eggs haven't lost enough weight day 17

[fowlwoman1]

So, my fear is that they will asphyxiate on the fluids while they are trying to hatch. Should I worry about this? It seems that most of them have only lost about 7% of their weight so far instead of the recommended 15%. For the first week I had the humidity way too high because I didn't have a humidity gauge. The basement is more humid than I thought it was. Should I intervene as soon as they break through the membrane inside the egg? Should I just wait and see? I have a gram scale that I've been weighing them with.

 

[Katy]

Have you candled them to check the size of the air cell? I've never weighed an egg....I just go by air cell size.

 

[fowlwoman1]

I have candled them but I'm not sure what to think about the air cell size. I've seen the diagrams of how big the air cell should be at X number of days, and it doesn't look like my eggs are going right.

 

[twigg]

make sure there is plenty of fresh air in the hatcher. The airspace WILL be small, and they'll need all the oxygen they can get.

In extremis, you can assist by making a very small hole in the top (large end) of the shell when they are due to pip internally. Don't do this too soon.

Don't reduce the humidity from day 18, they need the moisture.

 

[MaransGuy]

I would not automatically intervene as you will likely cause more problems than solve. First, I would do as Katy suggests and candle them to see how big the air space is. Second, I have had this happen several times with my marans when I have incubated them with smaller, bantam eggs. I adjust my humidity based on air cell size, not by what the guage reads. It can be surprising to see how much the eggs dry down during the last couple days. I have had eggs with air cells that look like day 10 instead of 18 hatch out just fine. By day 21 a lot of that moisture is gone. If you want to be extra carefull you can hatch them in an egg carton. I know some people worry that it may wick moisture from the eggs but it has never been a problem for me. If you want to, use a styrofoam one. I would candle them and set them at an angle in the carton with the pipping side up. You can tell what side the chick will pip by the shape of the air cell, they will pip at the bottom (closest to the pointy end) of the air cell. I think your hatch should be fine.

Richard

 

[twigg]

er ..... sounds like he is close to day 18 already, or he wouldn't have been worried about the 7%.

If so, and the air cell is small (and it will be), then those chicks could very easily drown in their shells.

I am the last person to advise intervention .... I hate it, but it would be a pity to lose them now if helping will .... help.

ymmv

 

[MaransGuy]

Twigg, perhaps you did not understand my post:

I have had eggs with air cells that look like day 10 instead of 18 hatch out just fine.

What this means is that on day 18 they looked like they should have on day 10. I also pointed out that they can dry down very quickly once the chicks start absorbing their yolk. Whether you want to "help" them hatch or not is up to you. I offered a far less invasive suggestion on how to help but really do not think there will be a problem. I have sever seen a chick "drown" even when humidity is too high. I have had problems with poor hatches due to high humidity but it had nothing to do with excessive water in the shell just waiting to rush into the chicks lungs. The fact is, if there was this gush of water waiting to drown the chick, you would be able to see it upon candling. Too much humidity can cause problems with chicks growing too large or not developing quite right resulting in a large percentage of dead-in-shell. It has nothing to do with drowing and helping pull the poor things out of the shell will not make a difference in those cases. As I stated before, I would leave the chicks to their own devices and think the majority should do fine.

Richard​