Bantam eggs haven't pipped internally, 1st hatch.

[GD91]

Hi Everyone.

I need some advice that I can't seem to find online.

I've got 4 Pekin bantam eggs in a brinsea manual eco incubator (mini) which have been rocking & jolting around (but not rolling) since about 5PM on Tuesday the 30th of July.

Now we are on the 31st & they still haven't given any signs that they have internally pipped, but are still moving their eggs around quite a lot, especially if they hear anything or see a light. They are on day 19 & have been moving since day 17.

Temperature is at 37.5 oC & humidity is at 67%.

I've tried candling them through the glass & I can't see any veins or internal pipping...

Is this normal? The breeder told me they usually would have pipped within 24 hours of rocking, but now its been nearly 3 days since they began. No peeping, just the eggs responding to whatever outside stimuli they pick up on by rocking at you.

And to cap the lot of I have another 5 eggs, 2 weeks behind, in the same incubator which should not be opened.

If anyone has any advice on how long they may have left or anything which I may have missed, I would be most grateful. This is my first batch.

Regards

P.S humidity before lockdown was 35% & temps have been pretty constant.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Day 19 is pretty early for eggs to internally pip and prepare to hatch. In my experience (I raise and breed Dutch Bantams), bantam eggs do hatch earlier than large fowl, but 19 days is just too early. I wouldn't start worrying until day 21 or so.

 

[GD91]

Thanks for replying to what must have seemed like a pretty dim question

I thought at first they were too early, but, oh god, now its the lengthy rocking & swiveling that's worried me because of how long its been.

Honestly, if I walk past the incubator & make any noise or have a light, its like they all swivel on the spot to try & face me & then wobble at me! On top of it all my husband thinks I'm obsessed.

So, its normal for them to behave like that for 3 days or so then without pipping internally?? The rocking...
Thank God!

I had concerns about my humidity & the chicks being able to pip internally through the membrane. I just couldn't find any information on how long they rock for normally...
I've been imagining shrinkwrapping, drowned chicks, struggling chicks with no legs...head...wings.. You name it!

As for the other eggs that aren't ready yet, I made a makeshift incubator with a fan in it & climatised it before moving them into there, because I couldn't turn them without disturbing the eggs in lockdown & with those eggs taking so long to pip... It was just better to remove them. I'll put them back when the others have hatched & I've cleaned out the carnage.

So both sets of eggs are much happier.

I wasn't supposed to have received the new eggs until after the second lot had hatched as they were a refund for a previous lot which were not in supply, but the woman sent them anyway. So I have been juggling eggs & I'm not what you could call experienced!

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I hatch bantam Cochins and wyandottes...they all pipped at day 19 and hatched by day 20...only one out of 36 this year went to day 21. I did poke a hole in a couple that didn't zip after 24 hrs....I'm just a worry wort!

 

[coolmind1999]

I hatched silkiw bantams lately and they internally pipped on day 20 and an external pip after 4 hours then after 17 more hours he hatched

 

[NosiphoChooks]

Thanks for replying to what must have seemed like a pretty dim question

I thought at first they were too early, but, oh god, now its the lengthy rocking & swiveling that's worried me because of how long its been.

Honestly, if I walk past the incubator & make any noise or have a light, its like they all swivel on the spot to try & face me & then wobble at me! On top of it all my husband thinks I'm obsessed.

So, its normal for them to behave like that for 3 days or so then without pipping internally?? The rocking...
Thank God!

I had concerns about my humidity & the chicks being able to pip internally through the membrane. I just couldn't find any information on how long they rock for normally...
I've been imagining shrinkwrapping, drowned chicks, struggling chicks with no legs...head...wings.. You name it!

As for the other eggs that aren't ready yet, I made a makeshift incubator with a fan in it & climatised it before moving them into there, because I couldn't turn them without disturbing the eggs in lockdown & with those eggs taking so long to pip... It was just better to remove them. I'll put them back when the others have hatched & I've cleaned out the carnage.

So both sets of eggs are much happier.

I wasn't supposed to have received the new eggs until after the second lot had hatched as they were a refund for a previous lot which were not in supply, but the woman sent them anyway. So I have been juggling eggs & I'm not what you could call experienced!

Love this post, my hubbie thinks I'm obsessed too. quote - "all you do all evening is look at chickens and coops on the internet"

I would leave them, when you need to worry is when they pip but don't zip for 24 hours. I lost quite a few on my first hatch because I left them too long, everyone told me not to interfere but wish I had earlier cus a few didn't make it out of the eggs. The one I did assist is now a happy healthy 15 week old!

