Egg problems...

[Azulegg]

I set eggs on June 14th. Here it is 7/9/2009 and nothing has hatched even though candling showed chicks. So I crack open a small hole at the end of the air space and see that one egg had a half formed dead chick. Then, I crack open another egg, no chick so I discarded that one also (I couldn't see through that egg). The third egg I put a little hole in the air space so I could see what was going on and it does have a live chick in there however it doesn't seem to want to hatch yet. Also it seems too small for the number of days it has been in the incubator which is weird. What should I do now? Wait another week?

 

[marytoast]

I'm no expert but I would give the little guy a chance. I would give it a few more days anyway.

 

[Azulegg]

Quote:
I will wait and see what happens. That's all I can do.

 

[Grillo]

You might already know this but a live chick that has not matured in 21 days will usually mean your temp is low, you should recheck your thermometers before next batch. Now a high immature embryo mortality can mean a whole bunch of things are not rite, from temp swings either way (too hot, too cold) If you carefully crack the egg and see the embryo stuck to the shell then you need to recheck your turning practices, both before and after you set eggs in incubator. A high frecuency of blood rings can also be due to rough handling of eggs by the turner (your hand or bator) during the first week of incubation. And of course, the health and fertility of your broodstock. Just a few things to consider.