Day 21 1st hatch !!!! Float test HELP !!!

[Fudge819]

Today is a very special day for me, it's my first hatch. I started off with 8 eggs (gold comet x brahama) , yesturday i cleared out 4, 2 were formed but dead

and 2 had nothing in them.... Now i have 4 left, and i'm worried sick cause no peeps, pips or any movement .... Yesturday i tried the float test and they were all wiggling... Do you think they're dead ?

... oh this is SO stressfull. Could i have killed them with my float test, ??? Remeber this is my first hatch....

HELP !!!

Mama


Daddy

 

[aoxa]

Did you know that you are not supposed to touch eggs after day 18? If handled or the incubator is open, the chicks will die very easily. I opened the incubator on day after lockdown (day 20) and killed all but 2 of 40 eggs.

I hope that's not happening to you.

It's day 21 for me as well today. No pips or peeps. Usually I don't worry. I set them 3 weeks ago (on a Tuesday) @ 7pm or so. I won't worry until Thursday. I have seen them hatch late. Hopefully I will see pips by the time I get home from work, or by tomorrow morning. I've never had them hatch early though.

 

[Fudge819]

Thanks for repling so fast, i guess i'm too nervous and anxious, i'm on maternity leave and been sitting around the house for a while so while my sweet baby is sleeping a take care of my new hobby.. this is my first time and i'm realizing that chicken hatching is really precise and fragile,,,,

so i guess i'll just sit back and wait ...

 

[Fudge819]

By the way, love your pictures

 

[aoxa]

By the way, love your pictures

Thank you Also, I know how stressful it is the first hatch. I drove myself crazy. None hatched because I handled them too much. Second hatch I was hands off. I had a really good hatch rate. 26/32 hatched. On the fourth time I opened the incubator on day 20 and out of 40 eggs, only 2 made it out. I now never touch the incubator. You read the warnings, but sometimes they don't hold value until you learn from your own mistakes. Those two that hatched really held a special place in my heart, I'll tell you! Even if they both turned out to be roosters!

Here is the one I kept. I still haven't thought of a clever old man name for him yet. Want to help? Get your mind off things. His father is George. Something similar to that name would be awesome

 

[OperationHatch]

how do you take out the hatched chicks without disturbing the process of the ones that have yet to hatch?

 

[aoxa]

how do you take out the hatched chicks without disturbing the process of the ones that have yet to hatch?

You don't take them out until all have hatched, or at least 36 hours has passed from the first one hatching.

 

[1muttsfan]

I have seldom heard peeps and never seen an egg wiggle, and still had chicks hatch out. you might want to check out some of the hatching threads, there are some with very good information. In general leave your incubator closed from day 18 on, and don't try a float test until at least 3 days after your due date.

 

[aoxa]

I have seldom heard peeps and never seen an egg wiggle, and still had chicks hatch out.  you might want to check out some of the hatching threads, there are some with very good information.  In general leave your incubator closed from day 18 on, and don't try a float test until at least 3 days after your due date.

You could do a float test on day 17 or 18 before locking them down theoretically, but I don't. Candling works well for me.

If you set your eggs on just the wire bottom, you can see wiggles really clearly. However, due to leg issues, I added paper towel - and that stops any visible wiggling.

 

[nuthatch]

Thank you

Also, I know how stressful it is the first hatch. I drove myself crazy. None hatched because I handled them too much. Second hatch I was hands off. I had a really good hatch rate. 26/32 hatched. On the fourth time I opened the incubator on day 20 and out of 40 eggs, only 2 made it out. I now never touch the incubator. You read the warnings, but sometimes they don't hold value until you learn from your own mistakes.
Those two that hatched really held a special place in my heart, I'll tell you! Even if they both turned out to be roosters!

Here is the one I kept. I still haven't thought of a clever old man name for him yet. Want to help? Get your mind off things. His father is George. Something similar to that name would be awesome

I looked at him and though "Howard". I know, but it popped into my head. He's adorable.