Ask Lafeber

Eggs not hatching

My eggs are in an incubator, they look fully developed but die before they hatch. What’s the issue? Incubator set at 99.5 degrees with 45% humidity,I rotate every 3 hrs.

Thanks for reaching out Ask Lafeber. I would rotate my Amazon eggs either 5 or 7 times per day.  It seemed like 5 times per day worked best. The theory behind it is that the chick inside should be resting in a different position at night. That’s important because if they are in the same position, the chick inside will be stuck to one side of the egg and won’t be able to pip out. I’m thinking every three hours may be over doing it a little and the chicks inside will always be in the same position every night. I always used a soft tip pencil, (not a pen or marker) and marked the eggs.  Side 1 and side 2.  That way I always made sure the eggs were resting in a different position each night. I kept my humidity around 45% to 50 % , but I live in an arid climate.  You live in an area where the humidity is much higher, so your humidity may be a tad high.  If the humidity is too high the chicks can actually get over hydrated and drown. What type of incubator are you using?  Depending on your incubator, sometimes the humidity can be adjusted.  It’s also important that when the chicks start pipping you should stop turning the eggs.  The eggs need to stay stationary while the chick is trying to pip out of the egg. At this point, as long as the babies are making good progress and pipping at the largest end of the egg, then all should be fine. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to reach out.