Hands on hatching and help

[ShanandGem]

@WVduckchick I'm so sorry for your loss. Tougher when you were trying to help. It can be hard to anticipate what a chicken will do.
I set 19 eggs, 3 were clear and the other 16 have life! Looks like I kept the right roosters. Just a few days to go and I am unprepared for this many chicks. No quitters (so far, touch wood) no blood rings, just lots of movement and life.
Gotta get my heating pad built today in case anyone comes early.

 

[WVduckchick]

@WVduckchick
 I'm so sorry for your loss.  Tougher when you were trying to help.  It can be hard to anticipate what a chicken will do.
I set 19 eggs, 3 were clear and the other 16 have life!   Looks like I kept the right roosters. Just a few days to go and I am unprepared for this many chicks.  No quitters (so far, touch wood) no blood rings, just lots of movement and life.
Gotta get my heating pad built today in case anyone comes early.

Thank you, and awesome news for you! Be sure and keep us posted!!

 

[allisonvalle]

if I candle them would it hurt ?
I know I'm not supposed to open the incubator

 

[WVduckchick]

if I candle them would it hurt ?
I know I'm not supposed to open the incubator

The whole point to this thread is to show that many of us are successful, even though we don't follow the "rules" that so many preach about. Opening the incubator during the last 3 days is one of the biggest things we have disproven as being a strict no-no.

As long as you can keep your humidity from falling drastically, and if you don't have any active hatching, and if you see no pips, then you aren't going to hurt anything. Do it quickly and carefully, don't toss the egg around (lol) and it should be fine.

 

[allisonvalle]

thank you I candled one and it has what appears as a head going towards the air sack like its about to internally pip at least I think should the whole egg be dark ?

 

[WVduckchick]

thank you I candled one and it has what appears as a head going towards the air sack like its about to internally pip at least I think should the whole egg be dark ?

Yes, the majority of the egg should be dark, other than the air cell. Here's a pic of the position of the chick inside the egg. There are drawings on this site somewhere also. The beak is likely pressing on the membrane, trying to internally pip. Shouldn't be long now! Good luck!

 

[RubyNala97]

What a heartbreaker, WV....I see on BYC new threads crop up with the same problem - Mama hatched and should I put a light out there with her and the babies? I've always advised against it, but your experience will help more people than you know! Tough to share when we don't get a good outcome, but essential, I think.

X2!! Definitely an idea that might pop up in my head if I had a broody Hatching on a very cold day. Good to know!

The one on the right was fully hatched, but dead. You can tell it was barely hatched, still not fluffy. The 2 on the left were sticking thru their zips like they tried so hard to get out. I nearly cried. They were still semi-warm, so I held them until I was sure they were gone. If I had come home a bit earlier, I may have saved them....

!!

hi my name is allison and im a new member here and a first time hatch mother its day 21 and i dont hear any peeping , see pips , or movement im worried about my little ones and i need some help should i work i have them in a homemade incubator and have no way to measure the temp or the humidity but have been seeing development in the eggs pleas help !

If I had no thermometers or hygrometers then candling would be my best friend. The more practice you get at seeing what's going on inside the egg the better, it will be valuable experience.

thank you I candled one and it has what appears as a head going towards the air sack like its about to internally pip at least I think should the whole egg be dark ?

These are not my pics but just to give you an idea of what an internal pip looks like and also so you can see how big the air cell gets before hatch. It grows considerably right before hatch. If your temps were low it could delay your hatch.

 

[Pyxis]

There is a bad egg smell coming from my incubator and I can't figure out why. One was clear, tossed it, one was a maybe, sniffed it and it didn't reak so I left it. The others are all alive and well. Where the heck is this smell coming from?!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Oh, that would drive me crazy!

Ok, 'crazier'...

Maybe something got flung into the fan component during a hatch?

 

[Pyxis]

Oh, that would drive me crazy!

Ok, 'crazier'...

Maybe something got flung into the fan component during a hatch?

I don't even hatch in it It's getting a good cleaning out after this batch, that's for sure.