Sticky Chicks - Too Late To Prevent?

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altair

altair

Songster
14 Years
Aug 16, 2010
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I tried my hand at dry-hatching. First time. The humidity in my Brinsea Octagon was anywhere from 35% to 50% once, I added a bit of water when I thought it was getting too low.

We candled on days 9 and 18, they looked really good (hard to see on day 18 but many had blood vessels and were quite dark, some even moved).

On day 18 we bumped the humidity up to 65-70% and had our first two pippers on day 19. The first hatched fine, the next took about 24 hours, but was unassisted. The umbilical cord was a little soggy and he dragged it for a little while but it looked more like the consistency of membrane. So far both are doing well, I put them in a brooder, but many hours later the newest one looks wet still, but it's dried up goop.

Day 21 is just starting tonight and I'm hoping that the rest aren't having problems. I have one pipper at the moment, 18 more eggs to go.

I thought that the umbilical issue with the one chick may have been too high humidity, but it doesn't seem right. Maybe too low? But how do people dry hatch so well?

I want to give the remaining eggs the best chance they have! Right now humidity's at 70%. Should I increase it? I feel all nervous, and want to have patience but I don't want to lose those eggs!
 
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Crossing my fingers that it will go well for the rest of the pippers. The dried goop on the one chick.. can you bathe little chicks? Maybe a wet wipe would work?

I don't have any experience to guide you with, I do know that with the dry hatch I have going on now, I'm doing it because it is so humid here I don't have much of a choice. & as you know it is becoming an unpredictable mess haha but I am wishing you the best of luck!
 
I believe I can carefully wash a chick, thank you for the suggestion. I candled a couple and one I thought didn't look great, but the other I'm pretty sure I saw subtle movement so I stuffed them both back.

Good luck as well! I was sincerely hoping this is my last hatch for 2015, they're stressful! Though I love the results.
 
altair said:
I tried my hand at dry-hatching. First time. The humidity in my Brinsea Octagon was anywhere from 35% to 50% once, I added a bit of water when I thought it was getting too low.

We candled on days 9 and 18, they looked really good (hard to see on day 18 but many had blood vessels and were quite dark, some even moved).

On day 18 we bumped the humidity up to 65-70% and had our first two pippers on day 19. The first hatched fine, the next took about 24 hours, but was unassisted. The umbilical cord was a little soggy and he dragged it for a little while but it looked more like the consistency of membrane. So far both are doing well, I put them in a brooder, but many hours later the newest one looks wet still, but it's dried up goop.

Day 21 is just starting tonight and I'm hoping that the rest aren't having problems. I have one pipper at the moment, 18 more eggs to go.

I thought that the umbilical issue with the one chick may have been too high humidity, but it doesn't seem right. Maybe too low? But how do people dry hatch so well?

I want to give the remaining eggs the best chance they have! Right now humidity's at 70%. Should I increase it? I feel all nervous, and want to have patience but I don't want to lose those eggs!
Click to expand...

Please don't confuse "dry incubation" (more correctly "lower humidity incubation") with dry hatching!

Lower humidity incubation takes into account the suggestion in most foam incubator manuals that humidity be maintained at 50% for the first 18 days, and 60% for hatching. This is rarely successful in foam incubators, and less so in a Brinsea.

Large, soft chicks with large abdomens, bulgy navel and umbilical tissue with the consistency of wet tissue are signs of overly high humidity during incubation. High humidity for a few days of lockdown does not cause this.

If the Brinsea is relatively new to you, please follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter the first time through. Brinsea owners report that low humidity incubation and hatching are not successful in the Brinseas.

Dried up goop on the chick comes from one of two causes, high incubation humidity if it's clear or nearly so, or old or overheated eggs if it's amber in color.
 
WalnutHill said:
Please don't confuse "dry incubation" (more correctly "lower humidity incubation") with dry hatching!

Lower humidity incubation takes into account the suggestion in most foam incubator manuals that humidity be maintained at 50% for the first 18 days, and 60% for hatching. This is rarely successful in foam incubators, and less so in a Brinsea.

Large, soft chicks with large abdomens, bulgy navel and umbilical tissue with the consistency of wet tissue are signs of overly high humidity during incubation. High humidity for a few days of lockdown does not cause this.

If the Brinsea is relatively new to you, please follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter the first time through. Brinsea owners report that low humidity incubation and hatching are not successful in the Brinseas.

Dried up goop on the chick comes from one of two causes, high incubation humidity if it's clear or nearly so, or old or overheated eggs if it's amber in color.
Click to expand...
Luckily the chicks weren't large "soft" chicks. The Brinsea instructions were pretty easy to follow though apparently on my first two runs I was running a bit high in the humidity department. The fluids on the chick from yesterday seemed pale. Since I've run a drier hatch than in the past and didn't have sticky chicks then, I was confused. Could be other factors involved, and it is only my 3rd attempt. This morning a Hedemora I didn't even see pipping when I went to bed was drying when I woke up. And there are two more pipping, so I hope they pop just as easily. Thank you for your reply!
 
The only other factor that comes to mind is inaccurate incubation temps. If too high, they hatch early, and don't always consume all the amniotic fluid before hatch. If too low, they hatch late, often have developmental issues or soft navel issues, and are often wet at hatch with a nearly clear fluid that dries to a mousse-like consistency.

Assuming all eggs were within 7 days old when set, stored in the same conditions, and incubated in the same conditions, they should pop like popcorn with pips on day 19 and hatch on day 20, or pips on day 20 with hatch on day 21. Long, drawn out hatches with inconsistent results (one hatches early and gooey, next hatches fine, next pips and dies, next hatches fine) generally results from egg quality or pre-setting conditions.
 
I tend to have drawn out hatches so that is something I'll have to work on. The eggs are stored in my basement, so it's a stable temp and we turned them 2-3 times a day.The chicks seem less goopy today though there's an Isbar who pipped a dime-sized hole in about 24 hours and from seeing in it seems like there's a bit of goop so I will watch to make sure it doesn't get too weak. At least it can breathe just fine.

And while typing this a Hedemora just popped out, looks good! :)
 

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