Day 21 and nothing yet...

[OkamiWolfee]

Hello, I am a new member here.

Hatching chicken eggs in an incubator for the first time, set them up, got the temp on 38 degrees Celcius, and been turning the eggs at minimum 3 times a day for 18-19 days - we're on day 21 now and I haven't seen any pipping or movement, candelled them quickly (and very carefully) and they have their air pockets at the top and veins look good, so I'm hoping they are just getting ready to make a big (possibly late) entrance into the world.

Got their brooder all ready (large cardboard box with high sides, shavings, non-slip matting, water feeder, little soft plastic plate for the crumb, thermometer, and a 60W fireglow red bulb) - just got some questions.

1. Am I supposed to lay the eggs on their sides or keep them upright? They have been upright with the pointier end down and the larger end on the top the whole time of incubation.

2. When they pip, how long can it take for them to escape the shell?

3. Am I right in thinking I need to leave them in the incubator once hatched until they are dry before I place them in their brooder?

4. Do I have to teach them how to eat the crumb, if so, how? (I read about the dipping their beaks in the water feeder, is this correct?).

5. Final question, I have a 60W red fireglow bulb for their heat source, is this acceptable for 4 chicks or do I need something stronger? They will be kept indoors in a spare room for a few weeks.

Thank you very much for any advice, much appreciated!

 

[MaryZoe]

Hello, if your incubator ran a little cool, it's possible that they won't pip and hatch until day 22, though you'd expect to see some pips today. And 38 Celsius is 100 Farenheit, which is a little warmer than I run my eggs, so it's possible your temp gauge is off.

I lay my eggs flat to hatch them, but I do this on day 18 or 19 and raise the humidity so I don't have to open the inc'y again until all the chicks have hatched. You want to avoid opening the inc'y once your chicks start to pip or you'll release all that lovely humidity and cause problems for the pipped eggs (their membranes may dry out or even shrink wrap if there's enough of a difference in air temp between the inc'y temp and the outside air temp). That's a real mess and the chicks don't always survive it.

In any case, when you candle the egg at lockdown, it should be pretty much full of shadow from the chick except the air sac, as you mentioned. Hopefully your machine just ran a little cool and you'll start to hatch today and tomorrow. Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

[OkamiWolfee]

Hello, if your incubator ran a little cool, it's possible that they won't pip and hatch until day 22, though you'd expect to see some pips today. And 38 Celsius is 100 Farenheit, which is a little warmer than I run my eggs, so it's possible your temp gauge is off.

I lay my eggs flat to hatch them, but I do this on day 18 or 19 and raise the humidity so I don't have to open the inc'y again until all the chicks have hatched. You want to avoid opening the inc'y once your chicks start to pip or you'll release all that lovely humidity and cause problems for the pipped eggs (their membranes may dry out or even shrink wrap if there's enough of a difference in air temp between the inc'y temp and the outside air temp). That's a real mess and the chicks don't always survive it.

In any case, when you candle the egg at lockdown, it should be pretty much full of shadow from the chick except the air sac, as you mentioned. Hopefully your machine just ran a little cool and you'll start to hatch today and tomorrow. Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

[MaryZoe]

Did any of those hatch? They don't look too hopeful for day 18 or 19. But a couple of them do have nice veins. Still, if Sunday was day 21, they should have hatched long before now. You probably want to get an additional thermometer/hygrometer to check the temperature and humidity of your inc'y. That and give it a good cleaning to be sure there's no rogue bacteria in there causing havoc. Finally, you could check your egg source to be sure the eggs were fresh when you set them and that they came from a healthy flock. There are many factors that could cause low hatch rates. Good luck!