Day 23 and only one still alive.

Chicksandhorsesandogsohmy

In the Brooder
Apr 1, 2018
19
22
29
So, I started with three frizzle bantam eggs and only one is still alive. This is my first time hatching and wow its been a lot of ups downs and learning by failing. I used a homemade incubator and after losing a few early on I finally got things sorted out. That being said, temp fluctuations happened often with the weather getting warmer but our nights still dipped below freezing. My house has no temp control ( awesome) so I was always tweaking to keep it steady. Thankfully I work from home and am a hermit so I was here to do it.,. Then of course I found out later that still airs needed to be a bit warmer. So, I quickly did a float test on my last one today and it took about 10 seconds but he bobbed around for me. I am at 101 or so and humidity is 70 to 75. I dont hear any peeping or see any shaking of the egg in the incubator, is this normal for day 23? I keep reading people hear peeping and see shaking and im worried because im not.
I know im being a nervous nelly but I originally did this so my grand daudghter could see and now im just really rooting for this little guys. Its been just me and him for the last week. If he hatches im going to get him a friend so he wint be alone. I get really attatched lol.
 
Sorry but it doesn't look good.
In my experience, embryos still in shell on day 23 usually don't make it. In perhaps about 3% of those cases do I get a viable chick.
It was likely the temperature swings were the problem. I don't know your incubator setup or what you're using to measure temp and humidity but in a still air the temp needs to be measured at the top of the egg - with a calibrated thermometer.
I have a question about your birds. Are both parents of these eggs frizzled?
 
The hen is a frizzle the roo is a bantam brahma, i think. I have another roo but he ignores or picks on the 2 little frizzles and the lower roo took them as his. Their eggs are quite smaller than the others so I assumed they are the frizzles. All of mine are free range and share boxes but Im fairly certain of these little ones being theres.
He was very much still alive and kicking at 4 this afternoon so im still hopeful.
 

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