Day 21 and worried sick

[rarebear]

12 Welsummers in lockdown, temp good and humidity ay 70%. It's day 21 1/2 and not any movement, peeps or pips. The temps seemed quite steady during the incubation although I had 2 Brinsea digitals that were 2 degrees apart. The Wellies all formed and filled out the egg so I thought it would be a great hatch.

I also have 5 Isbars, 2 Swedish Flower Hens and a Lemon Orp still in the LG with the egg turner for 2 more days before their lockdown. That batch was 28 eggs and only 7 formed.None of the Cream Legbars even started. Many were rotten or didn't form at all. I will never buy from that breeder again. $175 shot. But I know the bator was ok and the Wellies did well...but they are hatching. sigh.........

 

[gimmie birdies]

It also depends on what time of day you put in your eggs, my last batch I put them in late on the first day, you almost count that as a day, and then my heat would flux a bit at night, also depends on how cold the eggs were when you put them in, I would not ever worry until day 22.

 

[rarebear]

I pulled one out as suggested on another post and put it to my ear and heard a teeny tiny peep so my hopes are up. I have been playing you tube recordings of chicks peeping hoping to wake them all up. Today is day 22.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I pulled one out as suggested on another post and put it to my ear and heard a teeny tiny peep so my hopes are up. I have been playing you tube recordings of chicks peeping hoping to wake them all up. Today is day 22.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

I would only wait 8 hrs and if you have no external pips I would proced to make a tiny pip at where you can candle and see his internal pip.
ONLY if you can hear him/have heard him, hear tapping or see that internal pip.... follow the instructions and TAKE IT slow... sometimes just making that external pip and they can hatch themselves. I cant tell you how many times I have had healthy chicks in a thick shell.

AS LONG AS YOU dont mess with that INNER membrane you can easily save chicks! ITs when people open them up below air cell and hit blood and then bacteria can enter and so on!! ITS A SLOW PROCESS and never open that inner membrane if u see active veining!

Good Luck!

 

[rarebear]

I really appreciate your guide and advice. I have mostly dark eggs...do you think I will be able to see the internal pip in them? I only hear a little peep in one of the eggs, I quickly listened to others and there was nothing. I am really hoping they are just slow. Nothing went wrong with this hatch. I can't imagine what I did wrong.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

What I do with marans is listen intently and mark air cells and take my best guess that its internal pip is in the TYPICAL spot, see below image.... now your only making a tiny hole, if nothing happens after 6-8 hrs you can make the hole a tad bigger so you can view and check out the inner membrane.... NEVER open BELOW that air cell line!

 

[rarebear]

So it is ok to go into the incubator just long enough to grab an egg? And candling and then creating an external pip won't chill the baby too much?

 

[rarebear]

this is great...so just above the air cell line. What happens when the bator is opened during lockdown? I had to add damp paper towels. I assume hens get off the nest the last 3 days to eat and poop?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

no you can add a warm sponge when you open it will boost it, and I work under a desk lamp... it dont take long to make a tiny hole, just dont crush the egg, scratch and score and X until you have a tiny pc chipped away.... your ok!! AS LONG AS you dont go below the membrane your NOT compromising the chick, you will just need to really watch her and follow through with her!