Hands on hatching and help

[Pyxis]

Hey guys me again lol. So I've been turning my eggs 3 times a day and twice a night about every 5 hours. I'm worried this isn't frequent enough. Do you more experienced hatchers think this is except able or should I turn them more? Someone on here suggested 5 times and not at night but I don't want to leave them sitting all night on one side and I don't mind waking to turn them. Just want to be a good chick mama any suggestions are appreciated.. thanks.

You are more dedicated than I! Even when I was hand turning I never got up in the night to turn them. I turned them an odd number of time a day, usually three, and left them alone while I slept. The odd number is so that they don't end up on the same side each night while not being turned. But what you're doing is fine

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes, I do. Now (with several hatched) it is reading 73%, which I can believe..... it is 64% outside right now, was lower yesterday, when this un pipped. It just seems like the LG isn't holding humidity! I hadn't even opened the bator until a few had hatched (and sat on the soggy papertowels

) so I don't think that is a problem???
Okay
Okay! Doesn't seem too sticky now.

My LG usually holds humidity real well.

She is looking a bit perkier! Still on her side but opening her eyes now.

That's good!

Hi everyone! I hope I'm posting in the right place. I'm a first time hatcher and I'm using a homemade incubator. This is day 24 and I had one chick hatch this morning out of the 11 so far. I candled the others and found two more with internal pips and so I helped them by making a pip. That was at 3:30 am CST. Its now been almost 13 hours and they have made no progress. They are moving their beaks but not peeping and they still have some of the sack around them. It's like they arent even really trying. Should i remove more shell or try to remove some membrane? Update... one of them is now peeping...

I'm one of the biggest pro assisters and more hands on than most and I don't even normally interfere with an egg that doesn't progress on their own. First off, it sounds as though your temps are low for the hatch not to begin until day 24. The only situation I would even contemplate pipping an egg is only if it had been internally pipped for 24 hours and then it would be iffy. But here's the thing, after the chick externally pips, it can take up to 24 hours for them to progress from there. Technically your chicks didn't even externally pip on their own, so you can't count that as a pip and judge time from the man made hole. Personally, unless the chick made progress on it's own to pip I wouldn't count hours until then. I certainly wouldn't be pulling off too much shell because if there's a lot of exposed membrane and they aren't ready to hatch, chances are you are going to have membranes drying out and sticking them in place. Now, at day 24, their chances are a lot lower, even with an assist. Assisting a chick hatching at it's normal time has a much higher probability of producing a healthy assisted chick than doing an assist on a slow developer-late hatcher at day 24. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't try. I would not give up on a living bird, just saying that if you assist and it (they) don't make it, chances were they wouldn't to begin with this late in the game.
That's my opinion, but I am a big one to say, only the hatcher can really determine what's going on and one must go with their intuition. We won't always make the right choice, but I'd rather go with my gut and fail than go with someone else's ignoring my own and fail.

Hey guys me again lol. So I've been turning my eggs 3 times a day and twice a night about every 5 hours. I'm worried this isn't frequent enough. Do you more experienced hatchers think this is except able or should I turn them more? Someone on here suggested 5 times and not at night but I don't want to leave them sitting all night on one side and I don't mind waking to turn them. Just want to be a good chick mama any suggestions are appreciated.. thanks.

I turn 3xs rarely 5 if I can get it in and that's just fine. In my personal opinion, I think they fair better at 3 or 5xs then as much as the automatic turners turn them.

You are more dedicated than I! Even when I was hand turning I never got up in the night to turn them. I turned them an odd number of time a day, usually three, and left them alone while I slept. The odd number is so that they don't end up on the same side each night while not being turned. But what you're doing is fine

xs 2

 

[jenniferlamar70]

You are more dedicated than I! Even when I was hand turning I never got up in the night to turn them. I turned them an odd number of time a day, usually three, and left them alone while I slept. The odd number is so that they don't end up on the same side each night while not being turned. But what you're doing is fine

Ok thank you. I'm so worried I'm going to put everything into it and have not one hatch. I'll feel so awful even though I know it happens lol. I'd love to hear any tips or things I should watch for. I've got a book I'm studying but it's nice to hear from actual people as well. I'm trying to wait until day 7 to candle but it's so hard to wait lol. I just want to know they are growing. Is 5 days to early to candle? Thanks. Sorry for all the newbie questions lol

 

[Pyxis]

Ok thank you. I'm so worried I'm going to put everything into it and have not one hatch. I'll feel so awful even though I know it happens lol. I'd love to hear any tips or things I should watch for. I've got a book I'm studying but it's nice to hear from actual people as well. I'm trying to wait until day 7 to candle but it's so hard to wait lol. I just want to know they are growing. Is 5 days to early to candle? Thanks. Sorry for all the newbie questions lol

You can see life at day 5 Candle if you'd like - I never just candle on the so-called 'candling days' of 7, 14, and 18. I candle whenever I want and then right before lockdown. Some of my eggs must get sick of having a bright light shined in on them so often, lol.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Ok thank you. I'm so worried I'm going to put everything into it and have not one hatch. I'll feel so awful even though I know it happens lol. I'd love to hear any tips or things I should watch for. I've got a book I'm studying but it's nice to hear from actual people as well.

I'm trying to wait until day 7 to candle but it's so hard to wait lol. I just want to know they are growing. Is 5 days to early to candle? Thanks. Sorry for all the newbie questions lol

If they are light color you can tell as early as day 3 or 4 and should be able to see plenty by day 5. If they are darker shelled it may be harder to tell anything until a little later, but you certainly should see something by day 7 if you can see into them at all. Here's my next to the last hatch's first few days candling:

 

[AmyLynn2374]

You can see life at day 5

Candle if you'd like - I never just candle on the so-called 'candling days' of 7, 14, and 18. I candle whenever I want and then right before lockdown. Some of my eggs must get sick of having a bright light shined in on them so often, lol.

I always joke that one day one of mine flipped me off for candling so much...lol But it sure looked like that when one little toe stood up....lol

 

[Blooie]

Update! She is now standing!

 

[BantyChooks]

e   

Thanks, blooie! She's a fighter fer sure!

 

[WVduckchick]

Thanks, blooie! She's a fighter fer sure!

How's she doing now?

 

[BantyChooks]

How's she doing now?

Opened her eyes and peeped at me when I checked on her!