Eggs in the bator! July 27th

[sparkleeyes]

Thank you so much! Well I can't believe A HALF A DEGREE could make such a difference. Shesh!!! I would say that may be part of our problem as well. I told my husband last night we should at least give it until Sunday, cause he is as anxious as I am. I so what to candle it again to see if I could get some sort of clue as to what's going on in there. We only have the one egg that we are working with. There were two at first, but one didn't work out. These two came from the first eggs from our first two hens, which are not great layers. Oh me oh my! I don't know if I'll have the nerve to try a second batch after this. We'll see.

 

[JacksonB54]

Thank you so much! Well I can't believe A HALF A DEGREE could make such a difference. Shesh!!! I would say that may be part of our problem as well. I told my husband last night we should at least give it until Sunday, cause he is as anxious as I am. I so what to candle it again to see if I could get some sort of clue as to what's going on in there. We only have the one egg that we are working with. There were two at first, but one didn't work out. These two came from the first eggs from our first two hens, which are not great layers. Oh me oh my! I don't know if I'll have the nerve to try a second batch after this. We'll see.

Do NOT open the incubator! If the embryo you saw developing earlier in the second egg is still viable, you could do it in by opening the 'bator!!

I could be wrong here, but if these are some of the first eggs from your hens, I'm not sure those would give you the best chances of hatching anyway. You may just have to chalk this effort up to a learning experience. Hope that's not the case, but it could be.

I did things backwards here, relying on the incubator instructions for the first hatch; then, while I was trying to not go crazy awaiting the first chicks, I read A LOT on here about hatching (started with the info in the "learning center") and found out the incubator instructions weren't even close to what I needed to be doing! There is a plethora of info here, from how to gather and "store" eggs that you plan on hatching to how temps and humidity affect the hatch.

Still have my fingers crossed for you! Blessings.

 

[sparkleeyes]

Do NOT open the incubator! If the embryo you saw developing earlier in the second egg is still viable, you could do it in by opening the 'bator!!

I could be wrong here, but if these are some of the first eggs from your hens, I'm not sure those would give you the best chances of hatching anyway. You may just have to chalk this effort up to a learning experience. Hope that's not the case, but it could be.

I did things backwards here, relying on the incubator instructions for the first hatch; then, while I was trying to not go crazy awaiting the first chicks, I read A LOT on here about hatching (started with the info in the "learning center") and found out the incubator instructions weren't even close to what I needed to be doing! There is a plethora of info here, from how to gather and "store" eggs that you plan on hatching to how temps and humidity affect the hatch.

Still have my fingers crossed for you! Blessings.

Well it's not exactly the first eggs for the hens, rather the first since WE got them. They were already laying before we got them.

Now here's the kicker. My husband candled the egg when he got home, I was upstairs and didn't know what he was up to. I told you he was impatient. Turns out he's a secret candler as well!! So yeah, this egg is just destined for disaster!!

Oh, and in case you're all on pins and needles wondering what he saw (I know the feeling) he said that it was all black now except for the membrane part, so you couldn't see the veins whatsoever anymore. We were late in the game candling in the first place, like day 17 late, and we saw mostly black, some movement of feathery wings or legs, and the veins up towards the membrane. So yeah!

Oh dear~

 

[JacksonB54]

Okay, all dark is NOT a sign of disaster at this stage of development! With the flashlight that I use for candling, all I can see after day 18 is dark (which is chick!) and the air cell. I've been able to see movement as late as day 18 before (with both broody hens and incubators), but not this time! I think there was just too much chick in the eggs (these were all bantam eggs), for them to be able to move much!

Sometimes, not always, you can hold the egg to your ear and hear scratching (which is the chick trying to pip) or, after it has pipped internally, sometimes even peeps! Since this egg has gone through so much already, I can't imagine that it would be too bad to try to see whether you can hear anything. Still, if the chick is asleep, you may not get a response then, either! It's a dilemma, so do what you feel is right! (And you'll find as many different opinions as there are options if you search through past threads here on BYC, so you may want to do some reading on the particulars of candling and pipping/peeping to help make your decision!)

Best of luck, and if you do get a chick in the next couple of days, you can also find great info here on how to care for a "singleton." Keep us posted! Fingers still crossed for you!!

 

[sparkleeyes]

OK OK OK! Now all of a sudden there looks like a crack! Not a pip, but a full blown crack! It's not open, it almost could be mistaken for a hair??? but i don't think it was there before... but I think hubby was the last to look.

And not only that... it's not where it's suppose to be. I thought it was suppose to be in the air membrane, and then they make a circle around it and push open the door.... it's further down, like the middle. The crack, or hair, is about an inch long. This could be bad. It could drown. What if it is just a hair and I'm freaking out for nothing!

Oh dear Lord!

When hubby gets home again I'll be sure and let him know what you said about listening to it. I doubt I'll have to twist his arm.

I'd love for him to make a pip so I'll know for sure that he's actually in there trying to get out.

Come on Pippy!!!!!

 

[JacksonB54]

Sorry, but you're making me laugh because I'm just as hysterical when things don't go well in the incubator as you (and, apparently, your hubby) are! That aside, I suspect the "hair" is a zip! If so, do NOT open the incubator to check, as it will release the humidity and cause the chick to be shrink-wrapped in the membrane!!

Having said that; I want to be sure you understand the difference between a "pip," a "peep," and a "zip!" A "pip" is the tiny hole that a chick makes in the shell first. A "peep" is the sound a chick makes. A "zip" is what a chick does IMMEDIATELY after pipping that tiny hole! You with me? (More to follow...)

 

[JacksonB54]

To continue....

Sometimes you can miss seeing the "pip," as it can be out of view in the incubator. Also, sometimes they begin zipping immediately after pipping, and I suspect you are seeing a "zip." I've had chicks make a really small, neat line across an egg, and I've had chicks make a huge, jagged line also! So, could what you're seeing be a hair? Of course! Could it be a zip? Possibly! Try this: make it really quiet in the room where you have the incubator, then tap the side of the incubator and/or make cheeping noises to see if you get a response. Not sure what kind of incubator you have, and that could make a difference, but chances are that if you do that and the chick is alive, it will cheep back to you!

 

[billyb]

I have aquick QUESTION!! Do you have to have a thermastat in your incubator??
- Billy

 

[sumi]

Yes, the thermostat regulates the temperature in the incubator by turning the heat source on and off.

 

[billyb]

Okay thanks I'm going to home depot or Walmart tomorrow! How is every bodies hatchlings doing?! What numbers are you up too?