Guinea hatching -- wait or help?

[rivkas]

I have a batch of guinea eggs hatching -- hen went broody stayed out at night and quit because of rain the next morning. One was not fertile / early quit. The rest were all full and moving on day 18 ish when i candled. They were "due" (28 days) last thursday but our neighbor told us sometimes guineas take until 36 days. We've had some eggs start rocking on day 29. Yesterday at day 30 we got 3 external pips, 2 more this morning - day 31. The pips were NOT eggs that were rocking and I'm wondering if I need to be intervening with the eggs that were rocking and haven't externally pipped. I did crack one rocker-non-pipper open and I don't know if he's resting or dying, he didn't have lots of blood vessels in his membrane and his beak was stuck completely under his wing. I popped his beak up and broke it through the membrane...He's breathing but not active. Was he not ready? Or was he too past ready and malpositioned and nearly dead already?? Any advice??

These are guinea eggs so I'm not able to candle for internal pips well. Maybe someday I'll be *that* good at candling

The ones that have pipped since yesterday, do I give 24 hours or help out early rather than too late? (It's been 12+ hours on 3 of them). They seem dry like they wouldn't be able to spin around but I don't know what it should look like really... newbie :/ The ONE keet that we previously hatched out successfully did it on his own while we slept and we didn't see a thing.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out!
Sorry for all the first timer questions! I did my best searching the archives but am not sure!

 

[rivkas]

Well since no one has any advice and I'm still searching the archives to no avail.... I'll update again.

The ones that were rocking 2 days ago and no pips, I opened, no bleeding when I peeled back, but no energy to kick around, let them out halfway and they are breathing very infrequently. Probably too late at 24+ hours.One had an internal pip, couldn't tell on the other. The outer membrane was white, inner membrane seemed moist enough, yolk absorbed. Too dry to zip or should I have waited longer?

Three that were pipped 18+ hours ago, opened partway, still tweeting, still trying to come out but when I gave them more space to slide out, they aren't moving anymore. Yolk absorbed though. Still too late?

One that was rocking today for the first time but NO pip -- Opened up and was kicking like crazy, kicked himself free, had absorbed yolk.

So do I need to be helping them out as soon as they're rocking if the outer membrane is white and dry??

Should I be popping air holes or cracking open the other dozen+ in this batch or wait?!?!??!?

I'd really appreciate some input!

 

[rivkas]

These eggs were started in a styro still air with 40-60% humidity. Moved to new-to-me sportsman cabinet and kept humidity near 50%.
Lockdown humidity 65-75%.
There was two days the trays went dry and humidity dropped. Once early, fixed quickly. Once later day 23, I think, and humidity was down from 65 to 45.

Temps were 100-102 in still air and 99.5 in sportsman. 6 hour drop from electricity failure, dropped to 95.

Anyone have suggestions?? See any glaring errors?

 

[rivkas]

3 are dead. 3 just laying there. 1 is moving around but not normally. They all seemed ready to hatch, pipped 12+ hours or had been 24+ hours since rocking. None had bleeding membranes when I helped. All yolks had been absorbed except one was only 3/4 absorbed.

Question: can keets tolerate any water when helping them out when they are wrapped or sticky?? I'm using incubator temp warm water but I know guineas don't like water. I assumed that since they are in a moist environment water is ok at hatch ... is that verboten for guinea keet hatches??

ANY advice out there?!?!

I'm feeling rather downtrodden that people are seeing and checking this thread but have no advice. I've got 11 more eggs in there that I need to figure out if I need to help ASAP or let them sit longer and see if they'll pip and get out on their own. I KNOW this is the hardest decision to make and ultimately I have to make it, I just was excited when I found BYC that when hatch time came, I'd have someone to talk it through with. Please help me out if you can..... I don't want to ruin the rest!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching
I'm sorry, I can't offer much. If their taking 24+ hours or not hatching at all or dying after hatching, something might've been off in bator or you may have weak genes. Have you hatched them before?

 

[rivkas]

Thanks Cochin -- I've been on that thread all day that and the shrink wrap or sticky thread.

I had 6 guinea eggs that I hatched 2 weeks before this set. Same problem, except 1 pipped, zipped, and arrived while we sleeping -- I don't have a clue what "normal" looks like. The other 6, we waited 24 hours and helped 3 after they either finally pipped or stopped tweeting. They survived for 1-3 days and then died. The remaining two keets, we waited another day and then opened them and they were still alive until we let them have air, then they died. Eggtopsy found those two still had not absorbed the yolks... so maybe if we had left them alone they maybe would've come after more days??

From before to now, it's the same days as these too... first came right at 28, rocking others on day 29, pipping and helping on day 30. I think these other 11 I'll just try to wait another 5 days.

I think I need to find someone who's got advice about guineas more specifically than chickens, about if the number of days is ok and ok for such a wide spread of days for the same hatch. And the water question.

I'm feeling like giving up. If I do this more, I'll at least need to get a better hygrometer... that's the error that shrinky / sticky points to -- so I'm wondering if the digital hygrometer I have is crap. I'll need to get a good one, or I'l never want to do this again!! It's just too sad!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

I suggest you get a better hydro thermometer and some different eggs from a different flock. Just for a test run.
You may have weak genes or off humidity. Guineas have been known to hatch day 24 to day 36. Their very rangy,

 

[rivkas]

Thanks. If it were you, would you be popping air holes in the ones that are still unhatched or checking to see if they're wrapped or sticky? Or would you leave them alone?

I will have to see what hydro thermometer / hygrometer is a good one... nothing will be local to me though... if anyone has online links to throw at me, feel free!

And I don't know if the male and female I have are related or not. Came from the same farm but they had 40+ from multiple years/multiple hatcheries and we chose randomly. I'd guess they're not siblings but maybe they are. That one that hatched from the first set seems fine though.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

I'd leave them...
I hope you have a lot of better luck next time... Or have some Keets hatch out strong and healthy soon!

 

[rivkas]

Well I decided to candle the rest to see if any were moving anymore and one was rotten! It wasn't obviously rotten last time I candled (a week ago?) so I was shocked. I hope the keets that are hatched don't get sick from the rotten smell and green leak Maybe that's part of the problem too :/