3 zipped and quit. What's going on?

[SCMommaHen]

I was given 7 eggs, 10 days old, in a homemade incubator to egg sit while the owner was in vacation. I knew nothing about hatching. I was given instructions of keep the temperature at 99, not to worry about humidity as he had a giant bowl of water in there and turn them 3 times a day. As the week passed the incubator was so damp it was really smelling moldy. His hygrometer stated it was in the 80s. I started researching and realized this was too high. I got it down to 50s by day 16. In the meantime I'm fighting temp fluctuations at night by as much as 4 degree drops.

I felt sure none would hatch but I candled them at day 17 and they all looked viable but small air sacks. 1 had very tiny air sack and one egg looked a week behind but the veins looked good so I didn't toss it. Ever hopeful, I put them into lockdown and got the humidity back up to 65.

Day 20 2 pipped. #1 had his beak out making eating motions. #2 started zipping 12 hrs later then stopped. It was bedtime and I thought for sure I'd wake up to 2 chicks. Day 21 neither had made any progress and #3 had pipped. Agonizing I kept it shut and waited. By mid afternoon I started playing chirping videos to encourage them. Nothing. At 6pm I switched to chirping with mother hen videos. Boy that got movement out of #1 and #3. Both started zipping around. I had to leave and when I returned at 9pm no chicks and no movement. By 930 I couldn't take it anymore. I opened the incubator to look at them. All 3 had fully zipped and died. Looks like all they had to do was push open and done. What could've happened? Should I have gone in sooner?

Oddly I candled the late egg and it appears to be progressing. Egg with tiny sack was bad. No movement on the other 3 yet. Today is day 22. Still hopeful.

 

[HollyBerrie]

When the incubator temperature consistently drops by 4 degrees, or unstable at keeping the same temperature, or spikes, is a recipe for disaster. I found that out also, the hard way.

They could have been too weak to push themselves the rest of the way out of the shell.

What I did after that was kept the incubator in a room where you can keep the temperature of the room consistent, and the results will be much better.

The owner going on vacation was a very bad idea, and those actions clearly indicate he/she does not really care about the hatch.

 

[Redemption]

I was given 7 eggs, 10 days old, in a homemade incubator to egg sit while the owner was in vacation. I knew nothing about hatching. I was given instructions of keep the temperature at 99, not to worry about humidity as he had a giant bowl of water in there and turn them 3 times a day. As the week passed the incubator was so damp it was really smelling moldy. His hygrometer stated it was in the 80s. I started researching and realized this was too high. I got it down to 50s by day 16. In the meantime I'm fighting temp fluctuations at night by as much as 4 degree drops.

I felt sure none would hatch but I candled them at day 17 and they all looked viable but small air sacks. 1 had very tiny air sack and one egg looked a week behind but the veins looked good so I didn't toss it. Ever hopeful, I put them into lockdown and got the humidity back up to 65.

Day 20 2 pipped. #1 had his beak out making eating motions. #2 started zipping 12 hrs later then stopped. It was bedtime and I thought for sure I'd wake up to 2 chicks. Day 21 neither had made any progress and #3 had pipped. Agonizing I kept it shut and waited. By mid afternoon I started playing chirping videos to encourage them. Nothing. At 6pm I switched to chirping with mother hen videos. Boy that got movement out of #1 and #3. Both started zipping around. I had to leave and when I returned at 9pm no chicks and no movement. By 930 I couldn't take it anymore. I opened the incubator to look at them. All 3 had fully zipped and died. Looks like all they had to do was push open and done. What could've happened? Should I have gone in sooner?

Oddly I candled the late egg and it appears to be progressing. Egg with tiny sack was bad. No movement on the other 3 yet. Today is day 22. Still hopeful.

You are a good friend for agreeing to help out. Lockdown and hatching is typically a very attention heavy process. You can only do your best and you were sorta dropped into the deep end of the pool half way through.

The rule of thumb is that after 12-24 hours from external pip, if the baby hasnt progressed its time to help a little at a time. Short stints out of the incubator, if you tear the membrane by accident and see blood, blot it gently with a paper towel to slow the bleeding. Only short stints out of the incubator as they can get cold easily.

Inside the baby will be connected to a yolk sac by the tummy and you realistically do not want to tear that yolk sac. They need to absorb it, its what usually gives them the strength to get out of the egg and survive until their first meal. In my case with duck, if I tear a yolk sac, or they tear a yolk sac getting out and there is bleeding I get them out of the egg, I trim off the yolk sac (closest to the yolk sac and I stop any bleeding with a paste mixture of flour and water. Then they go back into the incubator to warm back up and dry off.

