March 13th 2016 Hatch-A-long

[Knigge]

So the little one that pipped last night stopped. I don't see movement anymore and it hasn't made anymore progress. Anyone know why it would just die midhatch?

 

[Faraday40]

So the little one that pipped last night stopped. I don't see movement anymore and it hasn't made anymore progress. Anyone know why it would just die midhatch?

The reason why the humidity has to increase at lockdown is to help the chicks hatch. If it is too dry, as the chick starts to pip & zip, the membrane can get dried out. Instead of a wet toilet paper-like membrane, it's more like a dried shoe-leather. The chick can't cut through it & gets trapped inside the shell. People call it getting shrink-wrapped. Since it got a blast of dry air after pipping & then the incubator probably took a while to get the humidity back up, that is my guess as to what happened.

You had to take care of the rest of the eggs, so the early one just had bad timing. If I ever have to open the lid after day 18, I mist the side of the incubator with a spray bottle of water to give a quick boost. (Can't get the eggs wet, though.) That way the humidity goes back up very quickly. Also, leaving the hatched chicks inside the incubator prevents the loss of humidity (by not opening the lid) and helps encourage the other eggs to hatch.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

So the little one that pipped last night stopped. I don't see movement anymore and it hasn't made anymore progress. Anyone know why it would just die midhatch?

There are lots of causes. I have had some in the past do that. Hope it revives, sometimes they take a long break between pipping and zipping and kicking.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Day 18 for me is tomorrow so I will go into broody lock down. For me that means caging her so the other birds don't go in her nest during the hatch. She is very tolerant of other birds sharing the nest to lay but there is too much risk during hatch to let them share. Hope all 4 of her possible chicks hatch well.

 

[Knigge]

It was shrink wrapped but it was too late by this morning. No one else has pipped and the humidity was close to 90%. I know it will go up once they start hatching. We're pretty sad that we lost this little one. This is only our second hatch from the incubator. Although I've done lots of researching on what could happen and what to do when it does but it takes things happening to learn I guess. Just hate when my learning causes one of my animals to be sick, in pain or die

 

[Knigge]

Day 18 for me is tomorrow so I will go into broody lock down.  For me that means caging her so the other birds don't go in her nest during the hatch.  She is very tolerant of other birds sharing the nest to lay but there is too much risk during hatch to let them share.  Hope all 4 of her possible chicks hatch well. 

Good luck! I let a broody hatch eggs last fall but was new to it and didn't know I should put her and the eggs somewhere else and the other hens ended up killing 3 of 4 babies before I found it. We now have a huge brooder in the coop so if that happens again I'll put them in there before they hatch.

It ended up that henny penny was not sitting on the eggs so I have brought them in and will put them in the incubator after these hatch and I clean it up. They are the mottled houdan/ buff orpington or barred rock cross. I'm sort of interested to see what they end up being lol

 

[Faraday40]

It was shrink wrapped but it was too late by this morning. No one else has pipped and the humidity was close to 90%. I know it will go up once they start hatching. We're pretty sad that we lost this little one. This is only our second hatch from the incubator. Although I've done lots of researching on what could happen and what to do when it does but it takes things happening to learn I guess. Just hate when my learning causes one of my animals to be sick, in pain or die

Don't beat yourself up about it. There are many things that can go wrong & one cannot control everything. Not all eggs develop & not all embryos hatch. A weak chick could die days later - after you've gotten attached. (far worse guilt for you than having a chick simply not hatch out.)

There are a few things that can be tried for shrink wrapped chicks. You could try to assist by wetting the membrane with a Q-tip, but the more you open the lid, the more risk to the healthy eggs./chicks. It's kind of a case by case decision. Honestly, if a chick is strong enough to hatch on its own, then it will be healthy bird. If it starts out weak, then it will have a hard time competing for food. Once in a while if I have a weak chick or one with a herniated navel, I will keep it in the incubator or other ICU brooder for 24-48 hrs with food & water. I've been lucky & they usually catch up in that time.

Good luck! I let a broody hatch eggs last fall but was new to it and didn't know I should put her and the eggs somewhere else and the other hens ended up killing 3 of 4 babies before I found it. We now have a huge brooder in the coop so if that happens again I'll put them in there before they hatch.

It ended up that henny penny was not sitting on the eggs so I have brought them in and will put them in the incubator after these hatch and I clean it up. They are the mottled houdan/ buff orpington or barred rock cross. I'm sort of interested to see what they end up being lol

Those are some interesting mixes! Please share pics when they hatch.

Yes, I either separate the broody or barricade her nest to keep the others out. Sounds like you have a good set up.

 

[4stakes]

I cant get my humidity up past 56%. I filled both trays in my Styrofoam incubator and added 2 sponges that are wet. Temp on metal screen is at 95-96. Temp was 101-102 on top of egg turner. Do you think I will be OK?

 

[Faraday40]

I cant get my humidity up past 56%. I filled both trays in my Styrofoam incubator and added 2 sponges that are wet. Temp on metal screen is at 95-96. Temp was 101-102 on top of egg turner. Do you think I will be OK?

There's often some tweaking to do when you make changes on day 18.

if desperate for more humidity, you can add water soaked feminine pads. Cheap & disposable. You can pour water onto it (&/ or the sponges, rags, etc.) via rubber tubing w/o even opening the incubator. I think we live in a dry house b/c I'm always adding water daily to get it between 60-70%.

 

[FaithWalkFarms]

First pips!!!!!!! There are 2 who have pipped -- the one in the picture has nearly completed an air hole since this photo. My kids are so giddy and hyper over it!