Early pips! Ack! Update: BABIES! PICS!

[featherz]

Just went to check on my guinea eggs. They are on day 23 and I have two rockers and two others that are pipped. The incubator was at 100F and was steady so far as I can tell. I raced to up the humidity and to remove the egg turner, but hopefully it's not too late for those pippers. I had planned to lock down tomorrow at day 24 but yikes! Keep your fingers crossed for my lil keets.

 

[pkw]

I had 28 chicks born 3 days early this week and they are all doing great.

 

[featherz]

Update! I have two keets!!! Can't tell if they are OK since I don't want to open the incubator yet, but they are peeping and flopping around. The eggs aren't 'really' due to hatch for 4 more days - any chance I can remove these keets tonight if nothing else has pipped or is rocking? These are shipped eggs, so it's possible they could have different collection and hatch dates - I know the keets can last for three days without food or water, but what if it's four until some hatch?

 

[Cattitude]

Have a brooder box ready, and snatch them out real quick! If you think you need more moisture, put a damp sponge in when you grab the keets. Good luck on your hatch!

 

[featherz]

Another pip!! Setting up the brooder now. Hahaha. I had a big brooder prepared for my chick shipment/hatch but setting up a tiny one for these early birds.

#3!

 

[featherz]

They are dry and I snatched them since my humidity was edging up too high anyways. Hope it wasn't an error, but they were playing football with the eggs.

One more pip since then and about 5 more showing movement.

 

[Cattitude]

Superb! Fingers crossed for a 100% hatch!

 

[featherz]

are the bottom of these incubators (wire mesh) bad for their little legs? All of mine appear to have some degree of spraddle leg, even after being on paper towels over pine chips. I put down a t-shirt over the paper towels and that seemed to help a bit, but I finally bandaided the legs of two of the three - works but they fall over a lot.

Should I have something else on the floor for next time? (locked down now so too late). Or is it because I pulled them out as soon as they were dry?

Thanks for the well wishes! I DOUBT I will have 100% hatch, but at least I still do hear peeping and see movement now and then. My humidity is a bit too high - 70%, but I can't seem to get it down - heck, the humidity OUTSIDE is 70%!