First Time Incubating! SO EXCITED!!

[dorpersheep]

Try and stay calm....my first hatchers didn't make a noise or move or do ANYTHING until very late on day 23, then we had 2 successfully hatch on day 24 and two more on day 25. That incubator was running cool as well early in the piece, maybe similar to yours. I was ready to give up and chuck them out when suddenly there was a peep.....wasn't there....nup I imagined it....what was that?....YES that was a peep!!...and a wriggle...and a crack.....then a pip....and finally a chick........X4!!!!

I tell you, I was exhausted by the end of it.

But we went from 4 chickies at go #1 to 15 chickies last time, and I will candle batch #3 tonight.....addicting is the word!!

Good luck, thinking of you and sending positive thoughts.

 

[StephensonC]

Try and stay calm....my first hatchers didn't make a noise or move or do ANYTHING until very late on day 23, then we had 2 successfully hatch on day 24 and two more on day 25. That incubator was running cool as well early in the piece, maybe similar to yours. I was ready to give up and chuck them out when suddenly there was a peep.....wasn't there....nup I imagined it....what was that?....YES that was a peep!!...and a wriggle...and a crack.....then a pip....and finally a chick........X4!!!!

I tell you, I was exhausted by the end of it.

But we went from 4 chickies at go #1 to 15 chickies last time, and I will candle batch #3 tonight.....addicting is the word!!

Good luck, thinking of you and sending positive thoughts.

Whew! Thanks! That gives me some hope. I can still hear a little chirping, but I can't tell which egg it's coming from or if it's coming from more than one egg. None of them are moving now that I am aware of. Lord, if they take 4 more days, I will be crazy by then. Lol

What day are you on with your current batch? Good luck to you too!!

 

[dorpersheep]

Oh no don't give up hope yet - and as others have said, they tend to stop moving and chirping so much as they gather their strength ready for the break out.
Our incubator is in the bathroom and every time someone goes in there they chatter to the eggs, once they start pipping and thinking about emerging they always seem to answer!

We are on day 10 today, thank you for the luck, hopefully all goes well as these are the first eggs I have paid for and the first purebred ones we are hatching so it is all even more exciting (if that is possible).

Still got my fingers crossed for you - let us know how they go!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Oh no don't give up hope yet - and as others have said, they tend to stop moving and chirping so much as they gather their strength ready for the break out.
Our incubator is in the bathroom and every time someone goes in there they chatter to the eggs, once they start pipping and thinking about emerging they always seem to answer!

We are on day 10 today, thank you for the luck, hopefully all goes well as these are the first eggs I have paid for and the first purebred ones we are hatching so it is all even more exciting (if that is possible).

Still got my fingers crossed for you - let us know how they go!

Both of my hatches so far have been with barnyard mixes from my sister's flock (which I love!) but I am thinking about buying (if I can find some and afford them) some showgirl eggs in March to set for an Easter hatch. I'm quite trepidatious about it because if the hatch flubs it will be much worse.

 

[StephensonC]

Oh no don't give up hope yet - and as others have said, they tend to stop moving and chirping so much as they gather their strength ready for the break out.
Our incubator is in the bathroom and every time someone goes in there they chatter to the eggs, once they start pipping and thinking about emerging they always seem to answer!

We are on day 10 today, thank you for the luck, hopefully all goes well as these are the first eggs I have paid for and the first purebred ones we are hatching so it is all even more exciting (if that is possible).

Still got my fingers crossed for you - let us know how they go!

Both of my hatches so far have been with barnyard mixes from my sister's flock (which I love!) but I am thinking about buying (if I can find some and afford them) some showgirl eggs in March to set for an Easter hatch. I'm quite trepidatious about it because if the hatch flubs it will be much worse.

Mine are all mixes too, from my backyard flock. I can't wait to see how they turn out!! It's funny you mention buying hatching eggs, as I just bought some on e-bay and am collecting more from my flock. They will go in as soon as I clean the bator from this current batch. Talk about addicting??!! The ones that I bought are all Easter Eggers, and the parents are absolutely gorgeous. Lots of different colors too.

AmyLynn after you mentioned the pipping thing, I read where they have about 24 hrs of air in between the internal and external pip, so I'm hoping whichever one(s) of mine that are chirping, will hurry and pip externally. The first peep I heard was early this morning.

 

[StephensonC]

I HAVE 2 PIPS!!

The positive vibes and crossed fingers are working!! My humidity has came down to 65%. Should I try to raise it slightly, or just leave it alone? I don't want to open the bator, since some have pipped, unless it is absolutely necessary.

Oh no don't give up hope yet - and as others have said, they tend to stop moving and chirping so much as they gather their strength ready for the break out.
Our incubator is in the bathroom and every time someone goes in there they chatter to the eggs, once they start pipping and thinking about emerging they always seem to answer!

We are on day 10 today, thank you for the luck, hopefully all goes well as these are the first eggs I have paid for and the first purebred ones we are hatching so it is all even more exciting (if that is possible).

Still got my fingers crossed for you - let us know how they go!

Let us know how your candling goes!

 

[aart]

Cool Beans!!!

I'd wait until these first two are out, the humidity often rises once hatching starts as the moisture from the eggs escapes the shell along with the chicks.

You could have a soaked chunk of sponge and slip it in there real quick...plan where you're going to put it before opening things up tho.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I HAVE 2 PIPS!!

The positive vibes and crossed fingers are working!! My humidity has came down to 65%. Should I try to raise it slightly, or just leave it alone? I don't want to open the bator, since some have pipped, unless it is absolutely necessary.
Let us know how your candling goes!

Awesome!!!! I'm so excited!! I'd leave it unless you slip in a sponge real quick. I hate repeating someone else....but....lol....when they start hatching it will elevate a bit. I do the sponges at lock down so I keep them wet throughout until hatch. I can't wait to know that they are out!!!

24 hours huh? Good to know. Thanks. I figured it was about that.

 

[aart]

Ahhh it was a cross post!

I put sponges in trays at lock down, then re-wet them with this stuck thru one of the holes on the lid:

 

[StephensonC]

Question!! I have a 3rd pip and the outer membrane is mostly white and on one side of the pip next to the shell is a small area of dark brown. Does that mean it's too dry? My humidity is still at 65%. All the wells are full, there are 2 small bowls of water with wadded up paper towel in them, and a wet bath cloth. I did quickly open the lid to squirt more warm water on the bath cloth, but it hasn't made a difference yet. Do I need to do anything else or will it be ok to just wait?