Chirping from inside egg in incubator

[Jennn27]

It's terrible isn't it! ! I never thought I would be so chicken mad.... My three silkies have laud loads of eggs in separate nests and I'm really hoping they will sit on them soon I have two little hens in my top garden with 5 new chicks between them, and two other little hens are sitting on 15 eggs between them!!

I tell my husband that all the time! I never thought I would love and go crazy over chickens as much as I have before I started. I can just sit and watch them all day! LOL In fact, it's one of my favorite things to do while chillin outside.

 

[rooster58]

And it gets worse and worse. ... Do you have any idea how long I should leave the other eggs in the incubator before giving up? They were put in at the same time as the two chicks who have already hatched...

I personally would not let them sit past day 23 at the most. I'd prolly candle them before that and see. You will run the risk of one exploding in the bator if they are in there too long.

 

[Tilly56]

My friends all think I'm mad.... but I suppose I am!! Mad on hens.... The only down side is that my little dog loves rolling in their poo and thinks it has a lovely taste apparently!

I'll give the other eggs a few more days, then I'll take them out..... don't really want any exploding eggs in the kitchen!

I didn't realise such a little chick could chirp so loudly.... I've shut the door and the television is on and I can still hear them!

Thank you all again so much for all the help and replies

Tilly xx

 

[dekel18042]

I personally would not let them sit past day 23 at the most. I'd prolly candle them before that and see. You will run the risk of one exploding in the bator if they are in there too long.

We've had people on BYC whose eggs have hatched up to and including day 25, so I would never give up before that. While it isn't common, it does seem to happen often enough, especially in the winter or if the room the incubator is in is very cool or if the temperature inside the incubator is lower. Lower temperatures can lengthen the time it takes an egg to hatch.
Most of the people who have talked about exploding eggs it was an egg that leaked (If so, get rid of it IMMEDIATELY) or an egg hat had a hairline crack that either they did or didn't know about and sometimes an egg that they wanted so they tried to repair it, using either glue or nail polish on the crack.
While I wouldn't do that,(Exploding eggs are said to be horrendous.) if the eggs were intact and had candled at day 18,I would let them go for a bit. Once my incubator is in lockdown, I will open only for an emergency and then only for the shortest time possible.

 

[rooster58]

We've had people on BYC whose eggs have hatched up to and including day 25, so I would never give up before that.  While it isn't common, it does seem to happen often enough, especially in the winter or if the room the incubator is in is very cool or if the temperature inside the incubator is lower. Lower temperatures can lengthen the time it takes an egg to hatch.
  Most of the people who have talked about exploding eggs it was an egg that leaked (If so, get rid of it IMMEDIATELY) or an egg hat had a hairline crack that either they did or didn't know about and sometimes an egg that they wanted so they tried to repair it, using either glue or nail polish on the crack.
    While I wouldn't do that,(Exploding eggs are said to be horrendous.) if the eggs were intact and had candled at day 18,I would let them go for a bit. Once my incubator is in lockdown, I will open only for an emergency and then only for the shortest time possible.

Yep. That's why I said personally. People do many things differently than I do. My personal thought is if nothing happens by day 23 I'm tossing them. If they do hatch after that chances are greater that the chick will be in bad health. That isn't a 100% of course but chances are greater. I just personally won't chance an exploding egg and even if it isn't cracked they can explode at incubator temps if left in too long. I really hope this doesn't sound argumentive because that isn't my intent at all. Just giving reasons why I do things the way I do it.

 

[Tilly56]

Thanks Rooster and Deckel, That's very interesting. I've been having a count and the two surviving chicks that hatched did so on day 23.. so I think that the others probably aren't going to come to anything. However, ever the optimist, I will give them a few more days.

My incubator is not a high quality one, very much the "starter" kit, so I wondered whether the humidity was not sufficient, thus making it difficult for the chicks to break out of the shell. They did seem to be having a struggle.

The two chicks have been adopted by one of the other little hens who has five chicks of her own. I was a bit worried she might not accept them, but straight under her wing and all is well!

Have a lovely day

Tilly

 

[Jennn27]

We've had people on BYC whose eggs have hatched up to and including day 25, so I would never give up before that. While it isn't common, it does seem to happen often enough, especially in the winter or if the room the incubator is in is very cool or if the temperature inside the incubator is lower. Lower temperatures can lengthen the time it takes an egg to hatch.
Most of the people who have talked about exploding eggs it was an egg that leaked (If so, get rid of it IMMEDIATELY) or an egg hat had a hairline crack that either they did or didn't know about and sometimes an egg that they wanted so they tried to repair it, using either glue or nail polish on the crack.
While I wouldn't do that,(Exploding eggs are said to be horrendous.) if the eggs were intact and had candled at day 18,I would let them go for a bit. Once my incubator is in lockdown, I will open only for an emergency and then only for the shortest time possible.

Oh God yes!! They are horrible!! I had that happen to me last season...and omg. I almost never got rid of the SMELL!!

It was from an egg that was leaking. Lesson learned. I still wait until I am absolutely sure the egg won't hatch, but if it's leaking....I toss it in a heartbeat!

 

[Tilly56]

Actually found a leaking egg in the incubator this morning.. at first I couldn't make out what was happening, then I realised! Can't say it smelt, but wasn't going to hang around to give it a chance to start!

 

[rooster58]

Thanks Rooster and Deckel,  That's very interesting.  I've been having a count and the two surviving chicks that hatched did so on day 23.. so I think that the others probably aren't going to come to anything.  However, ever the optimist, I will give them a few more days.

My incubator is not a high quality one, very much the "starter" kit, so I wondered whether the humidity was not sufficient, thus making it difficult for the chicks to break out of the shell.  They did seem to be having a struggle.

The two chicks have been adopted by one of the other little hens who has five chicks of her own.  I was a bit worried she might not accept them, but straight under her wing and all is well!

Have a lovely day

Tilly 

That is awesome that she accepted them. I just had to separate a momma and her lone chick yesterday. The chick was only a day old and she spent most of her time running away from the chick. Not a good momma.

 

[Tilly56]

Oh, poor chick!!

I was quite surprised that my little hen accepted the two new chicks so easily. I tried with another one who has just the one chick (once the one chick hatched she left her nest - not a good mum either!), but she flew at me squawking and I had to grab the two chicks and make a quick getaway!!