Why don't pipped eggs hatch?

[Debbi]

Very good point! Mine ran pretty much like it should as far as temps went, 99-100.5 range. The temps in this LG incubator were not the problem, they held steady through the hatch. Humidity was my problem, and that was with sponge strips added to the water wells. Had to chuck in a wet rag, and even then had to add water through one of the vent holes to keep it up during lockdown. I live in Missouri, and it is generally really humid this time of year, but for some reason, the humidity and temps dropped during my lockdown

I would much rather err on the cooler side for a slower hatch, than to fry them at a higher temp. JMPO

 

[geosheets]

Quote:
I have had eggs take 24 days to pip and hatch due to a cool spot in my bator... I also had an entire batch of duck eggs hatch at 30 days due to a thermostat that went bad and temps got down to 85 degrees for 1-2 days. From what I have seen they will be late if they are in a cool spot.

Oldtimegator - before you go drilling holes keep in mind that it may effect the unit as it was designed to operate and may result in problems controlling temp and/or humidity. I'm not too familiar with the Rcom but one thing to consider is whether or not any of those holes are drawing in fresh air with a fan... I'm betting the one on the top does. This kind of changes things as you would have a forced fresh air intake (unless the vent was completely blocked off) which should allow for plenty of air exchange. I certainly don't want to discount what the university experts have to say about air exchange as it is very important, but... in the past I have found my biggest issues with pips and no hatch were humidity related. I now have a homemade incubator that keeps my humidity at 52% for the first 18 days. On day 18 I move my eggs to a styrofoam LG forced air incubator (which by the way, also draws fresh air in from the fan) for hatching. When they go into the LG I put in extra sponges, small tub of water, sponge strips in the wells, etc to get the humidity to 75-85%. This is where I found my best hatch rates to be and is always my target. When the eggs start hatching, the humidity goes up even higher due to all the extra moisture on the chicks & shells. I have had it get up to 95% and I just leave it until everyone is out of their shells. Typically, for me, if it pips it hatches with the rare exception of one pipped on the wrong end or a chick that had developmental problems. Sometimes my chicks are 24 hours old and still dripping wet due to the high humidity. Once everyone is out of their shells I pull the old shells, sponges, extra water pan, etc. out so they can dry off and fluff out before going into the brooder. I'm certainly no expert but it has worked quite well for me.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

George, I agree about the higher humidity during hatch. I don't care if it get to 90% as long as those membranes don't dry out.

The vent hole on the top is not on top of the fan, interestingly. It's in front and is about the size of a pencil eraser with a slide closure so you can open and close it. If it was above the fan I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Other than the 4 pin hole size holes on the bottom...there are no other vent holes at all.

 

[mycutekitties]

This is great info. I lost 3 babies this week during the pip and zip process. So sad to make it 21 days and then they die.