Anyone up for a Hatchalong?

[yinepu]

I've enjoyed reading this thread today. I have two Emu eggs at day 49. My first ones. Someone gave them to my husband to see if we could hatch them. I hatch chickens and ducks but never an Emu.

I have been turning them regularly but didn't know you could actually see them move before the hatch date. So I took them out of the incubator today to look them over good. Lo and be hold, I can hear both of them chirping and they actually moved quite a bit when I whistled to them. Absolutely ticked me to death! I had to show my husband as soon as he came home. He doesn't have very good hearing but he can hear them and then saw them move! Needlesstosay, we are excited.

Anyway, I do have a question. Since my Emus are so vocal, does that mean they have broken the air sack? I know chickens start chirping once the air sack is broken, as they are then breathing. From what I have read in this thread, it is not clear if that is the case with Emus.

Look forward to watching this thread and keeping you posted on my babies.

USUALLY it means they have broken through the membrane.. however there are exceptions.. if yours are on day 49 they should hatch any day now

 

[Raptor65]

Judging from the coolness of the shell, I think the air cell is still intact in my two eggs. That might be where the 'wet paper bag' noise is coming from too. They must be able to pull some air through the air cell membrane into the rest of the egg without tearing through it to the point it collapses.

 

[yinepu]

to late for them 60 days

if the male were setting the eggs I would say they still could hatch at 60 days.. the local woman I got my last egg from told me that her male took the full 60 days last year to hatch out his eggs.. but in an incubator unless they were incubated at a really low temp I would say they should have been out of there by now.. and considering they have stopped moving and peeping I'm guessing they either died from bacteria or carbon dioxide poisoning..

 

[Irine]

if the male were setting the eggs I would say they still could hatch at 60 days.. the local woman I got my last egg from told me that her male took the full 60 days last year to hatch out his eggs.. but in an incubator unless they were incubated at a really low temp I would say they should have been out of there by now.. and considering they have stopped moving and peeping I'm guessing they either died from bacteria or carbon dioxide poisoning..

That's what I think
In a scenario if some one has used a lower temperature it will take longer for them to hatch,but when is the right time to stop turning them?

 

[yinepu]

Judging from the coolness of the shell, I think the air cell is still intact in my two eggs. That might be where the 'wet paper bag' noise is coming from too. They must be able to pull some air through the air cell membrane into the rest of the egg without tearing through it to the point it collapses.

yeah.. it's hard to say for sure if they only have a small hole through the membrane or if they are just in drawdown.. I know mine went through the same "wet paper bag" sounds before they hatched.. but I wasn't willing to drill any holes through the shells since they were acting fine.. so I can't say for sure if they had started to break through or if it was just the sounds from them being in drawdown

 

[yinepu]

That's what I think
In a scenario if some one has used a lower temperature it will take longer for them to hatch,but when is the right time to stop turning them?

I don't stop turning mine until they have sounded...

 

[ChasSquirrel]

I hope you get an answer. I would like to know, too. Good luck to you! I begin day 47 in a couple hours.

USUALLY it means they have broken through the membrane.. however there are exceptions.. if yours are on day 49 they should hatch any day now

I am so excited. Also, how tall will these babies be when they hatch? I made my 'Little Giant' incubator taller with extra insulation sheets but it is not much taller than 12" to the heating element. . I read today that they can be 10" to 12". I sure don't want them to 'bump' their cute little heads...

 

[Irine]

I don't stop turning mine until they have sounded...

I've been going insane trying to sound them. For all I can tell the air sell got smaller,but the sound is still same as few days ago

 

[yinepu]

I am so excited. Also, how tall will these babies be when they hatch? I made my 'Little Giant' incubator taller with extra insulation sheets but it is not much taller than 12" to the heating element. . I read today that they can be 10" to 12". I sure don't want them to 'bump' their cute little heads...

the first day they don't really stand up .. so no worries there.. I leave mine in the bator for about 24 hours (give or take a little) and in that time they learn to sit up and shuffle around a little on their hocks..

mine are about the height of a bottle of shampoo when they stand up.. and if I remember right the sides I added to my LG bator were only 6 inches tall.. so you should be fine

 

[yinepu]

I've been going insane trying to sound them. For all I can tell the air sell got smaller,but the sound is still same as few days ago

well.. if you have been incubating at 97.5 or there abouts.. I would stop turning on day 47 or 48 if you can't tell if they have sounded

I have two right now that have sounded.. one is due to hatch on the 10th and the other is due to hatch on the 11th.. the rest that are due to hatch out on the 11th haven't sounded yet.. so I have stopped turning the 2 that have sounded.. but I'm still turning the ones that haven't