Found eggs under shed need help!

[Violanna]

Need help please! I tried to ask on the Facebook group and got ignored. Went to my in laws yesterday and they told me one of their chickens had gone missing recently. When I asked which one and they said the fat tan one.. I instantly knew we had a hiding broody hen.

Well I went out searching for her and first place I checked was under their shed. Found Nugget, with a pile of eggs under her. But also looks like some of the young spring chickens who just started laying had been laying all around her, I could tell she took what she could fit under her, but there were 15 eggs she wasn’t sitting on.

Well I left momma alone (the shed is 100% protected from predators and they have a livestock guard dog). Took the 15 eggs inside to candle them. I’m in DFW Texas so we have that 100-108 degree weather and I knew those eggs could be growing without Nugget, since it was much cooler under the shed and wouldn’t cook them.

Every one of the eggs had started to grow, 12 were dead but 3 were very happily and actively alive. I rushed and got them to my incubator.

Ok here is my problem now, all 3 eggs are in different stages, and I already had eggs in the incubator on day 3. I could use help trying to guess what day the further egg is at so I know when to lock down. Also need to know if lock down will hurt the other eggs? My guess is the ones I found are on day 10,12,13. Here is a picture of the furthest along, bad quality because I was at my in-laws and this was the only flashlight they had available.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi. I'm about two hours northeast of you, and yes the excessive heat warning days have been brutal. I'm not a bit surprised those eggs began to develop during the daytime heat. I can't see the veining in the egg clearly enough to offer any advice, but the article below has great photos and will hopefully help you determine what day of incubation the egg is on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/development-of-a-chicken-embryo-day-by-day.72537/

 

[Violanna]

Yeah my in laws were all ‘omg toss them!’ And I was like NO candle them first!! We were so excited that 3 were still alive, most had a blood ring. Candled them again today because they had made the journey from my in laws to my house, plus I needed to mark the air sacks. All 3 are still doing amazing and are so adorably active! As for the veining yeah it looks pretty similar in person. That is why I am guessing it is day13, not quite fully black but pretty close.

 

[Violanna]

Been a few days so posting updated pictures of all 3 of the eggs from under the shed. All are still alive and growing well! It’s very obvious now that they are all in different stages so I really don’t know how to go about lock down. I have an automatic turner, plus I’m home all day. Can I just remove sections from the turner and place them on the grates one at a time. Then remove as soon as they hatch? I also have 6 chicken eggs and a duck egg on day5 that still need to be turned. Would it be better to just remove the turner and check manually to turn so long as I can keep humidity stable?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I only use broody hen incubators so can't personally advise you re what to do, but I have seen others advise to stop turning all eggs in a staggered hatch once it's time for the most developed eggs to go into lockdown. Hopefully you will soon wget specific advice from others who have dealt with a similiar situation.

 

[Violanna]

I only use broody hen incubators so can't personally advise you re what to do, but I have seen others advise to stop turning all eggs in a staggered hatch once it's time for the most developed eggs to go into lockdown. Hopefully you will soon wget specific advice from others who have dealt with a similiar situation.

I keep reptiles, so im hoping that if I need to completely remove the auto turner I can just raise my ambient humidity before I open the incubator and quickly turn the eggs.

 

[Violanna]

So first 2 eggs have hatched one I realized was malpositioned part way through zipping, with a leg behind its neck. So I assisted breaking the shell a couple centimeters then let it hulk smash it’s way out. The other was zipped and out within an hour after the first.

The 3rd externally pipped around 24 hours ago now, and is just starting to peck to zip, however I’m already noticing the zip going up and not to the side. How long do I let this one go before I assist since it’s already been 24hours since pip?

 

[littledog]

I've had a few still hatch OK 36 hours after the first pip, so maybe wait a little while longer. I'm far from expert, though.

 

[Violanna]

I've had a few still hatch OK 36 hours after the first pip, so maybe wait a little while longer. I'm far from expert, though.

Yeah I def want to give it awhile. I’m just worried that it may be turning the wrong way and tire itself out.

 

[NatJ]

So first 2 eggs have hatched one I realized was malpositioned part way through zipping, with a leg behind its neck. So I assisted breaking the shell a couple centimeters then let it hulk smash it’s way out. The other was zipped and out within an hour after the first.

The 3rd externally pipped around 24 hours ago now, and is just starting to peck to zip, however I’m already noticing the zip going up and not to the side. How long do I let this one go before I assist since it’s already been 24hours since pip?

I have had chicks hatch after zipping at odd angles. Sometimes they hatched during the night, and I just found oddly-zipped empty shells in the morning along with happy chicks.

If the chick is actually zipping, I would leave it alone, no matter what direction it is going.
If it zips partway and then stops, it might be time to start thinking about assisting.

(For the malpositioned one that you helped, I would have said the same thing: leave it alone if it is actively zipping, only consider helping if it seems to have stopped for a while.)