There are a number of reasons why none of us get that 100% hatch rate that we all strive for. Here are the main ones.
1. The egg may not have been fertilised. Even though a hen runs with a cockerel it doesn't necessarily mean all the eggs are fertile. This is why it's always best to candle the eggs before lock down to see which are simply infertile.
2: The embryo may have died at an early stage. This is a common one. A lot of bought eggs are in fact fertile but at some point in time the embryo dies for reasons we'll never know. You can tell by candling which eggs are actually infertile and which are fertile but the embryo has died. Click here to read an article on how you can do this.
3: Weak chicks. It's simply nature doing what it does best, survival of the fittest. it's a fact that some chicks simply are to weak to break out of the shell and die doing so. It's sad but a fact of life. Click here for an article on when to help a hatching chick.
4: Turning your eggs. Hopefully you have an automatic turner but if you are doing it manually then there's a good chance that you may not turn the eggs enough and this will have a detrimental effect on the survival of the embryo. Some incubators turn the eggs every 45 minutes.
5: Faulty incubator. It's one of the mysteries of the hatching world. Humidity and temperature! Sometimes incubators can read one thing but the temperature inside the machine can be another. This tends to be the case with the cheaper versions, causing chicks to be weak and not hatch or die very shortly afterwards. Temperature is more important than humidity. 37.5 degrees centigrade is the optimum temp. 6: Postal damage. We ensure that our eggs are packaged carefully so damage does not occur to the egg however, once your eggs have left our care and are in the hands of the postal system there is a chance that embryo development is affected. Saying that we have lots of repeat customers who have excellent hatch rates with our postal eggs. Leaving the eggs to settle before incubating them gives them a lot better chance of hatching. We hope this helps the mystery of why some eggs simply do not hatch or start the process but don't make the finish line. We wish you the very best luck in your hatching adventure.
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