EMU's Hatching NOW question.

[geeperspeepers]

Hi everyone,

So 52 days ago I put 3 emu eggs in my hovabator at 95-96 oF with 30-35%RH. I turned the eggs at least 7 times a day for 1st. month. Well needless to say all 3 eggs are shaking bigtime today and I got my first internal pip with chirping. Any idea how long the emu chick will take to go from internal pip to external pip. BTW the two eggs that are touching eachother seem to be synchronized. Any comment would be appreciated.

Cheers and Goodnight.

P.S. Also, how long before I can feed them after they hatch. I read in a bunch of pages that they shouldn't be given food for a few days. I always thought that was a rationalization for not feeding chicks before shipping. Any thoughts?

This is how I stored my eggs for a week before I put them in the bator. I turned them 3 times a day. The eggs went directly on the wire floor in my incubator, no cloths or anything. I put a number on each, the day of lay in January, on a small piece of painters tape. They never came off.

gp

 

[kid-n-chickens]

It has been 10 years since I helped hatch Emu eggs, but if I recall correctly once they internally pip they start absorbing the yolk which then takes 2-3 days. Then they hatch and live on the yolk they absorbed for 3 days then you start food. The yolk has all the immunities and nutrients they need for the first 3 days of life. If you feed them you interrupt them using the nutrients and immunities of the yolk. We left ours in the incubator for the first three days so they would get good and dry before removing them, then once we removed them they was ready for the feed and water. As I said though it has been 10 years since I done this. GOOD LUCK! Keep updating so we know how it turns out.

 

[chicks4kids]

Wow, how exciting for you! Although I can't offer any advice, I do hope the hatch goes great and hope to see some pics of those cute little babies!!

 

[pinkchick]

WoooWhoooooo! Congrats! I'm setting 5 Emu eggs in the bator tomorrow. Was suppose to set them a week back but the bators are occuppied for a couple more days. ARGH! I'm hatching them for my friend who has Emu and we wanted to try last year but it didn't happen. This will be my first time too, how exciting!

Please keep us posted.

 

[geeperspeepers]

Well its 10 am and Im hearing chirping comming from 2 of the eggs. No external pips at all that I can see. The more I tap on the bator the more the chicks are chirping. If they internally piped last night, say 9pmish, shouldn't they be externally pipped by now. Will they run out of air in the egg and suffocate. Those are some heavy duty egg shells. I'll leave them and wait.

gp.

 

[happyhensny]

I would love to have Emu's! Been wanting them for a couple of years. There aren't any in my area that I know of. Would hatch but afraid of shipping the eggs. If I only got 2 eggs and neither hatched I would be so upset. Good luck and please post some pics when they hatch.

BTW - what kind of incubator are you using?

 

[geeperspeepers]

Strangest thing just happened. So I worked all day finishing a report and once I finished I went online and called an emu farmer to ask about my suffucation concern. The farmer told be to break them open by wacking them with a piece of wood. I was shocked. Anyhow at that very moment I heard a loud crack. Wouldn't you know it, the first one busted a huge hole out of the top of the egg. Other two are still wiggling around.

 

[usschicago1]

Quote:

 

[chickensioux]

Congrats!!!! Pics please!!!!

 

[geeperspeepers]

Update for future emu hatchers using hovabators ( regular 45-55% room RH). My emu chick that poped its top off is doing pretty much the same. I see that the membrane is a bit dry. I have been incubating at 34-30% RH - it went to 29-28 a couple of times. I did this by filling a petri dish bottom with water the entire time. So basically filling it with room temp water in the am and again in the pm. My bator (forced air) dried out once or twice for less than 5 hours.

Anyhow, I thought I heard one chick out of the three chirping or peeping yesterday. Today it was wiggling but definately not as much as yesterday. Since it was not the first egg to start hatching, I was concered for it. I tapped on the bator and tried to initiate a response from it but had no luck. So*** da na na na**** I turned it the way it always wanted to roll.

Wouldn't you know it, not 5 minutes after I heard the same cracking noise as I did with the emu farmer on the phone during emu hatch number 1. Number 2 popped open but this time the cracks radiated out instead of a perfect pop open. The spot it wanted to break out of was touching the other egg and couldn't pop it off and couldn't roll over.

Im going to put another petridish with warm water in the bator for a bit.

Egg three has not given as much response as egg two lately today. So I rolled it the way it always wanted to go. Now its shaking big time.

Have to ballance the fresh air with humidity now, more than it was before - but not droplet forming or anything.
Wish number 3 luck would ya.

gp