All right YOU guys got me interested in hatching (it's all new to me). Now I have questions? (1) I incubated three fertile eggs, two of the three hatched. The third one, I finally took the egg out and when I broke it open I found a full feathered, but dried out deceased chick, My question is did I do something wrong or was it inevitable this one would not hatch? (2) For those of you who hatch lots of eggs, how do you vaccinate for Merek's and Coccidiosis? (3) Should one keep the non-vaccinated isolated from the vaccinated? I appreciate your help in advance. Haystack.
question for expreienced hatcher's:
Sometimes chicks just dont hatch. Did you open the incubator during hatching? That will lower the humidity for the later hatching eggs, making it difficult for them to hatch. It sounds like if you got 2 of the 3 hatched, you must have done something right. I can't help you with the vaccinating question, I dont vaccinate anything.
I have only vaccinated for Fowl Pox i believe Murray Mcmurray carries those vaccines.
Yes as fla chick said sometimes eggs just don't hatch and if 2 out of 3 hatched then it wasn't something you did.
It sounds like your 3rd chick either ran out of energy or dried before it was able to hatch. The only thing that can be fixed is the humidity and that's only IF you did something wrong or know of something you could have done better. it may be the chick was poorly positioned to pip or any number of other things. I'd say you did extremely well.
Vaccinating -not something I have ever needed to do as I keep a pretty well closed flock (no outsider birds coming in) thus far.
Haystack - 2 of 3 really isn't bad. My Andalusian hatch this week started out with 11 eggs and had 7 hatches. The remaining eggs I opened and 2 quit developing early and 3 were almost there but didn't hatch for some reason. It's not entirely surprising, especially when you are dealing with a 3 egg incubator. You're at 66% hatch, and my 7 out of 11 is 64% hatch.
I don't vaccinate right now. I may start to do so in future if I intend to sell more chicks.
Sixty-six percent is an excellent hatch rate for artificial incubation. I do think some of the later pips have problems with drying out. The inner membrane drys and constricts around them so that they are unable to move and complete the pip. I am going to work even harder at keeping the humidity up after the first few hatches.
Thanks very much: I wasn't sure what to expect, but your answers have helped my perspective on what to expect. Good for you Mox, Your going to have seven beautiful birds. I'm very happy for you. Haystack
after dealing with merek's disease, i always vaccinate my chickens if i can and i do not keep the vaccinated separate from the rest of the flock, haven't had any problems through.
well maybe just a few........................