Day 22 and still waiting

Southpawtech

In the Brooder
7 Years
Mar 2, 2012
54
3
33
Lincolnton, NC
We are in day 22 of our first hatch. So far, no activity, not even a pip. The eggs are still in the turner in an upright position. Should I risk opening the incubator to candle and remove the turner?
 
Well, I removed the turner,put down some bedding and candled the eggs in the process. No movement, most of the eggs are too dark to see. They all have air cells, but most still have a clear area at the bottom.
 
They should be ready to and/or hatching by now. Was your temperature too low at some point during the incubation? Or did they get chilled at any stage?
 
No, temp was 100 the whole time, humidity was 65 as well. I have two thermometers, and have been checking every few hours since we set them on 9/11/13.
 
The humidity was a fraction too high... I usually aim for 45-50% during incubation and some hatchers go way lower than me. They "dry" hatch at 25-35%. Anything over 60% you risk drowned chicks, swollen chicks and other issues.
 
Well, it may be a lost cause, but I candled each one and poked a small air hole at the air cell in each egg. I also removed the water cup from the incubator. I do not see any internal pipping, but I hate to give up. There are so many different opinions on the humidity levels that I have read, that it was hard to decide which was right. Live and learn.
 
I'm keeping my fingers crossed you'll have some hatch. Poking a hole in the air cell should help some. How big are/where the air cells?

I hear you! When I incubated duck eggs for the first time I read many different figures for humidity and ended up so confused I decided to hatch them as I do my chicken eggs and hope for the best. I ended up with a very good hatch, but it was nerve wrecking, wondering if I'm doing it right.
 
The air cells are approximately 20% of the volume of the eggs. After opening the air holes, I could see clear membrane with feathers feet and beaks behind it. No movement detected, but I will keep them going until they hatch, or stink.
 

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