Catastrophic error

@ducknovice I usually wait longer than 21 days, just in case. I candle the eggs and if I feel pretty certain all is lost, I then water candle the eggs. :flEven the tiniest wiggle indicates there is still hope. I don't ever attempt an eggtopsy without water candling to be sure there is absolutely no wiggling.
:oops: I do get impatient and water candle right after the end of Day 21 if I don't see or hear anything when I candle the eggs at the end of that day. If I get a wiggle, I carefully pat dry the eggs, without rubbing, and return them to the incubator.
:barnieThen I wait, even more impatiently than before.
Patience is not one of my virtues but I'm learning! I won't touch these ones again for a few days but, for future reference, how do you water candle?
 
Patience is absolutely not one of my virtues, either! For water candling, I make absolutely certain there are no external pips, not even a little crack. I use a container of water, just big enough that the egg can float without touching the bottom or sides of the container. The water has to be warmer than the temperature of the inside of the egg. I usually keep the water around 105° F. I place the egg gently into the water, wait until the water is completely still again and watch for a wiggle. It may be a big wiggle or it may be just a tiny wiggle. Sometimes I have to keep watching to be sure I actually did see a wiggle! :lau
 
It's OK we all make mistakes. :hugs Usually with the best intentions. I have myself done similar ... many years ago I had a chicken abandon a nest overnight, the eggs were stone cold, it was frosty morning and they were only a week along. I thought there was no chance and cracked them ALL into a bucket ... then I saw the hearts beating ... :hitOh poor babies:hit... I was 12 ... that made an impression.

More recently I helped a duckling to hatch, who had pipped 3 days before with the others who all hatched, but he hadn't moved, and he wasn't ready after all ... actually I "saved" him with comfrey salve on his yolk sack, he took a week to finish and walk, and he was the friendliest little darling, but he died in the night when he was over a month old! I could have sworn he was alright ... he was perfectly healthy and growing fast. I don't know what went wrong, but I'm sure it must have been because I damaged him.

The remaining eggs will be fine, only an hour chilling is not much ... they live for days sometimes. Yes, they can develop slowly if the temperature is low. You can also get leg issues (splay leg), but I don't think you should with only half a degree low. Still watch the legs as the chicks dry out and walk and be prepared to put some little hobbles on Immediately if they are doing the splits!

If your air cell is too small, I would suggest future incubations should be run at a lower humidity also. You can't really change that now as they need humidity in the last couple of days to help them hatch.

For future reference, we all have to check out eggs that may be dead on a regular basis ... the trick is,

a) if you know chicks have developed, don't worry if non-one hatches until day 23 at least. Later is possible. On the other hand, if everyone but a few have hatched and those haven't moved, maybe it is time to check them.

b) candle, mark the air cell. That water candling method is a good one too. If no signs of life, use a little knife or screwdriver to scrape a small hole in the air cell end. Enlarge this until you can see clearly. You should be able to tell if the chick is breathing. If not, use a clean cotton bud and touch it gently ... if it is stiff and doesn't move, you probably have a dead chick and can proceed.

c) if the chick turns out to be alive, damp the membrane in that air cell with vaseline or distilled water, now take a careful look, if there is what looks like egg white left, and bright blood vessels, leave it alone. If it looks thin and quite dry, you have to make the call as to whether you think the chick is stuck or not. That is always hard to make ... if you help, do it little by little, from his beak, and every time you take some shell away, put him back for a half hour or so.
 
My first hatch I had several go three days over, there were over 20 eggs; 14 hatched; I wasn't going to bury them alive, but after what I read, 3 days is done, so I cracked them and held them while they breathed their last; I thought then that they were doomed not to develop, and perhaps they were, but now I really think they may have been in a colder part of the incubator and just needed more time. I usually have a broody hen that will set on those just in case. I've candled some that don't seem to move and they hatch; I don't discard any anymore unless I can candle positively that they didn't develop. I never get desensitized to the emotional trauma of losing babies, and it breaks me if it's possibly my fault.
 
Thanks very much JaeG. The baby who is out has already died I'm afraid - but I don't think there's anything I could have done to get it on its feet with all that yolk still to absorb. The others are back in the incubator (hidden upstairs so as not to get kids hopes up again) and my plan is to just leave them alone for at least another 5 days. Be really interested to know if someone experienced could date the chick in terms of how far way it was from hatching.
There is still a remote chance. Small air cells? What humidity have u been keeping it at? Temp? If your humidity was to high..temp to low..u have a few challenges. Did u use second hygrometor to check compared to readings on the incubator? One..with small air cells..the chicks r in danger of drowning when the try to hatch. Low temps..slow development. My suggestion is to finish incubating them upright / small end down. Its imperative to keep temp at 99.5 if it is forced air incubator. stay out of the bator!!! Everyone you open it you let valuable heat/humidity out. If the chicks do pip and u open bator..the temp and humidity change can cause the egg to dry out and shrink wrap the chick and they will not be able to hatch. At this point..u have nothing to loose...id give them until day 25
 

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