Day 21 and no pips

[BarnyardChaos]

How is the chick who had the spraddle leg or wry neck, or both?

 

[Tvan18]

Thank you so much for all of the help and advice! I feel much more equipped now for the next hatch. I learned so much!

 

[Tvan18]

How is the chick who had the spraddle leg or wry neck, or both?

It’s neck is doing better today, but I’m not having luck with its legs. I tried the straw and rubber band method, then was using the teacup but it kept having issues with putting its head down and getting it’s stuck under the wrap due to the neck issue, so I have switch to just get wrap but it still can’t stand. My daughter and I take turns holding it up to try and help it and putting it to the food and water but idk how long is too long to keep assisting it and drawing it out if it’s not improving?

 

[Tvan18]

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[BarnyardChaos]

how long is too long to keep assisting it and drawing it out if it’s not improving?

I really don't know; it's really up to you and your daughter. If it does not improve within the next few days, I fear it never will. Are you willing to continue feeding this chick, and getting more and more attached each day? The longer you go, the harder it will be to just put it down. It's a very hard decision, but one that all of us have faced at one time or another. It's just the nature of raising livestock, including chickens.

Here are a couple of good articles describing how to humanely cull a chick:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...re-culling-the-injured-and-sick-babies.72140/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-for-squeamish-people-slightly-graphic.74734/

 

[Tvan18]

My husband culled the chick this afternoon. Yesterday afternoon it seemed to maybe be making progress, but it’s curled toes were are full and so it could hobble but barely. I tried stalling it’s toes but it would just fall over then. Today it just kept laying on its back so I decided it was cruel to keep trying.

 

[Fleece-Feathers-Fur]

This is my first time trying my hand at incubating eggs, I started with 18 eggs (Marans, Cochins, RIR bantams, silkie, EE, and brabanter x pav). I am now day 21 today with no external pips. I locked down the night of day 16 due to having bantam eggs too as I had read I should, but event those have not pipped.
I am feeling very discouraged now and wondering if something happened from lockdown to now as when I candled before lockdown only 2 eggs needed to be removed for lack of development humidity has been steady between 70-75% and temp holding at 100°f.
I’ll include some pictures from last candle (day 16)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Not to change your subject, but I haven't heard about locking down at day 16 with bantams. I incubated 14 bantam eggs and only 2 hatched and both chicks died. Could locking down three days before the hatch date be part of the reason.

 

[Tvan18]

Not to change your subject, but I haven't heard about locking down at day 16 with bantams. I incubated 14 bantam eggs and only 2 hatched and both chicks died. Could locking down three days before the hatch date be part of the reason.

I’m really not sure. This was my first time incubating eggs and when I was reading up on the type of eggs and hatch times it said that bantams can hatch days 18-20 so lockdown should be done at the end of day 16 and that doing so even with a mix of bantam and large eggs wouldn’t be an issue for the larger eggs. I had 4 large eggs hatch and 1 bantam, so if anything it definitely didn’t seem to have harmed my larger eggs. I think my issue was more temp and humidity fluctuations in the cheaper incubator I was using.

 

[Tvan18]

I’m really not sure. This was my first time incubating eggs and when I was reading up on the type of eggs and hatch times it said that bantams can hatch days 18-20 so lockdown should be done at the end of day 16 and that doing so even with a mix of bantam and large eggs wouldn’t be an issue for the larger eggs. I had 4 large eggs hatch and 1 bantam, so if anything it definitely didn’t seem to have harmed my larger eggs. I think my issue was more temp and humidity fluctuations in the cheaper incubator I was using.

I upgraded, somewhat, to a maticoopx incubator now and have 32 eggs set. 21 from a mixed flock (covered by olive egger, Maran, and Ameracauna roosters), 6 of my Green queen x silkie eggs, 3 silkie eggs, and 2 serama eggs. So we will see in a couple weeks how that hatch compares with the new incubator. Less opening the lid with this one so hoping that factor helps a lot with success.

 

[Edistogal]

It was hard to take pictures when I am alone, but I was able to check some and the only one that I am seeing that maybe looks like an internal pip, or is close to it, is my silkie egg.
I had to stop part way through because my little ones needed me, but I will attempt the rest tonight.

I always hold my eggs air cell up since that is where the chick will pip. During the last three days they shouldn't be moved much so they can position themselves for hatching.