Am I in for a disappointment?

[ejctm]

Ok, it is day 21 and this is the first time I have used an incubator to hatch.

I have 4 eggs in there, 2 of which I think are good, and 2 I am still not sure about, but have stuck with just in case they are ok.

Egg#1 Jersey Giant - big chick inside but huge air sac that was shaped like a number 8

Egg#2 Jersey Giant - chick seemed to be growing very slowly and was smaller than the other

Egg#6 Buff orpington - looks like the best prospects of a live chick, moves, good growth, good air sac

Egg#8 Wyandotte bantam - growing very slowly, not sure if died as seemed so small and did not fill the egg space

All the above observations were at day 18 as I have not opened the incubator to candle or listen since then, and was hoping that the small ones would grow a lot in the last 3 days and not actually have already died.

temp has been at around 38C consistently and humidity between 40% and 60% during first 18 days and between 70% and 75% during last 3 days. Cannot get it up any further despite having squirted water in the vent hole using a syringe. The surface area of the water is increased and is spread on the bottom of the incubator so I don't think I could get it higher if I opened it and added wet paper towels.

No pipping yet, no rocking and no peeping (although I am not sure if I would hear it above the sound of the fan anyway).

I keep checking and it is like a watched kettle that never boils. Apart from suggesting that I go away and do something else for 12 hours to keep my mind occupied

is there anything else I should/can do apart from sitting out the waiting game?

Why oh why don't they just DO something, lol

 

[AlienChick]

Ok, it is day 21 and this is the first time I have used an incubator to hatch.

I have 4 eggs in there, 2 of which I think are good, and 2 I am still not sure about, but have stuck with just in case they are ok.

Egg#1 Jersey Giant - big chick inside but huge air sac that was shaped like a number 8

Egg#2 Jersey Giant - chick seemed to be growing very slowly and was smaller than the other

Egg#6 Buff orpington - looks like the best prospects of a live chick, moves, good growth, good air sac

Egg#8 Wyandotte bantam - growing very slowly, not sure if died as seemed so small and did not fill the egg space

All the above observations were at day 18 as I have not opened the incubator to candle or listen since then, and was hoping that the small ones would grow a lot in the last 3 days and not actually have already died.

temp has been at around 38C consistently and humidity between 40% and 60% during first 18 days and between 70% and 75% during last 3 days. Cannot get it up any further despite having squirted water in the vent hole using a syringe. The surface area of the water is increased and is spread on the bottom of the incubator so I don't think I could get it higher if I opened it and added wet paper towels.

No pipping yet, no rocking and no peeping (although I am not sure if I would hear it above the sound of the fan anyway).

I keep checking and it is like a watched kettle that never boils. Apart from suggesting that I go away and do something else for 12 hours to keep my mind occupied

is there anything else I should/can do apart from sitting out the waiting game?

Why oh why don't they just DO something, lol

[sorry]

 

[ejctm]

I know, I know. I tried!

Well, I have done some work on the computer for work. I have drilled, cut and installed a vent to the chicken coop which was well overdue.

I have scrubbed and disinfected the big tortoise box to use for the brooder. Fashioned a wire mesh lid to keep the cats out. Adjusted the heat lamp so it fits with the lid. Filled it with wood shavings. (I had not done this before just in case none of them hatch, but there is no going back now with cruel fate).

I have watered the flower baskets.

I have made dinner and eaten it. I am going craaazy here! Next thing I will probably do is some laundry and then scrub the toilets.....

And I could do another coat of paint inside the coop...

Why can't they just give me a sign????

OK, off to check on them again now

 

[AlienChick]

Unfortunately, I know the feeling all too well.

On another note, on my last two hatches I had an egg hatch a whole WEEK early!

Normally, that may not be so bad; however, those two hatches were black australorp chicks that were scheduled to be sold at the auction so I needed them to hatch on the day they were supposed to! Aaarrruuughhh! I ended up keeping both those chicks. Fortunately, I had some broody hens that wanted to raise them.

 

[ejctm]

Now getting worried. day 22 and not even a pip. I want to open the incubator SO BADLY and candle them and see if they are cheeping or tapping (and help them if I need to before they drown

)

This is like cruel torture!

 

[NashobaLosa]

I just hatched marans and on the 23 day after checking obsessively once every hour (or more I started to toss out the eggs as they had quite noticeably gone off. I noticed one had what might have been a half hearted pip (barely even a crack in the shell) but no movement or peeping. I put it back, put the lid back on and an hour later there was a very energetic peeper scrambling around the incubator. So good luck, if the chicks looked good at lockdown they may still make it... just a bit late.

 

[ejctm]

now 6pm on day 22. no sign of life or activity in any of the eggs - but all I can do is look through the incubator at them. I REALLY want to take them out and see if they are alive. I have been so good not to, despite having to keep myself occupied elsewhere.

Shall I do it?

Shall I wait a bit longer?

Shall I do the float test? And candle?

I have been so careful to keep the incubator between 70% and 80% humidity, but it will be lost if I open it, or at least reduced. Since they haven't pipped at all yet, would it really matter if the humidity went down for a short time now? I have put extra water in it so there is a little puddle, that some of the eggs are touching - does this matter?

I am really going to have to open it before I go to bed tonight. I just cannot stand this. Not just because I am being impatient, but because I am so worried that something has gone wrong. What if they need my help?

If I heard cheeping then I would know they were alive and just put them back (or make a little breathing hole for them). If I heard nothing then I would see if they were already dead, as I don't want any exploding eggs. Please tell me what you would do in this situation.

I feel like a nervous wreck!

 

[ejctm]

can anyone advise?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If it were me, and it was day 22, I'd just quickly candle and then put them back in (also do the sniff test to check for rotten ones, LOL).

They can quite easily hatch 3 days late!!!

Don't crack the eggshell for them...be patient!!!

Just my opinion.

Make sure you get that humidity way up if you open it, and quick!!! You don't want them to shrinkwrap in the membrane (which can happen even before they pip).

 

[ejctm]

I did candle yesterday evening. Humidity dropped from 75 to 55 but got back up again fairly soon after. 3 eggs looked a bit swishy inside with dark masses but also lots of fluid. 1 egg looked like it was full of dark mass but no movement or noise. Is this baby alive?

Day 23 today and now nearly midnight here. No change. I wonder if the shell was too thick on the egg for the baby to pip through? It looks very thick.

I want to pip it and see if it is alive but worry I am already too late. And worry that I might intervene when I should not. Surely even if it were a late hatcher, it would be rocking and cheeping?

So miserable thinking I have had a completely failed hatch. Not sure if I want to open up eggs with dead babies in either. They are still in the incubator so I haven't completely given up on them yet, just feel a bit resigned now.

Thanks for all the advice so far. Any opinions on what I should do now?