Can't get it right!

[beckymom3]

My first 2 hatches (one in March, one in April) I struggled with low humidity in lockdown and had shrink wrapped chicks that died before or after pipping. This hatch (today is day 23) my babies drowned. I had 5 out of 17 chicks hatch, the rest didn't even pip. I cracked them open and all were drowned. Humidity was 80% and I didn't open the incubator until this afternoon. Lockdown started 5 days ago. I can't believe it! I thought my hatch rates before were abyssmal (11%, 54%) but this is just as bad at 23%!

All the chicks that made it were from locally obtained eggs, the rest were shipped, but the chicks were fully formed and perfect.

I've got another round to start this weekend, some Delawares, Phoenixes and Buckeyes coming, and I'm pretty sure I am doing the right thing up until lockdown, then I ruin it all somehow.

My incubator is a forced air Hovabator with auto egg turner. I do dry incubation, humidity in the 30% range. Temps 99.6 throughout, using 2 thermometers and hygrometers that are calibrated.

I've read tons about humidity and understand the physiology of it, but still am having a terrible problem getting it right. My first hatches I kept the humidity around 60%, this time around upping it to 80% obviously didn't help. What next? 70% as the lucky medium?

Any ideas would be apprecitated. Thanks!

 

[babsbag]

I am sorry you are having such a hard time. It is frustrating to say the least. Here are a couple of links that might help.

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_pipped.html

http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/troubleshooting_incubation.pdf

It is my understanding that the chicks won't drown because the humidity is to high at the end, they drown because the humidity has been to high all along, and the air cell is not big enough. But at 30% I hardly think that is the case with you. Have you calibrated your hygrometers? But still 30% is pretty low so they would have to be WAY off for that to be the case.

The other thing is to make sure that you have the vents open in your incubator. Air exchange is critical, more so than some people realize.

I am not convinced that opening the incubator shrink wraps the chicks, and I say that because my last 2 hatches have been with broodies and they have both left eggs in the nest at the end. And both times I have taken the eggs and stuck them in a cold incubator, warmed them up and they both hatched with no problems. That should have shrink wrapped them for sure. I am just not convinced that is the problem. However, that being said, I am no expert at this and I do know that once the egg pips it is vital to maintain the humidity at that point.

Good luck and let us know. Hope those links give you some ideas.