the entire time.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

Penturner--I'm impressed

I've never read such thorough info on the hatching process. Looks like I need to spend more time reading

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Very interesting post, Penturner!!