Day 21 and nothing yet!!

[Jaguar6]

I am soooooooooooo nervous my stomach is upset. This is my first hatch and nothing is even moving yet! I candled a few and can see quite clearly that something in there but how do I know that they are alive? I had 32 eggs and lost at least 4 for various reasons. This is project that I started with my kids and they will be very sad if none of them hatch. On a more positive note, I just bought a brand new Hova bator with automatic turner for 90.00$!! Right now I am using a homemade incubator which I will keep to keep the newborns in.......if they are alive

 

[The Sheriff]

Just be patient. If your temps were a little low they may be late hatching. Is your incubator still air or does it have a fan? It is better to leave the eggs in the incubator at this point than to take them out to candle them. They are getting into position to hatch and all they need from you right now is the correct temperature and humidity. I hope your eggs are viable and before long you see pips, zips, and chicks. Make sure the kids understand that more than likely, not all chicks will make it out of the shell and some who do may not survive. My granddaughters are 12 and 16 and they even took it hard. Good luck to you and post back as things happen.

Mary

 

[gocrow77]

Take a deep breath and relax, they will hatch when they are ready, lol. Temps could be off a degree or so or something - nothing to worry over yet. There is a warm water trick that some use to check egg viability and it does work. I think it's on a thread or two around here somewhere. I don't like to use it until 3+ days after expected hatch, but here it is..... Fill a container with warm water (not sure what the exact temp has to be, but I make sure mine is nice and warm, but not too hot) and gently ease an egg into it. Wait for the egg to stop wobbling from the drop into the water. After a minute or so if the egg is good and has a live chick you will see the egg start to wobble again from the chick moving inside. If you do not see any movement from the egg after say 3-5 minutes the embryo is likely dead, unfortunately. I just did this test on some eggs I have been incubating yesterday. I always do eggtopsies after this test "just to be sure" and have always had 100% accuracy on eggs being bad if they didn't show any movement. Some people feel comfy doing it and others don't. Good luck - and post some pics of your babies for us when they hatch!!!

 

[aalbury]

I beg you not to give up and try to open them up for dissection until after day 24 or 25. Especially if there is any chance that the incubator was even 1/2 degree low..... My first hatch I had chicks on day 21,22,23, and 25.

 

[Jaguar6]

Thanks for the great advice. Since it will be ''OFFICIALLY'' 21 days tonight, they man I purchased the eggs from told me to be patient and that they should start piping tonight or tommorow morning. I am crossing my fingers AND toes. I just got another 2 dozen to put in our new incubator. All sorts of breeds including a sultan and a blue maran.

I AM SOOO EXCITED!!

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
I'm in the same boat you are! Day 21 here (tonight too) and no pips at all from our 5 viable eggs...and over 2 dozen eggs coming this week to go in the incubator after these hatch. This is my first hatch alone (did the other one with Silkiechicken), so I'm completely strung out even though she keeps coming over to help me and calm me, lol. The first one was a textbook hatch https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261876 ....I was so hoping for that again, lol. Maybe we will both be happy by tonight

 

[the Pollo Loco]

same here on day 21!!! I started out with 2 doz. and only 2 eggs made it to day eighteen. but we had 2 power outages, not sure if any survived. I'll wait till sunday

 

[Happy Chooks]

My first hatch they all hatched a day late. Don't worry yet.

 

[the Pollo Loco]

, just checked and one of the two eggs has pipped!!! there is life!!!

just a little while more and I'll have a new chick

 

[carolynb]

WOOOHOOOO!! So exciting!! Don't forget to post pics once they hatch