There are a lot of reasons that a baby can take longer or fail to come out. They can be sometimes a weak chick, sometimes they are mispositioned in the egg, the egg can be too small, incorrect procedures (such as too much early humidity over long periods of time. Temperature fluctuations (which can have many reasons) Dont kick yourself, you can only do the best you can do.

The owner going on vacation was a very bad idea, and those actions clearly indicate he/she does not really care about the hatch.

Later this month I have to take off for 3-4 days for work. Sudden offer that will mean thousands of dollars, maybe as much as 3-4 grand for my business. Not a common occurrence for me, but one I cant pass up. 6 of the 62+ eggs I have incubating will have to go into lockdown around that time. A couple of them will either hatch or die around that time.

They are of course the hardest type of bird I do (Pheasant) Im going to have to give the missus a crash course on lockdown procedures, when to help with pheasant (she has assisted with duck hatchings) and how to maintain the 3 incubators I operate. Hopefully it turns out okay.

 

[SCMommaHen]

Thanks. I feel I did everything I could. But with reading over and over to let nature take it's course day 21 I was still unsure when to step in to help. I can't help but feel sad.

But I have been bitten by the bug and was already preparing to purchase chicks, just not hatch. This has been so much fun that I got 22 eggs of 10 different breeds and a proper incubator last week! Next batch I'll get it right!!

 

[janamsinghaya]

my bielefelder is so gorgeous. you guys will like it

 

[Redemption]

Thanks. I feel I did everything I could. But with reading over and over to let nature take it's course day 21 I was still unsure when to step in to help. I can't help but feel sad.

But I have been bitten by the bug and was already preparing to purchase chicks, just not hatch. This has been so much fun that I got 22 eggs of 10 different breeds and a proper incubator last week! Next batch I'll get it right!!

Thats the spirit! Some thoughts at random for you to remember:

• As you are learning you will come to learn the difference between common practice, and Best practice. You will come to learn when to use which in time.
• Until it hatches its just an egg, as such it represents only the potential for life, not the guarantee.
• As you begin to breed your own from your own birds you will come to learn what works for the eggs you are getting from your stock, but more importantly, what does not work.
• Not all of them will make it, even after they have been out of the egg awhile.
• You will come to curse gender ratios.
• Have fun! if you are not having fun you are not doing it right.

 

[Tonyroo]

Generally you want nature to take it's course while in lockdown. But when they pip take notice of the time when they pipped. After 6 hours of no activity you should intervene with a blunt tweezer and start peeling the shell. Once most of the shell is peeled back open the membrane peel it down halfway then stop and close up the incubator. The chick needs to rest and dry up. Maintain 99.5 and humidity at 65 to 70%.

From my experience letting the chick struggle to long causes issues and death.

I recently did this with my last egg in the incubator and the chick is healthy and doing well. Just thought I would share this practical know how.

 

[SCMommaHen]

Thank you all. Much more clear now. Carefully candled the 3 remaining. 1 no change. 1 now has a wavy air sack. 1 no longer has air sack. No pips. No sounds. Should I call it or give it another day?

 

[Redemption]

Thank you all. Much more clear now. Carefully candled the 3 remaining. 1 no change. 1 now has a wavy air sack. 1 no longer has air sack. No pips. No sounds. Should I call it or give it another day?

When I candle during lockdown what I am usually looking for is signs of movement Think of the egg like bags within bags. You have the outer shell, then inside that you have a membrane the air sac sits on the blunt end between the shell and the membrane inside that you have the baby and the yolk sac.

as the bird develops more space is created which increases the size of the air sac. When the bird gets ready to hatch it will do what is called an internal pip, the membrane and and air sac are pierced, then later it pips the outer shell, then if all goes correctly it should zip the shell into two pieces and push out.

After the internal pip occurs you should be able to descern movement while candling. Look for that. If you want you can also post some pictures and we will try to help from what we can see.

 

[SCMommaHen]

Appreciate everyone's help! No movement on the remaining 3 so I called it this morning. I believe my issue was it wasn't hot enough. This was a still air incubator and I was keeping it at 99. I think it was just too cold when they pipped.

Another question regarding the new batch. I candled at day 8 and found 3 non fertile and one I just can't tell. I have 2 olive eggs that are so thick. One I can barely make out the air sack and the other I can't make out anything at all. Would you consider them good and just wait and see?