day 26! I have live chicks in eggs how long do I let this go on?

[Lynnk]

Hi all
I'm freaking out here as I have a clutch in my incubator that I was about to abandon. I thought I'd open the end of one a little just to be sure, and low and behold a living moving chick in there. the membrane is intact. I don't want to kill these guys, but I'm losing hope that they can hatch on their own. my temp if you can believe the thermometer has been perfect, same with humidity, but I'm wondering if the temp wasn't lower.

so now are they all going to just expire in the egg? do I try to help? Do I leave it alone and pray that some make it?
HELP

thanks
Lynn

 

[FireTigeris]

I would figure, especially this late- that they will die even with your help...

so sorry but the yolk sac is only good for the 23-25ish days (from setting the egg).

I'd take a chance and help them myself at this point and expect to lose them all.

Yes they will die in the egg w/o help ...

How are you counting days?

Like this?

Turned on incubator and stabilized, then set eggs, rechecked temperature 15 minutes later, started counting.

hour 0-hour 23 and 59 minutes = day one,
hour 24-hour 47 and 59 minutes= day two,

Can you double check your day count? Might there be a mistake? Was there a late night power outage for 8+ hours?

 

[CrazyChickensEverwhere]

I agree. Help.

 

[Lynnk]

ok, so the one I just mentioned, I carefully helped out and weirdly enough managed to get him out without tearing a blood vessel in the sac, but the yoke is huge. I"m so confused. could this be from a power outage?

 

[FireTigeris]

you miscounted or there were temperature problems.

Still are or forced air and what temps?

Yes, I asked about power outages...

 

[Lynnk]

Also, I'm looking at him in my incubator and he isn't developed enough. So assuming there was more than one who got to this point, should I just keep waiting and see if others develop normally? His development and yolk makes me think that I miscalculated, but I know I didn't I have checked my dates etc.

Lynn

 

[Lynnk]

I meant does this sound like the result of a power outage or would they just have died at that point? all I can think is that the thermometer must be off because I have gone over my dates like crazy.
forced air
99.5-100 degrees the whole time according to the thermometer
I use a hovabator that I bought new last year and has never let me down

 

[cmom]

Quote:
If your power went out and the incubator dropped in temp them the hatch could be a couple of days late. Most every chick I have tried to help if it hadn't started zipping ended up dying. Some made it out of the shells ok but died within a few hours.

 

[mandelyn]

I had a hatch go until day 28, and I have two pullets to show for it. Crazy! None of the others made it. One I helped, had an enlarged head and only lasted a couple hours. The other two that survived, perfectly normal and laying eggs now. One is a little goofy, too friendly, comical. She's a riot. But you wouldn't know they totally bent the rules of hatching when they first started out.

I found them on day 24, and I had husband breaking the shell to teach him how to do it. Day 24, all is lost, right? No, blood started leaking out. I was like... dead eggs don't bleed like that... then saw movement. I grabbed the egg from him and there really was a live chick in there. I knocked the tops off the other eggs too, and found 3 still alive and going. I baby sat them for 4 more days until the yolks were absorbed, and I pulled them out.

 

[Lynnk]

that gives me a tiny bit of hope! thanks