HELP - Hatching Emergency, Advice needed ASAP

[outdoorschik]

Ok, so I was to go on lockdown today. The egg turner is still in there. This weekend the boiler broke/malfunctioned and caused two temp spikes of at least 102. Some eggs are hatching now (those that have not cooked , three days early!. What is worse, leaving the turner in, but off, and risking them getting hurt on it while hatching and drying, or taking it out and risking shrink wrapping the pipped eggs. Oh boy, I am stressed and I don't know what to do. I've never had an egg hatch three days early... yikes, this is bad.

My goldfish boiled due to the high temps and I don't know how many eggs survived

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These are Wynette's shipped eggs... they were silver pencilled pymouth Rocks and as of Friday I had 12 of 14 developing beautifully... I am devastated.

 

[tellynpeep]

I don't think 2 degrees, especially that late in incubation, is a big deal. I've heard here of peple having hatches accidentally in the turner with no ill effects. I think I'd leave them alone. Good luck!

 

[outdoorschik]

ok ... I am leaning toward leaving them in the turner ( I unplugged it) at least for now, I'm just so worried about broken legs with all the cracks and crevices. We were shocked to see the little guy already out of the shell this morning... this is day 18/19 I was expecting hatching Wed - Thu.

 

[ranchhand]

I'd leave it too. Better to have to untangle one or two from the turner than to have them get shrinkwrapped.

Are you sure about your day count? The temp spikes shouldn't cause them to hatch 3 days early.

Good luck!

 

[outdoorschik]

Ok, they shipped on 3/15 and arrived on 3/17, I set them the morning of 3/18 so I expected hatching to begin on 4/7.
I hope they are hardier than my goldfish

 

[Ridgerunner]

If they are hatching that early, your temperatures during incubation were a little high. It's not the temperate spike. I'd suggest lowering your incubation temperature about a half a degree next time.

Just because the air temperature in your incubator spiked does not mean that the temperature inside the egg immediately followed it. Due to the mass it takes a while for the actual egg temperature to follow. Same thing if the power goes out a while. It is not good, but they will recover with no ill effects a whole lot more often than you would think.

This thread might help you in how you count the days. I’d think they are about 2 days early.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=319371

 

[outdoorschik]

This is very odd. I had two thermometers in there and the temp has been 99.5 or below. This weekend in some rooms the temp was up to 110 due to the boiler. We caught the incubator very quick but it may have gone higher than 102. When I opened my fishtank, steam literally rose from the water ...
I'm going to let them hatch in the turner unless someone else thinks I should move them.

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

outdoorschik...I have 13 eggs under a little OE banty due the same times as your eggs.
Some are her eggs, and some are from her mother and sisters, but all are of the OE roosters.
I thought that too many for her to cover, but she is the one who collected them and decided on that many.

She started collecting them and going on and off the nest on 3/17...the day one of her sisters hatched five of seven...all doing well.
She took to staying on the nest on 3/18 and I'm expecting hatching to start the 7th or the 8th. But I have not looked at them, or candled them.
I'm just hoping. I'd be happy if I get half of them.

I was convinced that I'd just have broody hens hatch eggs but I went to a show and bought more chickens this last weekend.
Now I'm shopping for a bator.

Good luck with your babies.

Terry in Tennessee

 

[outdoorschik]

Well, I may have shrink wrapped a few for the sake of the others. I ascertained that the ones hatching so far were not the shipped auction ones from Wynette they were mine. I had 12 viable from Wynette and 24 of my own as of Friday.

Two of mine hatched today and three were pipping when we performed the transfer. I had no choice... one of the chicks already had its leg stuck between the turning trays, was screaming, and couldn't free itself... and I decided if I was going to open it way up to get it out ( it was VERY stuck), I might as well make it all good for the rest of them if I was going to kill the humidity anyway. I wet down tons of sponges and the egg cartons & got a friend to help. In a short period of time, we moved the pipped eggs and all the others out into damp egg cartons and back in ... and my humidity is already back way up. I know I may have shrink wrapped the three pipped ones... but my thought was if I could potentially save the rest it might be worth the loss. I'll let you all know how it goes

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I must say I learn a lot from each hatch I do... so much has gone wrong with this one in the last three days it's not even funny!

 

[Wynette]

Hey, lady!

I just found this thread. So sorry for your troubles! So, did it go okay??