First Time Hatching - Questions and Concerns on Day 20

[KirstKennedy]

Hi Everyone!

I have my first hatch in lockdown right now. Eggs started moving around well on Day 16/17 and I locked down at the beginning of Day 18. I'm using a Brinsea Mini Advanced II that has very good reviews. Airsacs were a little small going into lockdown, but that didn't concern me too much. I've followed the instructions to top off the second reservoir just before lockdown. You can tell the humidity rose after lockdown as there is condensation around the base where it meets the cold air, but not within the main part of the incubator itself. I last saw some movement from an egg yesterday morning and now all is quiet. So tempted to open the incubator and check, but I've refrained from touching now that it's on lockdown. I'm getting a little concerned as I would be expecting more movement or maybe some peeping/pipping at this point, but everything is very still. They are five cochin eggs and one silkie cross egg in the mix, from my own flock. They are halfway through day 20 at this point. I'm hoping it's just a late hatch, but reading a few threads here it seems like everything going quiet for a few days is not always a good sign.

The only mistake I can think of making was that I had the cooling function on in the Brinsea before day 7 by accident (for 60 minutes a day), but everything developed well with lots of movement so I thought I had squeaked past that error. It won't happen again... I wanted to put a hydrometer in, but it's been hard to get one during COVID so I decided to try my first hatch without as many folks had seemed to be able to use this unit as instructed without many issues. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hello! I'm on day 19 with the same concerns you have. Worried about my humidity and the size of the air sacs on lockdown. They were all alive at lockdown though. Any updates? Have you had any pips since this morning?

 

[Offshoreorca]

Hello! I'm on day 19 with the same concerns you have. Worried about my humidity and the size of the air sacs on lockdown. They were all alive at lockdown though. Any updates? Have you had any pips since this morning?

Not much activity, but one did externally pip on the bottom of the egg this morning - I had to put it upright. Hopefully more will follow!

 

[HogWildAboutChix]

Yay! That is awesome!

Make sure to keep humidity high if adjusting eggs that have pipped. A drop in humidity can cause the membrane to "shrink wrap to them". I've even read that people spray water in when opening the bator. Opening the bator drops the humidity!

 

[blackandtan]

I’m on day 20.5 too! I have a mix of eggs in the bator and I could only candle a few, couldn’t see thru the marans shells at all. One chantecler is starting to zip and I see that a couple marans have rolled around last night. What do I do? Should I open it and check for pips? Or just keep my impatient fingers to myself?

 

[Offshoreorca]

Yay! That is awesome!

Make sure to keep humidity high if adjusting eggs that have pipped. A drop in humidity can cause the membrane to "shrink wrap to them". I've even read that people spray water in when opening the bator. Opening the bator drops the humidity!

I rotated the egg so the pip wasn't at the bottom (its on the side now), tried to put a bit of moisture on the membrane, and closed it right away. I'll be watching incase this one needs any help as I handn't realized it had pipped because of the position of the pip. I'm resisting the urge to open the incubator unless he hasn't made progress by this evening.

 

[Offshoreorca]

I’m on day 20.5 too! I have a mix of eggs in the bator and I could only candle a few, couldn’t see thru the marans shells at all. One chantecler is starting to zip and I see that a couple marans have rolled around last night. What do I do? Should I open it and check for pips? Or just keep my impatient fingers to myself?

I would just leave it be as they've started to pip. It's hard to hang back, but there's really not much that can be done at this point for ones that don't make it (and it will probably do more harm than good). It's too bad that I hadn't realized one pipped before I decided to listen for pecking this morning. But I realized it quickly - I had only listened to one egg.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I'm on day right now in the same incubator. Who would have thought sitting on your hands would be the hardest part of chicken keeping?!

 

[Offshoreorca]

I'm on day right now in the same incubator. Who would have thought sitting on your hands would be the hardest part of chicken keeping?!

Yes, I'm so worried about the one that already pipped when I opened it (it's gotten part of the shell dislodged but isn't going anywhere now (but it can breath!). And now a second egg has just externally pipped so I definitely can't intervene now. Just have to wait it out.

 

[Offshoreorca]

Yes, I'm so worried about the one that already pipped when I opened it (it's gotten part of the shell dislodged but isn't going anywhere now (but it can breath!). And now a second egg has just externally pipped so I definitely can't intervene now. Just have to wait it out.

*opened the incubator that is... haven't helped the chick at all aside from rotating the egg slightly so the pip wasn't directly underneath the egg. The second one has pipped in the correct location.

 

[Offshoreorca]

Hi Everyone - another question! The egg pictured below is the one that probably pipped sometime last night (or maybe even before). Not super vocal but does peep once and a while and sticks it beak out now and then. Does the membrane colour look okay? I am hesitant to intervene as I just had another one pip externally half an hour ago, but I don't know how long this guy has been pipped for and whether there it's having trouble zipping.