Eggs look like they are developing at different paces.

[mattnpk]

Hey everyone,

This is only my second post but I am coming to the end of my first incubation of eggs. Yesterday was lock down day. I candled all the eggs took out the ones I could definitely tell weren't growing. Some of them looked like they were developing slower than the others. Is this normal? Also when I took the turner out my temp dropped to 93.8. Will this drop in temp kill the chicks? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[StephensonC]

Hey everyone,

This is only my second post but I am coming to the end of my first incubation of eggs. Yesterday was lock down day. I candled all the eggs took out the ones I could definitely tell weren't growing. Some of them looked like they were developing slower than the others. Is this normal? Also when I took the turner out my temp dropped to 93.8. Will this drop in temp kill the chicks? Thanks in advance for the help!

Hi and

. I'm not an expert on incubating, but how long did your temp. stay that low? I think it takes a while for the internal egg temp to drop, so you should be fine. The broody will leave her nest for about 20 minutes each day to eat, except for the last 3 days. Since you were at the beginning of lockdown I wouldnt worry. Were the smaller embryo's still moving when you candled? Some times, they will develop slowly due to the temp being a little low during the first few days of incubation, and they may even hatch a day or two late. That can happen if the eggs are farther away from the heater. Are you using a still air or circulated air? Good luck with your hatch!!

Mine went into lockdown this morning. It's my first time too!! I'm a nervous wreck!!

 

[mattnpk]

They were that low for 6 hours. thats why i am worried. I had everything setup last night, went to bed, and woke up to a mess. Everything else went fairly smoothly for my first time around. I am using a circulated air incubator. All the embryos were moving when I went into lockdown. Good luck with your hatch!

 

[StephensonC]

They were that low for 6 hours. thats why i am worried. I had everything setup last night, went to bed, and woke up to a mess. Everything else went fairly smoothly for my first time around. I am using a circulated air incubator. All the embryos were moving when I went into lockdown. Good luck with your hatch!

Oh wow...I'm not sure since it was for 6 hours. Maybe someone more experienced will come along and advise. I'm crossing my fingers for you!!

 

[Orca5094]

If the smaller embryos are quite a bit smaller than the others, there is likely something wrong with them and they won't end up being able to hatch. I've had a couple go into lockdown like that and they died before hatching (they were alive when they went into lockdown). It was like they were stunted and didn't develop after the first two weeks. I opened them up and one had a deformed bill (they were ducks) and the other had no visible sign of anything wrong, just that she was underdeveloped. That has been my experience anyway, so just thought I'd give you a warning.

It CAN also be due to low temperatures during incubation, but if the difference in size is very obvious, it's likely another problem. They only have enough resources in there for a normal length incubation period, so they do run out if something goes wrong and they develop too slowly.

The low temp for that 6 hours is not too horrible at this point. If it was earlier in incubation it would be more of a problem. I think they should be ok. Good luck with your hatch! I really do hope those underdeveloped ones are just a tiny bit behind and will hatch out for you.

 

[mattnpk]

Thanks for all the help! I hope they work out too but we'll see.