End of day 22?

[Chuckkeeper]

Sometimes things just happen; every hatch, good or bad, is a learning experience. I’ve had hatches where almost everything develops, and all of those hatch, and I’ve had hatches where none of them develop or a bunch quit some time through. They were all shipped eggs though, which definitely makes a difference sometimes.

Were these eggs from your own flock, or from someone local? Or were they shipped eggs? I’m not familiar with your incubator, but you mentioned you have a secondary thermometer/hygrometer in there. Were the secondary ones calibrated/checked for accuracy? How high was your humidity throughout incubation? So many factors that can make a difference. Have you hatched from this incubator before?

If you’re comfortable doing it, you can take egg 4 and make a small hole in the air cell end so you can see in there. If you see movement against the membrane when the egg is still, pop the egg back in the incubator and leave it be a little longer. I wouldn’t bother opening any of the others unless you want to look at various stages of development and/or decomposition...

I personally haven't used the incubator before, but I know who has, and it was successful.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

I would throw out the ones that are obviously dead. The last picture didn’t develop, or not far enough to show up when candling.

The first picture looks like it started developing and then stopped.

The second egg has an odd space on the top left of the egg in the orientation it is in the picture; I usually find, if I open up eggs that look like this, that this space is full of fluid or decomposing yolk.

the third egg has an obvious blood ring, which if you’re not really sure what you’re looking for can be hard to miss. It loops down in a ring towards the bottom of the egg.

the fourth egg, the one I can’t see well enough, would be the only one that may have any sort of chance. With that one, when you have it on the candler, can you see movement within the egg? It’s possible it’s a little bit behind, if you see movement and there’s a viable chick in there. Sometimes I’ll tap the egg gently with my fingernail, and get a movement in response, if it’s alive.

sorry to not be more clear, I tend to ramble when I get going. Haha.

So I would just pip it with a sharp object in the bit that looks hollow?!

 

[Trisseh]

Hi. They were shipped. I cracked open the two clear ones - one looked like a normal egg and the other did too but with a very small black lump. I've left the rest for now. I've only compared the internal display to the secondary and vice versa. Nothing else. It's a Brinsea Covina 12. I ran at 37.7C and 50% and then 37.5C and about 65% in lockdown.

So being shipped will often make your hatching rate decrease. Occasionally you’ll get good hatches with shipped eggs, but 50% is considered good, with most being below that.

I set close to 2 dozen eggs that had a rough trip and wound up with a single chick. I considered it a win. Lol.

makes sense that the contents you found were as such. Now you know what a clear or early quitter look like when candling.

so you’ll want to check your thermometer/hygrometer either against a known correct one, or test it if you don’t have an known accurate one. I can find the links for directions to do that for you. Proper temps throughout are, to me, the most important aspect of incubating. Humidity is important but not as much to keep it steady all the way through. I typically run dry throughout the summer when the ambient humidity is high. When it’s cold out and the heating is on, I have to run it higher because the ambient humidity does affect it.

your singleton chick hatched fine, not sticky, not shrink wrapped?

 

[Chuckkeeper]

So being shipped will often make your hatching rate decrease. Occasionally you’ll get good hatches with shipped eggs, but 50% is considered good, with most being below that.

I set close to 2 dozen eggs that had a rough trip and wound up with a single chick. I considered it a win. Lol.

makes sense that the contents you found were as such. Now you know what a clear or early quitter look like when candling.

so you’ll want to check your thermometer/hygrometer either against a known correct one, or test it if you don’t have an known accurate one. I can find the links for directions to do that for you. Proper temps throughout are, to me, the most important aspect of incubating. Humidity is important but not as much to keep it steady all the way through. I typically run dry throughout the summer when the ambient humidity is high. When it’s cold out and the heating is on, I have to run it higher because the ambient humidity does affect it.

your singleton chick hatched fine, not sticky, not shrink wrapped?

I'd be happy for 50% right now! Just a shame it cost me so much for just the one chick, but I enjoyed the experience. I want to get some more in and try again. The chick seemed absolutely fab. Here's a picture shortly after hatch. The egg inside was very dry and crispy when I removed it but it had been in there for two days.

 

[Trisseh]

So cute!!!

if you can source some (cheap) eggs locally, it might be worth doing a trial run of a couple and tweak your incubator from there.

Here is a link to the calibration article. It’s handy to know where yours are reading at, even if you can’t adjust the calibration. My one incubator reads 2 degrees higher on the display and the other almost that badly below, so you definitely can’t trust them.

 

[Trisseh]

Oh, sorry, didn’t see the pipping question. Yep, I usually use a small screw or nail, and set the point against the air cell end of the egg. Then I just rotate it back and forth until it breaks through. Then I chip a small piece off and take a look in there.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

Oh, sorry, didn’t see the pipping question. Yep, I usually use a small screw or nail, and set the point against the air cell end of the egg. Then I just rotate it back and forth until it breaks through. Then I chip a small piece off and take a look in there.

And if the egg is still good, this won't kill it? I am tempted to try one of the eggs that looks like this?

 

[Chuckkeeper]

Oh, sorry, didn’t see the pipping question. Yep, I usually use a small screw or nail, and set the point against the air cell end of the egg. Then I just rotate it back and forth until it breaks through. Then I chip a small piece off and take a look in there.

In my pics would I do it in the light space at the bottom of the photos x

 

[Trisseh]

In my pics would I do it in the light space at the bottom of the photos x

Yes, exactly. In the air cell which is the light space. There aren’t any blood vessels in that end. Try to make your hole kind of in the very end of the egg to stay as far away from the contents as possible. The nail doesn’t have to go through very far, just enough to make a hole in the shell to be able to pry up a couple little pieces. Start small, and if when you hold the egg still, you see any movement against the membrane in there, pop the egg back in the incubator. If you do it slowly and carefully from that end, if the chick IS still alive, you won’t harm it.

there’s an excellent article about assisted hatching that you can reference. It has good pictures and instructions. I’ve linked it below.

Here it is

 

[Chuckkeeper]

Yes, exactly. In the air cell which is the light space. There aren’t any blood vessels in that end. Try to make your hole kind of in the very end of the egg to stay as far away from the contents as possible. The nail doesn’t have to go through very far, just enough to make a hole in the shell to be able to pry up a couple little pieces. Start small, and if when you hold the egg still, you see any movement against the membrane in there, pop the egg back in the incubator. If you do it slowly and carefully from that end, if the chick IS still alive, you won’t harm it.

there’s an excellent article about assisted hatching that you can reference. It has good pictures and instructions. I’ve linked it below.

Here it is

Thank you. One last question... So I know this won't injure a chick, but what about vice versa? Could this save one that wouldn't otherwise hatch?!