Big chicks can't seem to zip-when to help???

[daze333]

Hi, I am hatching my second clutch, 26 eggs. 2 have completely hatched, one zipped, the other had membrane dried and stuck, so I helped.

I have 3 that piped at 6am today but they are so big and crammed in the shells, I am sure they cannot turn around, at what point do you you help them get out? 24hrs? They are peeping and opening and closing their beaks. They seem to be able to breathe fine. They just sit with their beaks in the same spot that is broken open.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[william9792]

they will come out in time, wait 24 hour at least before you help

 

[birdlover]

What is your humidity?

 

[daze333]

It is a homemade still air wooden bator. The hum is btwn 55-70. When it gets near 50, then I spray the wooden walls quickly. It doesn't hold a real constant hum.
Thanks

 

[swtangel321]

First you should leave the bator closed (I know its hard) everytime you open it your screwing up the hum and putting the chicks at risk for becoming shrinked wraped in the egg and no being able to hatch !!

Chicks can take 24+ hours to fully hatch, somtimes the first to pip is the last to hatch !!!

 

[swtangel321]

Quote:
Can you add a few wet sponges (new) or a few small bowls of water to get the hum up so you dont have to open the bator so much??

 

[hinkjc]

What was your humidity during incubation (the first 18 days)? If the chick is too big to hatch, that is a sign your humidity was too high and the egg did not evaporate enough during incubation to enlarge the air cell.

I agree that you set the humidity on day 18/19 and leave it be until day 22/23. Even if it drops, I wouldn't open it. What are you using to hold water that it drops so quickly? Maybe a bigger water pan or sponges like swtangel suggested to keep it steady longer.

Good luck with your hatch.

 

[daze333]

Hi swtangel! I kept it about 45-55 during the first 18 days, according to non-dry incubating (is that called wet incubating?) standards. Yes when swtangel told me about dry incubating, that is what I read and it concerned me.

In the bator, I have a small cookie sheet of water with 4 sponges in it to hold more water. I usually only open it about 3 times a day, like when I turned the eggs. How low should I let the hum get before risking opening it to add more water?

Thanks alot!

 

[swtangel321]

I think you should add more wet sponges or socks around the bator to try to get it up, instead of putting them on the cookie sheet in the water try putting them on the level off the eggs or around the eggs !!


At this point I think the bator has been opened to much so I would add sponges and another small bowl of water (also egg level) and leave it. Unless it gets real real low.

 

[Akane]

If they are hatching you shouldn't be opening it to turn. You should have raised the humidity a little and stopped turning on day 18. Then don't touch it until they are done hatching or you have dry chicks causing too much ruckus in there. Every time you open it you risk drying out the membranes and getting stuck chicks or chicks that never manage to break the membrane and die in shell. I actually add water with airline tubing and a syringe if humidity drops too low after day 18 so that I don't have to open it at all.

I'm not saying it's time to help yet but my first hatch was pullet eggs and the chicks were too big. I waited and waited but all they managed to do was poke one hole and sit there not zipping. I finally helped 2 out and those were the only 2 to survive. Sometimes you do have to help but it's hard to say when especially if your not there to see the details.