Please help, desperate, Day 21 no noise, no peeps, nothing dead silent.

[silkies mama]

Ok I am sick over this. (I know you all know the feeling) Waited 3 weeks, today is the day..... 1 egg cracked an X last night, that X is not one speck different today, over 15 hours later.... sighhhhhhh, this morning I see a second egg with a TINY X. But not one egg is rolling, not one egg is saying a word. Its DEAD silent in my bator. Never ever a single peep has come from this thing.... I had what appeared to be 7 good fertile eggs on lockdown on day 18.

I didn`t check my temp for a few days because I wasn`t home, but when I did get home it was at 101. I have a forced air with an automatic egg turner... did that fry my eggs? That was about day 10.... on day 18 they seemed normal. Anyway I have a heck of a time hatching eggs. I get them to the end then I get only dead chicks in the shell..... or if they try to hatch I have sticky, sticky chicks.

I kept my humidity at 40% most times but once in a while it dropped to about 28%. On the night of day 18 going into day 19, I put the humidity to 70%... thats where it is now.... and dead silent.

Normally I would open up the lid take out the egg with the big X and help it out. This time I swore I would not open the bator. I`m usually terrible about opening up the lid and do it way too often. This time I put a big piece of tape on the lid and tapped it to the base on day 18. Just to keep me honest... but its killing me. I think i lost that baby with the big X. It was a porcelain silkie..... sighhhhhh.... I am wondering if I should rip that tape off and say nuts to it all and start pulling those kids out of the shell.

I`m guessing you can see, hear or feel my desperation......

What would you suggest I do?

 

[Peep_Show]

Take a deep breath and hang tight. It can be 24 hours from the first pip to earnest zipping. You didn't mention what type of incubator, but if it's a LG or Hovabator or old Miller those little red caps should be out as full-grown chicks breathe more than dormant eggs.
Your humidity is alright to prevent shrink-wrappage. Opening the lid will not help.
My suggestion is to stay out of the bator and let Nature take it's course.
Sometimes I'll sit outside of the incubator and tap the plastic on the lid (like an egg pip) with fingernail and peep loudly. This can get the action going if they think there's company out there.
Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[bobbi-j]

Really, there's not much you can do. Leave the incubator shut, give them a couple of more days. That's what I'd do anyway. But I take a pretty hands off approach when I am hatching, whether it's with an incubator or a broody. I figure I'll do what's recommended, and then either they'll hatch or they won't. I hope you get some to hatch. The waiting is absolutely the worst, isn't it?

 

[Peep_Show]

A mild fluctuation in temps isn't going to hurt the eggs, nor is variable humidity before lockdown. After all, the mama hen leaves the nest for food and water. A hens temp is 101-ish. If your incubator runs cool (below 100) the hatch time may be delays. If it's a little hotter (constantly above 100 up to 102+) the chicks tend to hatch early. (Early hatches tend to have more leg problems..splays, etc)

I actually forgot to fill the reservoirs on my incubator the first week. Oops! Resulted in larger air cells, but I had a great hatch (85%) off of shipped eggs.

Again, relax, carry on and keep checking back on the incubator.

And if, per chance, they don't ever hatch, well, it sometimes happens. Not every hatch is stellar.

 

[Peep_Show]

Lastly, please do not think you're helping a chick out by peeling the shell.... More often than not they haven't absorbed their yolk sac and the whole thing becomes a big mess. Chicks hatch when they're ready to hatch. And if they don't hatch they may have had something wrong to have shortened their life. Nature is wise with selection of the fittest.

 

[silkies mama]

This is my incubator. (has a fan and an auto egg turner) its all digital.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-EGG-INCU...443?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3389bcafbb

I`m wondering is it my bator or is it me?

I thank you all for your support and help. I`m really concerned about no peeping, no noise.... I never had a silent bator before.... its scary. You know if you think about it, you invest almost a month into a hatch. Figure you save up eggs for some days or a week, then set it up wait another 3 weeks to see what happened. I sear I just wish my life away.... trying to get to that special day 21.. and its looking like a dud....sighhhhhh AGAIN!

 

[Peep_Show]

Never have seen one of those before.

Before you set your eggs did you test the incubator's calibrations with an independent thermometer and humidity measurer?

Reading about your sticky eggs, it could be that there's more humidity in there than indicated digitally.

 

[Peep_Show]

Type in Janoel into the BYC search bar.... Other folks seem to have problems with them. It's not YOU!

 

[bobbi-j]

This is my incubator. (has a fan and an auto egg turner) its all digital.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-EGG-INCU...443?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3389bcafbb

I`m wondering is it my bator or is it me?

I thank you all for your support and help. I`m really concerned about no peeping, no noise.... I never had a silent bator before.... its scary. You know if you think about it, you invest almost a month into a hatch. Figure you save up eggs for some days or a week, then set it up wait another 3 weeks to see what happened. I sear I just wish my life away.... trying to get to that special day 21.. and its looking like a dud....sighhhhhh AGAIN!

I think it would take a lot to lose an entire batch of eggs, like a major malfunction of the incubator. So I would say it is not you. You've done everything like you've done in the past? Had fairly successful hatches? Then it's not you. That would be very disappointing! Hoping you get something out of it....

 

[silkies mama]

I use a Brinsea spot check for my temps, and thats how I calibrated my incubator. My bator is in my kitchen and I check the temps constantly. I have to say even if others have problems this bator is constant with its temps. I never have to worry. Plus I have a digital hygrometer for cigars and thats how I check my humidity.

OMG GOOD NEWS

the Porcelain is OUT!!!

I am so glad that I listened to you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!