day 22, three hatched, five left, no pips

[Little Dragons]

Hi, this is my second time hatching eggs. it is getting near the end of day 22 and i still have five out of eight eggs that have not even pipped yet. I dont hear any peeping from the eggs or see any movement. could I have shrink wrapped them when i opened the incubator to get the other chicks out? if so, is there anything i can do?

 

[Puddin Fluff]

If they had not pipped at all, I doubt you shrink wrapped them. Most likely they just weren't viable or didn't develop for some other reason. I would keep the incubator going for another day maintain moisture and temp. Some times some just don't make it. Enjoy those that did.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'd candle them and see if there is any signs of life, but I'd probably give them another day before eggtopsying them. My last hatch I had three that didn't hatch and all three were perfectly formed and made it to the last 24 hours. One even internally pipped, but never made it any farther. It's sad, but to be expected.

 

[Little Dragons]

Ok, thanks for the help. I candled them but didnt see and movement (they are dark eggs). I'll give them another day or two and wait with my fingers crossed

. While cuddling the three that did hatch.

I Did bring them up from a lower, more humid climate. could that have also effected the hatch?

 

[Lamancha]

If you can't see any movement when you candle then do a float test. It will be really obvious if they are alive.

Yes, elevation can make a difference. Were you weighing them or at least marking the air cells as they developed?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Ok, thanks for the help. I candled them but didnt see and movement (they are dark eggs). I'll give them another day or two and wait with my fingers crossed

. While cuddling the three that did hatch.

I Did bring them up from a lower, more humid climate. could that have also effected the hatch?

Where you got them from shouldn't make a difference as long as they were good quality eggs. If they eggs are good eggs, and come from genetically healthy birds, the majority of the progress depends on the incubation*Unless they were shipped. Then the shipping itself could have caused too much stress on the eggs. Shipped eggs have a much lower hatch rate. The humidity could have been too low or high without you knowing unless you were monitoring the air cells. The temp could have been off for the average of incubation or a temp spike that you were unaware of.
What kind of incubator are you using? What was your humidity levels during hatch? Temp? Are you relying on just one thermometer and are your thermometers checked for accuracy? These questions might not answer the why's but they can point you in the right direction for your next hatches.

 

[Little Dragons]

I used the mini advanced 7 egg incubator, without the egg turner so i could fit more eggs in. It keeps the temp pretty stable, only dropping when i lifted the lid to turn the eggs and refill the water in the center. It doesn't have a control for humidity but I followed the directions that came with it. I did this with my last hatch and 5 out of seven hatched, one stopped developing half way through and the other was fully formed but just didnt hatch.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

That is pretty good hatch rate. Congrats!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I used the mini advanced 7 egg incubator, without the egg turner so i could fit more eggs in. It keeps the temp pretty stable, only dropping when i lifted the lid to turn the eggs and refill the water in the center. It doesn't have a control for humidity but I followed the directions that came with it. I did this with my last hatch and 5 out of seven hatched, one stopped developing half way through and the other was fully formed but just didnt hatch.

Just remember all hatches vary. What worked with one hatch might not go the same with the next, especially where humidity is concerned and especially if you are hatching eggs from a different source. What I am trying to say is egg quality might play a factor as to how quickly eggs loose moisture. So if you don't monitor the egg's air cells to make sure that the humidity is accurate then the humidity you used for hatch "a" might not be the same humidity that is going to provide the best outcome for hatch "b". At least, that's my take on it.

 

[Little Dragons]

Thanks so much everyone, for the help. I'm going to do more research on the humidity and watching the air cells. I will also try to get my Oma's little digital scale working so I can weigh the eggs throughout the incubation. Hopefully my next hatch will go better.

None of the other eggs hatched unfortunately. But the three that did are all very healthy and doing well.