Don't know what to do

[Netty12345]

Hello, I'm new here and also new to incubating. My chicken eggs are on day 22 today and no signs of hatching. The incubator we have has never produce live chicks but we are giving it a go anyway. My problem is one egg got knocked on the torch while candling on day 21 and has a crack and small hole into air sack but not through the me brain to the chick. I think I can see movement but not sure as this is my first time. What should I do??
Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[FridayYet]

Maybe you temperatures were a bit low and your hatch is delayed.

What did you see when you candled yesterday? Were the air cells drawing down?

Hope you get some to hatch!

 

[Netty12345]

Air cells are drawing down, what does that mean?

I can still see movement in the broken egg, just wondering if because the air cell is broken will everything still be ok with chick when it pips through the membrane?

Thank you for replying!

 

[FridayYet]

When you candle the eggs from the air cell down, you should see the side of the cell pull down quite a ways right before hatch - lower than this picture shows. the rest of the egg should be dark by now because it is full of chick.


The chick with the broken shell should be fine if there is no bleeding.

What kind of incubator are you using, and what temperature and humidity have you been running at?

 

[Netty12345]

Not sure what brand of incubator it is but we did have a temp drop during the night about a week ago, not heaps but a few degrees.
The egg with broken shell is not bleeding and no part of membrane is damaged.
Both humidity and temp are correct other than the drop a week ago.
Egg cell is right down one side ( more than picture you posted) does this mean they will hatch soon? How long about?

 

[FridayYet]

Not sure what brand of incubator it is but we did have a temp drop during the night about a week ago, not heaps but a few degrees.
The egg with broken shell is not bleeding and no part of membrane is damaged.
Both humidity and temp are correct other than the drop a week ago.
Egg cell is right down one side ( more than picture you posted) does this mean they will hatch soon? How long about?

The draw-down is a good sign!

Does your incubator have an internal fan to move the air or is it a still-air model? What is your temperature and humidity at now, and what was it day 1-18?

Sorry for so many questions, but incubators are notorious for being wrong, and thermometers need to be calibrated every hatch. On top of that, incubator instructions can lead many new hatchers wrong, usually by suggesting a humidity level that is too high so chicks drown in the shell prior to hatching.

Hard to give advice without a bit more information.

 

[Netty12345]

Yes, incubator has an internal fan, we also have a thermometer inside the incubator reading at about 95 Fahrenheit, we try to keep the thermometer on the machine at 37 Celsius and up, which I think is about 97 Fahrenheit.
Humidity right now is sitting at about 67.
Hope this helps

 

[kyzerc]

Isnt the temp supposed to be at least 99.5 degrees? be sure to get a true incubator thermometer.My therm with incubator reads from 102 to right now 106 to actualy be 100. degrees I have 2 little giants,bought theromenters ,I have about 6. from miller,or the ones on site here.Im right behind you,i just started again after a 50 year lay off.

 

[FridayYet]

Very helpful - Thanks! Did you happen to check your inside Thermometer prior to using it? I'm still thinking your temps are a bit low and that is why nothing has hatched yet.

For forced-air incubators, you want the internal temp 99.5, no matter what the incubator display says. Did you run the humidity that high days 1-18 or did you increase it for lockdown?

 

[Netty12345]

Not sure how to get the temp up more, we have had to put a blanket oven incubator to even get to this temp. Not sure if true or not but I did read that temp isn't as important now at this late stage, more important is the humidity? I dont know? Now I'm losing faith that they will hatch at all.
Surely if I can see movement they are still alive?