Day 21 - Help

[thermal]

I am on day 21 hatching chicken eggs, I have one beak out! This morning I noticed the incubator was sticky and saw I had another egg starting to pip with a beak but no movement, a closer look and the sticky stuff was yolk. I took the egg out and opened and the baby was dead and looked like it had pipped through its yolk sack, is that the cause of death? just bad luck or did I do something wrong? sorry still new to all this

 

[QueenMisha]

Sounds like the chick was malpositioned. It's rare but it can happen. It's just a freak thing, not something that can be prevented.

 

[silkiecuddles]

Malposition may not be able to be prevented, but it sounds like you have sticky eggs as well. THat would beside to too much humidity, I think.
Have any more chicks hatched?

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm guessing that your "sticky" was yolk. That wouldn't likely be humidity related. What is your humidity at, and how many more do you have to hatch. You'll need to keep that humidity up. If you have to open the bator again, which... hopefully won't be the case, you can get the humidity right back up by tossing in a damp paper towel or sponge (keep it off the eggs) or a gentle spritz of water on the side of the bator with a spray bottle. (I'd choose the spray b/c IMO no good can come from chicks dragging raw umbilical cords and hatching muck across wet paper towels.)

 

[thermal]

yes the sticky was yellow and when I picked the egg out it was all yolk underneath. It was perfect last night no leakage so it looked like it had just pecked right through the yolk sack when coming out. The chick was perfect inside it just seemed the sack was too far up as it pipped at the big end of the egg like it should have .. so sad.. I don't think I would have managed to help it even if I had seen it happen would I ? Other chicks are coming just taking their time and I am not opening the incubator again until they all hatch

 

[lazy gardener]

No, IMO there was absolutely nothing you could have done to save it. Some times, they pip a major blood vessel with similar results. Glad the rest are coming along well.

 

[kafred]

Hello. I am also on day 21. This is my first time. There is no sign of hatching. No peeping or rolling. I did the worst thing and opened to candle. I am not positive, but the air sac looked the same as it did on day 14. There was movenent in the egg. It looked like a beak was pointing towards the air sac. I am just wondering if anyone can tell me any tips to tell if I will be getting a chick. I am super nervous, I feel like mother hen p.s. The temp throughout was 37.7'c-38 and the humidity was generally 55% but fluctuated (not often) between 45% and 60%. The humidity at day 18 was put to 65% and is not 70-75%. The eggs were candled once at day 14. 4 were taken out and appeared to never be fertilized. I started with 40 eggs and now have 36 in the bator. The breed is welsummer. Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[QueenMisha]

Hello. I am also on day 21. This is my first time. There is no sign of hatching. No peeping or rolling. I did the worst thing and opened to candle. I am not positive, but the air sac looked the same as it did on day 14. There was movenent in the egg. It looked like a beak was pointing towards the air sac. I am just wondering if anyone can tell me any tips to tell if I will be getting a chick. I am super nervous, I feel like mother hen

p.s. The temp throughout was 37.7'c-38 and the humidity was generally 55% but fluctuated (not often) between 45% and 60%. The humidity at day 18 was put to 65% and is not 70-75%. The eggs were candled once at day 14. 4 were taken out and appeared to never be fertilized. I started with 40 eggs and now have 36 in the bator. The breed is welsummer. Any advice is greatly appreciated

If it's moving, it's probably gonna hatch. And with 36 eggs in the bator, you're certainly gonna get some kind of hatch, unless you did something really, drastically wrong. (and I mean really wrong, like dropping the incubator or forgetting to plug it in).

I tend to prefer an even 37.5C during incubation, it's always given me better hatches than 38C. I like 50%-ish humidity, even for hatching, usually not more than 60-65%. I also usually turn the temperature down a few degrees when about 1/2 of the eggs have pipped or hatched - eggs need to be incubated at 37/38C., yes, but at this point they are no longer eggs but chicks with shells, so between 35.5C and 36C is great for hatching. Especially be sure to lower the temperature if you raise the humidity much above 65%. High temperature + high humidity are bad, but lowered temperature + high humidity is OK.

 

[kafred]

If it's moving, it's probably gonna hatch. And with 36 eggs in the bator, you're certainly gonna get some kind of hatch, unless you did something really, drastically wrong. (and I mean really wrong, like dropping the incubator or forgetting to plug it in).

I tend to prefer an even 37.5C during incubation, it's always given me better hatches than 38C. I like 50%-ish humidity, even for hatching, usually not more than 60-65%. I also usually turn the temperature down a few degrees when about 1/2 of the eggs have pipped or hatched - eggs need to be incubated at 37/38C., yes, but at this point they are no longer eggs but chicks with shells, so between 35.5C and 36C is great for hatching. Especially be sure to lower the temperature if you raise the humidity much above 65%. High temperature + high humidity are bad, but lowered temperature + high humidity is OK.

Thank you. I will lower the temp in a bit. It is funny, right after I posted I checked and 2 had pipped. I believe that is what it is called. There are two eggs with little cracks. How long after they hatch do you put them in the brooder? Do you wait until all have hatched or do you take them out as they dry? Thanks again.

 

[QueenMisha]

Thank you. I will lower the temp in a bit. It is funny, right after I posted I checked and 2 had pipped. I believe that is what it is called. There are two eggs with little cracks. How long after they hatch do you put them in the brooder? Do you wait until all have hatched or do you take them out as they dry? Thanks again.

Yes, pipping is when they make the first outward crack, and zipping is when they begin to make a long crack around the shell. When they get all the way around they'll pop the top off like a lid and flop out.

They can be left in the incubator for up to 24 hours after hatch. I like to wait until they are completely dry to remove them, so usually 4-5 hours. Some people recommend you don't open the incubator until all birds are hatched, but I do it frequently and have never had bad results from it.