[AndrewMBaines]

I've been using an incubator for the last 7 or 8 years to hatch 1 or 2 lots of eggs a year. Mostly ducks, but hatching chickens for the 2nd time at the moment.
With ducks, I get about 80% success. With chickens, it's closer to 40%.
The chicken eggs all appear to be fertile, the chicks start to pip, but don't get much further. The ones that do get out are perfectly healthy. It's very sad to see the chicks get so close.

Only difference is that the duck eggs are from my own ducks, whereas the chicken eggs are from elsewhere. Most recent lot from someone who normally sells POL, but had just got back from holiday so didn't have much for us.

I'm setting the temperature and humidity as per a little book I have (52% & 37.5 followed by 75% and 37.0). for the chickens. slightly different for the ducks.

Am I doing something wrong? Could it be the incubator? Is it the eggs? Are chickens just harder to hatch?

Thanks for any advice.
Andrew

[waddy]

I think the humidity you are using is a bit high. My book says 45% but even at this level last time I had chicks stuck because the eggs hadn't lost enough weight for them to manoeuvre. I am setting some this week and shall start them at 40% and monitor weight loss and development of the air sac closely. If they pip but just don't have the room to get any further you could try very carefully freeing them a little leaving them to finish the job themselves.


Helen

[AndrewMBaines]

Thanks for the advice. I've made a note in my book to use a lower humidity next time.
Is the 75% after pipping correct?

[waddy]

Yes around that is ok. One thing to look out for if you are using a forced air incubator is membranes can still dry out if the chick takes a while to emerge so be prepared to moisten them with a bit of cooled but still warm boiled water and maybe put a damp flannel in the incubator if this happens. As always try to have as little time as possible with the lid off.


 
Helen

[waddy]

Incidentally - not done ducks yet but have had success with West of England geese - I have found with geese that running the incubator dry until time to pip gives them a better chance (backed up by others on here) of losing the required weight. The only ones I have struggled with have been larger eggs with a relatively smaller surface area to volume to lose moisture from, resulting in a smaller air sac and a stuck chick. You may find drier works well with your ducks. Chicks have hatched fine if they have lost a bit more than recommended. I have sometimes misted if I thought an egg was losing too much but I have found even though misting is recommended for geese it is not really necessary. Stuck chicks can have problems with spayed or twisted legs (splayed can be fixed) so be prepared. Also be careful as the umbilical may still be attached with its blood supply to the shell. This is why if you help it must be done slowly and carefully, letting the chick finish freeing its bottom half itself and always stopping and waiting for a while if there is any blood. If the chick is floppy with a large belly it will need extra time left quietly in the incubator / hatcher to finish absorbing the yolk sac but it should come right.


Helen

[HesterF]

This year I've had great success with chicks and completely rubbish hatching with ducks - like your statistics but even more extreme (I think over 90% on chicks, probably about 20% ducks). Not quite sure what's gone wrong because I've been far more careful with the waterfowl eggs and they've all been fresh from my own stock. I run ducks and geese dry and have still struggled to lose the weight for most of the year. Chicken eggs definitely need a higher humidity than ducks - I think they were between 40 and 45% - but then high for all of them during hatching.