Why Won’t My Chicks Hatch?!

[101atworld]

The humidity seems too high and the chicks most likely drowned.

I would learn your incubator and research on humidity for your location. Don't take everyone else's humidity into consideration because we all live in different areas.

The humidity should be under 45% for the first 18 days so that the air cells can get to the size that they need to be. Where under 45% you need to be is up to you to decide by learning your incubator.

My first hatch I had 9 chicks fully formed and dead in the shell. My humidity was too high, but I chalked it up as a lesson learned.

Dust yourself off and try again. You will soon be a hatching pro. Check out the hatch a longs next time you hatch because there are a lot of people that can help you along the way.

I'm sorry you experienced these loses, but we all have gone through it at one point. You're not alone

Thank you. I will definitely look into the hatch alongs.

 

[FortCluck]

Thank you. I will definitely look into the hatch alongs.

Here's the one for May

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/may-2020-hatch-a-long.1359364/

 

[101atworld]

Here's the one for May

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/may-2020-hatch-a-long.1359364/

Ok, thank you. Also, do you know where I would be able to find the best humidity for my state? I haven’t been able to find information about it. I live in Washington state.

 

[FortCluck]

Ok, thank you. Also, do you know where I would be able to find the best humidity for my state? I haven’t been able to find information about it. I live in Washington state.

You'd have to test eggs in the incubator at different humidities to see what works best for you. You can also ask in that hatch a long if anyone lives in Washington and what humidity they use.

 

[Uff Da]

Ok, thank you. Also, do you know where I would be able to find the best humidity for my state? I haven’t been able to find information about it. I live in Washington state.

Figuring out humidity doesn't have to be guessing and experimentation.

The best way to know what humidity to incubate at is to either weigh your eggs or track your air cell growth. You want to aim for a certain percentage of weight loss, or a certain size air cell on days 7, 14, and 18. The directions for how to do this are here: Sally's Incubation Notes,

Start out low--berween 30 and 40%. On day 0, either candle your eggs and trace the air cell, or weigh the eggs to get a base weight.

On day 7, candle and trace or weigh eggs. Then adjust your humidity accordingly. If your weight loss is too high, increase humidity or vice versa. If your egg cells are too small or large, adjust humidity accordingly.

Repeat on day 14. Even in day 18, you can still do some adjusting even as you begin lockdown.

 

[101atworld]

Ok, thanks for the help!

 

[101atworld]

Figuring out humidity doesn't have to be guessing and experimentation.

The best way to know what humidity to incubate at is to either weigh your eggs or track your air cell growth. You want to aim for a certain percentage of weight loss, or a certain size air cell on days 7, 14, and 18. The directions for how to do this are here: Sally's Incubation Notes,

Start out low--berween 30 and 40%. On day 0, either candle your eggs and trace the air cell, or weigh the eggs to get a base weight.

On day 7, candle and trace or weigh eggs. Then adjust your humidity accordingly. If your weight loss is too high, increase humidity or vice versa. If your egg cells are too small or large, adjust humidity accordingly.

Repeat on day 14. Even in day 18, you can still do some adjusting even as you begin lockdown.

Hello again, so I got a hygrometer and it says the humidity in my house is 55% but in the incubator it’s 30%. How is this possible? It’s a forced air incubator does that have something to do with it?

 

[Uff Da]

Hello again, so I got a hygrometer and it says the humidity in my house is 55% but in the incubator it’s 30%. How is this possible? It’s a forced air incubator does that have something to do with it?

Yes, that's normal. I'm no good with physics so I can't tell you why, but humidity in a forced air incubator is always lower than the room humidity. My house is usually around 35% humidity, and if I don't put water in my incubator it will be around 15-20%.