First time hatching shipped eggs and I'm panicking

[Lyrika]

Jap quail eggs due to hatch today... First one pipped about 5 am this morning, his cheeping woke me up. He hasn't made much progress since then, but a couple more eggs are starting to pip and a bunch of them are rocking. I'm starting to panic though because I'm having trouble getting the humidity up above 50%, let alone 70%. Not using a proper incubator, it's a parrot brooder (Brinsea TLC4), but temps are fine and have been all along. I've been keeping the humidity thing you pour water into full, and there's a container of water in there (sides are too high for chicks to get into when they hatch). I haven't opened the incubator other than to quickly refill the water container in the past couple of days. It's been so hot and dry here. I can see the membrane on the pipped egg starting to dry out.

These eggs had a rough time in transit and a bunch of them have saddle-shaped air cells. Is there something I should do for them? How much will the humidity affect the hatch?

Going to make a cup of tea and try to calm down, but this is so nerve-wracking. Wasn't nearly so bad when it was eggs from my own birds.

 

[TwoCrows]

Your humidity should be somewhere around 70%. But you say they are pipping. So I wouldn't do anything right now. If you let any of your 50% humidity out of the incubator, you may lose the entire batch. So you may just have to sit back and watch and wait. It may not be an entire loss. Sometimes things work out when logic tells you it shouldn't.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[GrandmaBird]

a wet sponge works well in the incubator it has more area for evaporation to occur. try adding one and the chicks wont mind as it will get warm.

 

[ggschulz]

You probably have more hatching experience than I do, but it sounds like you have plenty of water in there already. Once they start hatching, the wet chicks should spike your humidity as much as anything. At least that is my experience.

 

[Lyrika]

Thank you, thank you. Humidity had dropped again (back to 43%) so I decided to go with sponges. Quickly opened the incubator and popped in a couple of wet sponges. Humidity is already climbing, back to 45% now. I hope opening it doesn't cause any problems.

The first egg is making progress, I can see him pushing. I think he'll be out soon. About five other eggs are starting to pip, I can just see the crack forming, no beaks yet. But there's cheeping from more than just the first egg. Will it matter if they pip on the side that's facing down at the ground? My other eggs all pipped at the top.

 

[dc3085]

Every time you open the door of the incubator add a couple tablespoons of warm water, heat in the micro to just right around or just above 100* . it helps spike the humidity back up that you lost by opening the door.

 

[Lyrika]

Thanks, I'm trying not to touch the incubator and humidity is sitting at around 55%.

First chick finally pushed his way out of the egg about half hour ago. He hatched with one fluffy wing that had been sticking out of the egg, but no membrane is stuck to him so hopefully that means humidity is okay? He's knocking all the other eggs around though. No more progress on any of the other eggs - all the pips are just bumps and cracks, can't see any beaks but I can hear cheeping.

 

[LeenaB]

It can take 24 hours from a pip to a full hatch. I know waiting can be difficult, especially if it's your first hatch.

I just hatched out chicken chicks this morning and filled my incubator with quail eggs after a thorough cleaning.

Stop opening the door, lockdown means lockdown. And once the chicks hatch the humidity will spike up drastically to the point of condensation will appear.

The chick climbing over other eggs is perfectly normal, leave it be.

Just make sure your brooder is ready and warm once everyone hatches out.

 

[Lyrika]

I've only opened it the once to put sponges in. I keep peeking through the plastic to see what's happening. Since he's hatched humidity has gone up to 58%. Eggs are still rocking around.

This was so much easier last time, they hatched while I wasn't home so I couldn't sit and fret.

At what point do I worry with the ones that have the saddle-shaped aircells that are rocking but haven't pipped?

 

[Lyrika]

Well, it's morning. I couldn't sleep properly and checked on them every couple of hours through the night. At about midnight, 2 chicks hatched within minutes of each other. By this morning another 3 are out. I opened the bator to rewet the sponges and had a quick look at what's happening with the others. Eight pips, but one was dead. No sign of movement or pipping from the other seven. But we'll see. I have to work today so I won't be able to hover over them.