emergency please help and look at my pics

[Mehjr10]

On the original post, it appears that maybe you humidity got too low during the lockdown time. It's hard to resist opening it up but the humidity has to stay high to prevent shrink wrapping or drying of the internal membrane.. Wetting with a towel as you did can sometimes work.

 

[Freitas farm]

I actually had the incubator in my bathroom with the shower on hot before I opened it. So there was lots of humidity. Do you think that its possible there wasnt enough humidity will they were developing. My hydrometer said was always between 50-60 and then I upped it to 75-80

 

[Strader]

I never have my humidity over 40% till day 19, then when they start to hatch i dont let it exceed 70%. I also do not ever help them out by picking at the shell.

 

[happyhens1972]

I'd say to keep your humidity down lower, maybe at 40 - 45 % maximum during incubation, then up to 70% at pip. Don't candle too often either. I know it's exciting to see what's happening in there but every disturbance is a drop in temps and humidity and every shake, a potential threat to developing embryos. I personally have a fully automated incubator so I trust in it and only candle once at 14 days, throw out any obvious no-goers and leave anything vaguely resembling viable until day 25. Unless a chick has externally pipped and gone at least 24 hours since, I do not interfere. Those mebranes are very delicate and very vulnerable to drying out so messing with them really is courting trouble.

From what I have read, a lot of problems are caused by frequent human interference in the time leading up to the hatch so try to be patient and leave the eggs alone. If and only if you have problems on hatch day, any steps you take must be tiny and very careful. If you have external pipping and you feel it has been too long since you saw movement or progression, don't remove half the shell as in your picture, take a tiny piece at a time, while the egg is wrapped in damp tissue and return the egg to the incubator, see how or if the chick reacts, see if your help has given it enough to get out on its own. Tap the egg gently, see if the chick taps back, peep at it, see if the chick answers. If it still alive and trying, let it try. The chick will be healthier and more vigourous for its efforts.

 

[Strader]

I never candle. I have a large incubator and don't worry about it. I also have never had a egg explode or smell bad. Also remember if your chicks start to hatch your humidity will actually climb on its own, mine climbs about 20%. I opened my cabinet incubator 4 times during what people on here call Lockdown and had no problems with anything, which doesn't mean this will work for your incubator. I also left chicks in the incubator about 8 hours until they were dry and fluffy looking before removing them. A gal friend of mine on here (Tumbleweed farms) takes her chicks out right after they hatch and puts them in her bed comforter until they are dry, she also doesn't worry about opening her incubator during Lockdown.

 

[happyhens1972]

My incy only has a full capacity of 24 and that's pretty darn crowded so I candle at 14 days purely to make room, if possible, for the hatching chicks. I try and leave them in for about 8 hours too, once hatched, unless they are causing problems. On my latest hatch, the first-born was stomping around, knocking into everything and then when she spotted her sibling, half zipped and moving around a lot in her egg, she grabbed hold of a bit of her wet feathers and was pulling with all her might. She actually made her little sibling peep loudly in pain so I removed her until her sister was out and a bit more able to cope. I worried that this first little one might turn out to be a bully but she was fine....just eager for company I think!