Day 23, one egg just wobbled!!!

[miniegg]

This is my first time attempting a hatch. I'm on day 23 and there has been no sign of any movement at all. But I just had a look and saw 1 egg wobble a little. I hadn't touched the inci since lockdown, until this morning when I was worried about humidity as my house is really dry. I popped the lid for a second and quicky placed a damp jay cloth in there as I read that it sometimes helps. Maybe it did, as within an hour I have my first sign of life.... or it could just be coincidence.

I put 10 eggs in and discarded 3, left 1 in that I wasn't sure about. Obviously being my first time I wasn't always sure what I was seeing was correct when candling, but everthing looked ok from what I had read. I bought a Novital Covattuto 16 egg, still air incubator. The temp is always around 100, the instructions are that it is ok if 1 to 2 notches under /over on the guage. It doesn't tell you what the notches represent, but mine looked pretty much spot on. Again, with humidity you just fill a container under the egg floor and keep it topped up. I only turned twice daily as that is what the instructions said to do. I later realised after doing some reading that maybe this wasn't enough, although I have read about many people with successful hatches doing this too.

It's only after reading more about humidity recently, ie needs to be higher in lockdown I panicked. Of course I didn't want to open the inci, but I didn't want them too dry either. I thought it's now day 23 so I have little to lose. I soaked the jay cloth in warm water, squeezed some of the water out and rolled it up, popped it in so it's not touching any eggs. I read people with this type of inci have success by just keeping the water topped up but I was worried that my house is so dry they would probably need a bit more in the last days. I can't get to the proper water container as it's under the floor where the eggs are, so it would disturb them too much.

Any advice please?? I've alread decided on an independent thermometer/humidity guage for the next attempt.

Thanks

Tina

 

[miniegg]

Just had a thought.... I remember having to adjust the temperature upwards in the first few days of incubation. I don't remember exactly when it was but it was in the first few days. It's been fine ever since. I just hope it delayed the hatch a bit, gives me some hope then!!

 

[smchickfarm]

what is your humidity reading? have you had any start to pip???

 

[miniegg]

Hi, I had one pip yesterday afternoon and did a pretty good job of zipping half way around the egg. He was still alive when I went to bed last night. I was worried about him though. I've read quite a lot about people helping so thought I would do this if there was no further movement this morning..... There wasn't!

Humidity was the problem I think. I should have gone with my instincts, I knew things didn't seem right at lockdown. Mine is one of these preset small incis. A Novital Covatutto 16 egg. It has a temp reading of 100 and says you can go one or two points above/below that and the instructions say to add water to the middle tray and keep it topped up! It did a good job prior to lock down. I chucked 3 eggs early on, 2 infertile, 1 quitter. 6 of the 7 I put in looked to be good at day 18, maybe a little less shadow than I'd expect, but this is new to me and the egg was more or less full. Maybe they were always going to be a little bit late. Anyway back to humidity, I scoured the net for people writing about my inci and found someone who uses it regular who said she fills the second outer tray at lockdown. Makes perfect sense to me, but the badly translated instructions didn't say that! So, I think that has cost me my hatch. I added the additional water at the end of day 23, I think this was too little too late.

I went out yesterday and bought a meter that reads temp & humidity. It said both were low, with both trays full humidity was getting close to 60, I think if I kept the inci in the garage in future, conditions would be more perfect and humidity would go past there. The inci is in my spare bedroom and our house is really well insulated and dry.

Back to the little fella that peeped. There was no sign of movement this morning, I chipped a lot of the membrane & shell around the zip area and went right the way around. It looks like he was stuck to the shell, hence the reason he could only zip half way... or do they normally only go half way?? Anyway, not surprisingly with low humidity he's stuck to the membrane, which I left. I loosley wrapped a damp jay cloth around the shell and left him for a while, but I'm quite sure he's dead now. I wish I'd have helped him last night, but I thought it best he came out on his own if he could and he had a hole in the shell so should have been able to breath.

I'm gutted, but 1 chick on his own would be lonely I suppose. I did the float test at the end of day 23 and a few were lively, I didn't do no more. I did it again yesterday afternoon, which is when I heard this little guy peeping, all the eggs were floating but not bobbing.... So I'm pretty sure they're all gone.



I'm so fed up

 

[smchickfarm]

I am so sorry.

It is a tough call. Some will tell you to help, some will tell you not too. I have helped a couple in previous hatches, but as a last ditch effort.

Humidity needs to be around 50 during days 1-18, then bumped up to 65-70 during lockdown. That is my opinion anyways, and it is what has worked for me in the past. Have to remember not to open the incubator once they have started to pip, because then you can shrink wrap them.

Don't give up. I know it is frustrating. Have to keep trying, you will have good hatch!

 

[miniegg]

Here I am again, 3 weeks on... waiting for my new hatch!! I was so upset with the last lot, I so hope I get some joy this time. I did dry hatch til lockdown, because the lady I got my first eggs and a few chickens from said it always works for her... Who knows? If no success this time I'll go with the conventional and the instructions with my incubator... Containers are measured amounts so humidity should be good... Fingers crossed xx

 

[tenman]

Whats your humidity readings? if your temp is good that's the next thing if they are not hatching. have you verified your readers are accurate there are too many horror stories about this.