chick hatching death

[Anonymous]

hi my first attempt at hatching using an incubator hasn`t gone out of 7 eggs 2 made it to the end, one hasn`t hatched and no sign of it and the other piped at 8pm fri but after 24 hours it had got no further at all, so i helped it out, well hatched it really, now i think by doing this i`ve killed it and i feel awful, it was like the membrane round the chick was just to tough for it to break through it, os i thought helping it was the best thing but obviously it wasn`t
humidity was 65-70% and temp was perfect, so why couldn`t it get out? any advice greatly appreciated, thanks

 

[Davidd]

Hello, what was your humidity during incubation? Not the last day or two but during the first 18/19 days?
Dont feel too bad -nearly everyone makes mistakes the first time. Get yourself some more eggs and start again, just dont help any out they will hatch when ready- it can take up to 48 hours from pipping- ducks and geese even longer. They are tougher than you think- they can break the shell -it is easier from the inside- nature made it that way try again and I am sure everything will work out fine Good luck.
regards, David

 

[Anonymous]

hi my humidity for the first 18 days was 40-45%.
Got new eggs ordered for tuesday and going to try again.
thanks for advice

 

[foxy]

In addition if the membrane looked tough it does indicate the humidity may have been a bit low. When they start to pip whatever you do, don't take the lid off, that drastically reduces the humidity and it can take hours to bring it up again despite what the readings say.

Sourcing eggs this time of year can also have a bearing on hatchibilty too, fertility in Jan/Feb can be a bit "iffy" specially after the cold start to winter we have had, the health of the parent stock will also have a bearing on the viability of the eggs.

Good luck with the next batch and keep us posted! 17

 

[Frenchchickens123]

Hi, sorry to hear about your hatch. First time can be a real trial and error. I lost two in my first hatch one was probably my fault too. I have helped a chick hatch before successfully but it's risky due to all the blood vessels and the yolk sac not being absorbed. It may seem like they are struggling and not getting anywhere but they can stay the same for an awful long time before really trying to get out (probably because they are absorbing the yolk sac still). I am now much more patient and do not touch the incy at hatch time apart from to add more water. Your humidity could have been a problem but I don't think it was as I have heard many people running it dry until they pip. I would believe that the quality of eggs may be to blame or if they were knocked or something during incubation as small vibrations can kill embryos in the early stages of development. Also for your next hatch if you would like to try and get better hatch results try turning them more than 3 times a day if you have time! My last lot I turned them 6 times a day and got 21 out of 26 although one died unfortunately. It allows the embryo to develop more evenly. Not sure what else to suggest as long as they are kept at the right temp and keeping even humidity throughout plus the turning you can't go far wrong unless there's a problem with the eggs. Hope this helps and good luck with your next hatch.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your replies i`m feeling abit more postive and ready to go for round two, getting new eggs on tues, picking them up myself so no postage problems, have got incubator cleaned and ready to go, so fingers crossed my next attempt goes better.

 

[gabzhenz]

Reading this has given me hope following a horrid and traumatic weekend (see also Suro thread on this section of the forum for the l o n g version!!) and alot of dead chicks and one alive which is deformed.

Have now purchased my own incubator instaead of borrowing a clearly faulty machine and am on day 12 of hopefully a more sucessful hatch. Have also digested the manual so that I can adjust the temp/humidity if needed rather than relying on a friend that lives several miles away!!!! Who bless her is soooo laid back - boardering on horizontal - and always says "it will be fine, don't worry" well it wasn't!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully on ward and upward on that oh so steep learning curve!!
G x