 

[GD91]

See, that's just the thing. Some of your eggs hatched on day 19. Since they rocked on day 17, I was expecting an appearance around day 18 - 19. Now we are on day 20, still with no change apart from they seem to be settling down more & not rocking quite as much, which I hope means they are resting up to hatch.

We are now on day 4, twice that length of time & 4 times the length of time the breeder told me. A lot of threads I find mention their eggs never rock at all.
My eggs must have hyperactivity disorders!

All the information I could find seemed to state that they should be hatching within 48 hours of rocking, so you see I thought i must have gone wrong somewhere. Also, my humidity has been being a pain since I removed the other eggs, the highest I seem able to get it to is 60% which I hope will be sufficient before they hatch. I tried adding a damp cloth, which didn't seem to do much to raise it any higher so I decided my humidity monitor thing was on the meltdown & removed it (I didn't have to open the incubator to do that, I had the wire trailing in through the tower with the bung wedged in) so it would quit bugging me.

I've followed the Brinsea instructions to fill both pots, so I just hope its good enough for them. My only concern is because its a fan incubator, will it dry the membranes out to much?

These are being hatched as pets & will be being kept indoors for the first few weeks, so shall they still need a heatlamp inside? The temps here are low (night) to high (Day) 20's now.

Just caught my hubby staring into the incubator. So much for telling me "They aren't going to hatch any quicker if your watching them!" He's a big softy

I'm glad your chick made it to be a chicken! I've read a lot of things about assisted hatching & I looked up what to look out for & when. I probably won't post about it, I've found in experience that by the time you get a response online its usually to late in an emergency & I haven't got a camera to upload any pics to show people.
But I definately think an assisted hatch is better than no hatch at all when the risks to the other eggs are low.

 

[3BirdGirlz]

They will still need a heat lamp indoors. They need temps about 90 degrees and drop by 5 each week. But put the lamp so they can get under it, but when they get too warm they need to be able to get away too.

 

[GD91]

Thats fine, I've got a brood box set up with a heat lamp just incase.

And I have good news..... 1 of my eggs is CHEEPING!!! YAY!

Hubby didn't believe me, so I said "Go and hear for yourself." He looked thunderstruck when he heard it to. The chick is cheeping & rocking in the egg so I've been talking to it & playing some chick noises to it from a chick toy which (you guessed it) cheeps & it cheeps back.

One of the other eggs keeps rocking back to it to.

I had a bit of a scare though, I checked my temperature in the incubator & it had shot up to 38+ oC. Luckily it was brief & I brought the temp back down to 37.5oC so it doesn't seem to have done any damage as all the eggs still respond to outside noise etc.

Also, humidity is being a massive pain still, but I'm managing it ok so far. I just don't understand, unless my humidity gauge thing is faulty..... I haven't got 2 so I can't check.

I must admit, I would not really reccomend the Brinsea Eco mini to anyone wanting 100% hatch rate, I've found it to be a pain in every aspect apart from it hasn't cut out on me (except once during a 5 minute powercut, not the incubators fault) & I've moved it everywhere trying to get it to stay on everything right....and no, it won't. Even the bodged temporary incubator I made for the others is just as good & thats made from a heat bulb, cardboard box, tinfoil, clingfilm & a pc fan

It cost nothing to make either,
Guess I'm up all night keeping an eye on things, only hubby works so it won't be hard on me

and I'm excited anyway.

Must start thinking of names soon when they are out....

 

[GD91]

Thats fine, I've got a brood box set up with a heat lamp just incase.

And I have good news..... 1 of my eggs is CHEEPING!!! YAY!

Hubby didn't believe me, so I said "Go and hear for yourself." He looked thunderstruck when he heard it to. The chick is cheeping & rocking in the egg so I've been talking to it & playing some chick noises to it from a chick toy which (you guessed it) cheeps & it cheeps back.

One of the other eggs keeps rocking back to it to.

I had a bit of a scare though, I checked my temperature in the incubator & it had shot up to 38+ oC. Luckily it was brief & I brought the temp back down to 37.5oC so it doesn't seem to have done any damage as all the eggs still respond to outside noise etc.

Humidity is being a massive pain still, but I'm managing it ok so far. I just don't understand, unless my humidity gauge thing is faulty..... I haven't got 2 so I can't check.

But I'm going to have to stay up to monitor it.


Also, I had my dates wrong, they are on day 21 today friday the 2nd of august, going on day 22. I should have realised!