sticky chicks

[uplandmom]

I forget because I never paid attention when I read because I wasn't having this problem. I had a decent hatch of Bobs last week but there were about 6 eggs that the chicks had almost completely hatched out of but got stuck. Is this too much humidity or too little? Also out of 40 pheasant eggs I only had 4 hatch. One tried to hatch but died. They should have hatched Sunday, it is now Wednesday without any new birds. I was going to throw them out but I can still hear chirping! I always had good hatches and this is driving me nuts. I do not have a hygrometer to measure humidity. Humidity problem?

[Fivehollers]

All I can say is if you hear them peeping then try to help them out of the egg. Yes it is a humidity problem. I have helped many chicks out of eggs and some handle it alright some do not. This time around all the ones I helped turned out okay. They need moisture to get out of the shell. Too much they will drown not enought they can not get out of the egg. Good luck!  

[shagomatic]

I have found that when the majority hatch without a problem it is something other than humidity.  Most of the time a chick that is having trouble is due to something developmental.  The reason that it appears to be humidity is because as the shell is partially opened for longer without the chick hatching everything dries out very quickly.  Some will make it with assistance others will not.  There will sometimes be something obviously wrong with the chick.  The biggest reason for a failed hatch with most babies dying at the latter stages of incubation is due to inadequate oxygen flow which can be directly related to insufficient turning.

[Sterling-Ranch]

I would say if they are hatching 4 days late your temperature over the whole incubation period was a little low.