Day 21 help

[kuchchicks]

Today is day 21. Its been a tough 3 weeks. Incubator and 1st timer error. I have 8 eggs in the incubator. This morning i awoke to one egg cheaping. So i am slightly hopeful. First question...my humidity is down to 40%. Not sure if i should add water. On day 1 of lockdown humidity was so high there was condensation on window all day while i was at work. I did slightly crack the bator til it dropped a little. But im not sure if i should add water...dont want to drown him. Second maybe because eggs rocked but now several eggs are touching. Will this cause problems with hatch?

 

[kuchchicks]

No peeping since cracks appeared in eggs...does that mean they drowned?!!!! Nervous!!!!

 

[4chickns]

Hi! I'm new to incubation, too, but your humidity needs to be at least 60%, I believe. I'm not sure about opening the incubator while you have a pip, though. Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in. 40% is pretty low for hatch. Is your hygrometer calibrated?
Wishing you luck!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

No peeping since cracks appeared in eggs...does that mean they drowned?!!!! Nervous!!!!

The only reason they would drown is if your humidity during incubation was too high and the egg did not loose enough moisture before lockdown. THAT is why chicks "drown". 40% is WAY to low for hatch. Those pippers are going to dry out and either find themselves shrink wrapped or glued by dry membranes. You need to get that humidty up to 65% (I use 75%). Either get some water in those wells or get a couple sponges, wet them and crack the bator open enough to slide them in there- but get that humidity up!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Today is day 21. Its been a tough 3 weeks. Incubator and 1st timer error. I have 8 eggs in the incubator. This morning i awoke to one egg cheaping. So i am slightly hopeful. First question...my humidity is down to 40%. Not sure if i should add water. On day 1 of lockdown humidity was so high there was condensation on window all day while i was at work. I did slightly crack the bator til it dropped a little. But im not sure if i should add water...dont want to drown him. Second maybe because eggs rocked but now several eggs are touching. Will this cause problems with hatch?

The eggs rocking and knocking into each other won't effect them unless a pip hole gets covered cutting off the access to the chick's air. As long as the pip is open they should be good.

 

[kuchchicks]

Im a dork...i read the meter wrong. Humidity is almost 60%. Temp is up to 100.7 not sure why it went up....
So is lack of cheaping a bad sign?!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Im a dork...i read the meter wrong. Humidity is almost 60%. Temp is up to 100.7 not sure why it went up....
So is lack of cheaping a bad sign?!

They could be resting... Whew. 60% is soooo much better. Do you have a mobile device that you can use by the bator to play youtube videos?? If you do, bring up a chick chirping video, (look for one day old chicks chirping-that's the one I use.) play it by or on top of the bator. It's only a few seconds long so play it a good 3 times and see if you get any reaction from the eggs. Usually of the chicks are alive they will respond and it will motivate them. I do this periodically with my pippers and especially when I have one that has started to zip. It really gets them moving.

 

[kuchchicks]

Only one egg is cheaping/rocking. He cracked his shell 4 hours ago but no further progress. Is this normal? Other egg no cheaping/rocking anymore. Should i do anything?!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Only one egg is cheaping/rocking. He cracked his shell 4 hours ago but no further progress. Is this normal? Other egg no cheaping/rocking anymore. Should i do anything?!

After an egg pips it can take up to 24 hours before it zips. I seem to see an average between 12-18 hours for my eggs to go from pip to start zipping. I had one chick bust itself out between 4-5 hours after pip and had a ruptured yolk sack and bloody membranes because it wasn't ready. Needless to say, he didn't make it. So you can't rush them.

 

[scflock]

Only one egg is cheaping/rocking. He cracked his shell 4 hours ago but no further progress. Is this normal? Other egg no cheaping/rocking anymore. Should i do anything?!

Your first hatch is nerve wracking. Please don't try to help them too early. I average 12 hours to the first hatch after the first pip, and usually one pips early, so everything is just as it should be. You did good to get them to the point of pipping, so now just sit back and watch as long as you can. I'd be willing to bet that this first pipper won't hatch until tonight. My hatches usually last for two days, and since this is your first hatch, I certainly wouldn't try to assist anything, at least until day 24. Helping them early could cause problems in a chick that would have otherwise been healthy if you had just waited