Day 21... help!

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Ridgerunner said:
Yes, had to be April 13th. I do that kind of stuff all the time so don't feel bad. We know what you thought you meant to try to say. My wife usually doesn't hit me when I tell her that.

You put them in on a Monday so the 21 day thing is up on a Monday, today. Don't get too hung up on that 21 day thing. For many different reasons chicken eggs don't always hatch at exactly 21 days. Heredity, humidity, how and how long they were stored before incubation began, and just differences in the eggs all play a part. Another big factor is is average incubation temperature. If the average temperature is a bit high, they can be early, low and they can be late. Did you calibrate that thermometer against one you trust? I don't trust factory pre-sets or the thermometers they send with them I don't care how "good" the company's reputation is. I've seen them be off enough to make a difference.

Even if everything is perfect they don't always hatch on time. I've had hatches in my incubator and under broody hens be two full days early. I think it is heredity. If it were just my incubator I'd think my calibration was off but it's also under broody hens. And it's not just a few eggs, it's usually the whole hatch. Some people's eggs hatch that late, even under a broody. I figure that if a chick hatches 24 hours early or 24 hours late, it's exactly on time.

If you haven't seen a pip yet there is a fair chance that your thermometer needs calibrating. It's something you might want to check out before you do this again. How to calibrate and why might make an interesting science lesson. But if you candled them at Day 18 and they were alive, you'll probably be OK.

Wait until you get a pip and it doesn't do anything for 12, 18, maybe more hours. That happens and is quite stressful too. Oh, the joys of incubating. It's still worth it.
Click to expand...

I had three thermometers in there at one point. kept the two more reliable. The traditional mercury thermometer and a digital one with the humidity on it. I'm hoping for some pips tonight or early in the morning!
 
Well morning of day 22. I couldn’t help it, but sneak some chicks out to candle. I have a couple with lots of movement still and air cell looking normal. A couple where the shell is too dark to tell right now and a couple that look like this pic. Should I be intervening in any way?
BD4B546E-3C66-4E79-BBC6-277970E9B934.jpeg
 
The pictured egg almost looks like its on day 11 or 12. You can still see space in the egg, the chick hasn't filled up the shell yet.
 
One of the last things a chick does before it hatches is to dry up the blood vessels in that membrane surrounding it. If you try to help before those dry up you have a high risk of causing the chick to bleed to death.

You're not seeing movement in that egg are you? I think that one quit a week or so ago. At that stage the whole egg should be dark except for the air cell. I don't always see movement in those but my egg shells are pretty dark.

I know you used different thermometers to check that, but I think you should calibrate them. What you are describing are classic signs of the temperature being too low. I use an old-type medical thermometer (which can be hard to find) but they are supposed to be calibrated, plus the temperature they show is in the right range for incubation. You need a thermometer that shows temperature to the tenth of a degree.

As you are seeing movement some eggs still have a chance. All you can do is wait.
 

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