FEBRUARY Hatch-A-Long, come join in!!

[HHandbasket]

None of ours have hatched. We had 4 pips--2 did not progress beyond a pip. One pipped, zipped half way, kicked out several chunks of shell, was peeping and moving but has not made any noise or movement since about 8:00 last night & I fear he is dead. One sebright chick is almost out and is still alive/moving but did not progress at all overnight. There are no more any cheeps or noises coming from the incubator.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm sorry about your hatch. Not all mine go according to plan, either, and sometimes, the cause is a mystery.

 

[HHandbasket]

Thank you. We were fairly confident for a better than 50% hatch because all eggs candled very well throughout the entire incubation period, and EVERYBODY was ready to hatch when we went into lockdown (I have 11 eggs and actually had hoped that 8 or more would hatch and even *hoped* for close to 100% hatch just because the entire process had gone so well up until now). All 11 eggs were vibrating with internal movement when we went into lockdown. The hygrometer has only been reading in the low 50s, but the entire bottom of the bator (an ExoTerra) is covered with a soaking wet washcloth, plus all the channels are filled with water, plus there's a bowl of water on each shelf.

We're not exactly giving up just yet. Today is day 21...someone could still hatch. Temps have been very steady all throughout incubation, humidity has been great, and it's been really a textbook-perfect incubation period. The only issues have been with humidity during lockdown, and I think that has more to do with our $10 hygrometer than anything else (we *will* be recalibrating it again after this).

I tell you this much, though. As PERFECTLY as this bator has held all throughout and as beautiful as they all looked when candling at each stage, and as fertile as my eggs were that came from my friend's very fertile barnyard of chookies, if I have a 0% hatch, I won't be setting my second hatch on the 20th like I was planning. I won't purchase any eggs to hatch, either (and I have a BUNCH lined up). I'll try a couple of more hatches and see what happens but I'll use free/cheap eggs I can get from friends and acquaintances.

This hatch ain't over til it's over. But there's no cheepin', no rockin', no pippin', no zippin', no nuttin'.

 

[ScotianChick]

My eggies are supposed to hatch on Tuesday! I stopped turning them Friday night. I hope that's okay. I figured three days was good to get them oriented right? I am nervous. I don't know how well I did. I did candle and I appeared to have several chicks out of my 8 eggs. So I can only hope for the best...

 

[usschicago1]

I notice you guys all put rocks in your waterers ! Well, KEEP doing it ! Because the one chick that lived out of all my eggs died this morning, drowned in the water dish

This has been a bad week for me !

 

[speckledhen]

Dang, I'm sorry, Mark.


There is a learning curve to hatching. Some go great in spite of problems along the way and some just tank, even when you think everything has gone well throughout.

 

[HHandbasket]

I'm worried about mine drowning in the water dish, as well. It's looking like there's some activity in the bator! We had another sebright pip a short while ago, and one that pipped last night is FINALLY zipping! One that pipped and zipped yesterday has had no activity in 13 hours & we think it's dead. There's one other brown egg that pipped yesterday, and if it has zipped, it has been the back-half that faces the back of the bator & we can't see anything! It did rock back and forth a lot last night, though, and it's in a different position this morning so we shall see.

I hate this part. LOL. But I love it at the same time. Kinda like having teenage kids. Hahahaha.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Do you wanna try to check out that zipped egg?

If so, have a cup of hot water (it will cool enough by the time you need it) and some Q-Tips. Snatch that egg out, and start dabbing water on the dried membrane.

Carefully pick tiny bits of shell away from the zipped portion. Dampen the membrane as you go. If you see any blood or a vein, immediately dampen and put back into the 'bator! The chick is not done yet, if there are veins or blood in the membrane. Just work on the top section, first.

I have removed shell from an entire, shrink-wrapped package of chick encased in dry membrane, moistened, tugged at a tiny part to tear just a bit, then put the chick back in the 'bator to finish kicking its own way out.

 

[incubatingisfun]

I have a pip

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Congrats incubatingisfun!!

So far nothing w/ my eggs -

I think they may hatch Wednesday - but we'll see.