Why won't my chicks hatch?

[AbbyRoseChickLover]

I'm so confused as to why my chicken eggs aren't hatching. In the beginning, the humidity was around 40% humidity, and the temp has always been 100 F except for one day it was 96 for a while. Once day 18 came along I added water and the humidity has been 60-80%. I candled them so they are definitely fertile. They were supposed to hatch yesterday but didn't-I figured maybe I was off on the days and the day it was 96 F an extra day of 100 would make up for it but they still aren't hatching and I'm upset and don't know what I did wrong. I have to admit I've been bad about opening the incubator but the temp and humidity would be almost the same after I've opened the incubator and I've made sure the temp and humidity stayed at what they're supposed to. I've had a previous hatch that failed due to the humidity being too low. But they still piped, these haven't even been moving and I've been keeping the incubator in the closet to keep the temperature even more stable. I am also using a still air incubator and it was brand new and clean. Every time I open the incubator I wash my hands and I use filtered water for humidity. I AM SO CONFUSED and very upset at that any advice would be greatly appreciated (they are still in the incubator and its still on)

 

[abraga]

It's possible they will still hatch. I've had some hatch on day 25. Are they shipped eggs? Still air bator have warm/cool spots. Did u rotate ur eggs around? Since uv had temp fluctuations they may need a few more days.

 

[MageofMist]

I have had king quail, that hatch on day 18, hatch on day 24 before. They could be late hatchers, just give them time and hopefully they will hatch.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I am not saying this is the case but one time I marked my set date wrong on my calendar, so on the 21 day per my records I was at a loss. I left them in until day 23 just in case. Whamo! They started unzipping.
That happened to me once.. I hope all goes well for you.

 

[AbbyRoseChickLover]

It's possible they will still hatch. I've had some hatch on day 25. Are they shipped eggs? Still air bator have warm/cool spots. Did u rotate ur eggs around? Since uv had temp fluctuations they may need a few more days.

Yes I've had an egg turner machine do that for me , and no I bought local fertile eggs

 

[james walker]

Dont know why the arent hatching, but do yourself a favor and get a circulation fan for your incubator. It will make a world of difference in your hatch percentage.

 

[abraga]

Yes I've had an egg turner machine do that for me , and no I bought local fertile eggs

Well...give them a few more days since u had some low temps. Did u candle them? I always try to set the low end if the air cells "up" thats usually close to where they pip. Often..when I count day one on the day I set them..they pip a day later a lot to..so u should consider an extra day anyway. Good luck..keep us posted

 

[Pyxis]

Since your incubator is still air, you were actually running your temp low the entire time. For still air, the temp needs to be 101.5 at the top of the eggs, so the temp hasbeen a degree and a half low for the entire incubation. That would definitely cause a late hatch.

Also, has your thermometer been calibrated so you know it's accurate?

 

[AbbyRoseChickLover]

Since your incubator is still air, you were actually running your temp low the entire time. For still air, the temp needs to be 101.5 at the top of the eggs, so the temp has been a degree and a half low for the entire incubation. That would definitely cause a late hatch.

Also, has your thermometer been calibrated so you know it's accurate?

Yes I have 2 thermometers. One is digital and one is a regular thermometer. Today is day 22, how long should i leave them in there for?

 

[Pyxis]

I'd give them longer since the temp was low the entire time, especially with the very low 96 degree day too. What date did you set them on, by the way?