Why so many of my chicks pip on the wrong end?

[RoosterHuggerLiz]

I've got a problem where four out of five chicks I hatch pip on the wrong end, all of my eggs are from my backyard flock and I hand turn them three to five times a day for 17 days, I always keep my incubator about 100° and I do dry incubation, I've never personally lost a chick to hatching this way, I'm just curious on why they pip like this?

 

[sourland]

How do you position them in the incubator?

 

[RoosterHuggerLiz]

How do you position them in the incubator?

They're always positioned on their side, horizontally

 

[MGG]

They're always positioned on their side, horizontally

You stopped turning them a few days before hatching, right? I know you said you did but are you positive that the auto turner (if you have one) was off?

 

[RoosterHuggerLiz]

You stopped turning them a few days before hatching, right? I know you said you did but are you positive that the auto turner (if you have one) was off?

There's no Auto turner, it's one of those cheap little $15 hand turning incubators

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So what's the answer, why are they pipping at the wrong end?
@MGG?
@sourland?
What should she do differently to prevent this? (I hope to hatch someday, so I'd like to know.)

 

[Cynthia12]

Sometimes we don't know why. A few different reasons, one being it's a large chick..starts to turn .. can't. Sounds like you did everything right though.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Does the first one to pip do this? I wonder if it has anything to do with the dry incubation method? I typically incubate almost dry, but I live in NC where it's humid. Have you ever tried to stop turning them on day 15 or 16 to see if this makes a difference?

 

[Rose Quartz]

No it doesnt have to do with dry hatching.

I had this same problem hand turning. It has to be 5x or more per day or they pip the wrong end. I learned that after 3 years of incubating with hand turning only. I've always done dry incubation. All the pipping at the wrong end problems went away after i got an automatic turner, cause im too busy to stay on top of turning them all the time.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Problem solved then