Dead After Pipping?update - eggtopsy done

[Harpo]

Hi.

elation has turned into despair as after Hardy survived, 1 chick easily hatched all the others which were pipped failed to zip

They were chirping away and tapping at the shells when I went to bed but awoke to it being dead quiet

Has a quick peek and the 2 hatchies woke and started chirping....

took one of the pipped ones out, tapped the shell and nothing!!! x 5

Here are some pics of the egg, with more shell removed and the dead chick... what do you think hass happened???

To start with I thought they were all dead as I'd run the humidity for the first 18 days at 55% and then bumped it to 70% for lockdown...

I'm bewildered and shattered - shouldn't have counted them as being successes before they were fully out!!!!

A pic of the stage they got to....

after I'd broken away little bits of shell, darker bits are where I'd moistened it. the rest was pretty dry

fully formed chick with jelly like fluid

 

[Melissa Rose]

I had high humidity when I incubated my first hatch. The chicks 3 of them pipped but did not zip. They had grown too large for their shell and could not turn to zip. I am sorry for your loss but you still have quite the joy to celebrate

 

[Harpo]

Quote:

Thanks - I broke the news to my son with tears streaming down my face

The brave little man just hugged me and said " it's okay Mum, you tried... we still have 2 and they're AWESOME!

He's taken it better than me!!! He's already bought in today's eggs and put them in the " H for hatching carton "

He's ready to get the "incubation train" back on it's rails

 

[LilyD]

Quote:

Thanks - I broke the news to my son with tears streaming down my face

The brave little man just hugged me and said " it's okay Mum, you tried... we still have 2 and they're AWESOME!

He's taken it better than me!!! He's already bought in today's eggs and put them in the " H for hatching carton "

He's ready to get the "incubation train" back on it's rails

I'm so sorry. I had the same thing happen with two pippers. My humidity was fine the first 18 days and 65 to 70 during hatching. The chicks were just too big to turn around and died after pipping. Glad you got two gorgeous babies though. I will try again too. Still have 21 more eggs in the incubator but they aren't doing anything yet.

 

[cmom]

I agree you humidity may have been a bit to high during incubation. Your humidity for hatching was perfect. I keep my humidity around 35% up to 50 % but it generally runs around 40%. The humidity can also be affected by your climate where you live. We had very high humidity outside last week and even though my incubator is in a closed room I could not get the humidity below 45%. This week the humidity is lower and the humidity has been around 35% to 40%. For hatching I bump it up to around 70%. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Cherstin]

Because you can still see leaked yolk in the first photo, it looks to me like your high humidity during the first stage of incubation kept the yolk from being fully absorbed as it should've, but the dryness and extreme whiteness of the membrane in the second photo looks to me like your chicks dried out and couldn't turn in the shell to continue with the zip.

I no longer believe in any "tried and true" percentages for hatches. My humidity was at 65% (and that was as high as I could get it) during my last hatch. One egg, the second to pip, zipped successfully, but the other required assistance to get out of the shell. It had been the first one to pip, and consequently the membrane was beginning to get very tough and dry, and the chick couldn't turn in the shell until I removed some of it, leaving the membrane intact. I think 70% is a good number to shoot for, but if you have pips that are going to dry out over time, especially if you're using a forced air incubator, you might need to go higher after a bit.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'm living and learning, too, so my advice may not be correct for some, but it's worked for me. I'd chalk your photos up to your chick drying out and the membrane thickening up. It is a shame that this seems to happen overnight, when no one is watching.

I'm so sorry but I agree to be happy with what you've got. It makes you appreciate the survivors that much more.

 

[pete55]

Hi

Im very sorry to hear about you losing your chick so close to hatching but I wouldnt berate yourself or your incubation practices, although I believe the humidity may have been a little high.

I think the main clue is that the external pip mark is well down the egg and should have been higher. The chick is in the Breech position and its bottom and legs should have been towards the pointed end of the egg. Breech chicks often have a higher mortality so a big WELL DONE for examining your egg so you can learn more for future hatches

Pete

 

[myfester]

Several years ago, I hatched my own eggs (girl stopped being broody near the end). Had 2 eggs, so wore them in my bra as much as I could during the day, then set them under a light and wet towel at night. Both did live...but I had to hatch them. They managed to pip, then that was about it. I used a pin and slowly removed the shell, then little by little took off their membrane. They were very weak when born, but they grew up healthy. It was quite a surprise. I suppose if you have the pip and quit thing happen again, you can try what I did.

Right now I have 5 eggs that mama stopped sitting on and I'm struggling to figure out what to do. So sorry that your peeps didn't make it. It's so sad to see them go all that way, then not make it out.

 

[kidcody]

Quote:
I agree Pete! I've seen this many times.

 

[Silkiesandco]

Same thing happened to me too. Our incubators humidity was too high. 3 pipped, 2 died in the shell and I did 1 help out. Sorry bout your chick loss.