emorems0
Songster
Newbie question... This is our first time hatching, today is day 22. I have two daughters (6yo and 3yo) who were VERY anxious to take the first, early chick out of the incubator (day 20). We waited until yesterday when we had 3 chicks out and one external pip; I lifted up the lid really quick to grab the first two chicks to move to the brooder for my girls to see better (chick #3 was still wet and I figured the eggs would want some company/encouragement).
Chick #4 had a hard time pushing out of its shell, we tilted the lid open a bit to help get the two halves of the shell apart, but it took longer than I expected (a full minute or so). In the next hour or so we quickly lifted the lid 2 more times to pull out chickie #3 and give chickie #4 some Sav-A-Chick electrolyte water. All the hatched chicks are doing well. #4 is still in the incubator this morning.
Here is my question: the whole time we were opening the incubator lid to help with chickie #4 there were no other external pips or any sounds/movements from any of the other eggs, does an egg need to have an external pip in order to risk shrink wrapping by opening the incubator? All of the things I've read are talking about pipped eggs. I'm concerned now because it is day 22 and we still have several eggs in the incubator. One had an external pip last night I noticed around midnight - so it's been 10 hours at this point and not much else has happened... I haven't noticed peeping or movement either (last night or this morning). I have not opened the incubator at all since it pipped and added an extra wet cloth to the bator to help with humidity after all the goings on with chick #4.
I'm not sure if the reason our currently pipped egg hasn't made progress overnight is because it is shrink wrapped and dead/dying or if I should just give it more time. I also don't want to compromise the other (non-pipped) eggs by continuing to open the incubator since I'm hoping they are just late hatchers. I don't have anything to measure the humidity in the incubator, but we have AC running in the house which might make it harder to keep the humidity up despite having lots of water/wet cloths in the bator. Humidity outside right now is 80% - if I were to take the pipped egg out to check on it/try to help it, I think I would take it outside. Think it would help to wrap a wet paper towel around/under the pipped egg? How about the other unpipped eggs in the incubator. I'm just hoping there is something I can do to help give the other eggs a chance as late hatchers.
Melissa
Chick #4 had a hard time pushing out of its shell, we tilted the lid open a bit to help get the two halves of the shell apart, but it took longer than I expected (a full minute or so). In the next hour or so we quickly lifted the lid 2 more times to pull out chickie #3 and give chickie #4 some Sav-A-Chick electrolyte water. All the hatched chicks are doing well. #4 is still in the incubator this morning.
Here is my question: the whole time we were opening the incubator lid to help with chickie #4 there were no other external pips or any sounds/movements from any of the other eggs, does an egg need to have an external pip in order to risk shrink wrapping by opening the incubator? All of the things I've read are talking about pipped eggs. I'm concerned now because it is day 22 and we still have several eggs in the incubator. One had an external pip last night I noticed around midnight - so it's been 10 hours at this point and not much else has happened... I haven't noticed peeping or movement either (last night or this morning). I have not opened the incubator at all since it pipped and added an extra wet cloth to the bator to help with humidity after all the goings on with chick #4.
I'm not sure if the reason our currently pipped egg hasn't made progress overnight is because it is shrink wrapped and dead/dying or if I should just give it more time. I also don't want to compromise the other (non-pipped) eggs by continuing to open the incubator since I'm hoping they are just late hatchers. I don't have anything to measure the humidity in the incubator, but we have AC running in the house which might make it harder to keep the humidity up despite having lots of water/wet cloths in the bator. Humidity outside right now is 80% - if I were to take the pipped egg out to check on it/try to help it, I think I would take it outside. Think it would help to wrap a wet paper towel around/under the pipped egg? How about the other unpipped eggs in the incubator. I'm just hoping there is something I can do to help give the other eggs a chance as late hatchers.
Melissa
