Hands on hatching and help

[thebulg]

Well their is a science to the internal pip. As the chick looses oxygen over about 24 hours it builds up co2 which creates spasms in the neck that create the external pip. So creating safety holes does interfere with that natural process. But sometimes chicks can go longer then 24 hours and runout of oxygen and die. They only time I created a safety hole on a chicken eggs was a shipped egg that went over 24 hours and surprisingly he did all the rest on his own. Do you have any idea how long they were internally pipped for? For now I would just give them time. They might need up to another 24 hours. How small was the safety hole you created? Is any membrane exposed. And thick shells shouldn't be a problem for them.

well, you learn something new everyday! i had no idea it was co2 accumulation that caused neck spasms and that's what gave the chicks the power to break through! that will be a useful piece of information in the future, and makes me question my choice a lot more.

the hole is small-- about the size of 2 paperclips put together? like, if you straightened one out, bent it in half and poked a hole with those two rods together, about that big. it didn't even put a crack into the egg anywhere. the first one has been internally pipped since last night, so about 23 hours. the second i am not sure. last night it look like it had either gotten into the air cell or was very nearly about to.

there is only a sliver of membrane, but looks exactly how it should for an external pip. nice tissue paper white.

my understanding is that if they have oxygen, even if the air cell got too big and they are squished, they wont die in there just from being too tight, right? as long as the membrane stays pliable? i have no problem leaving the chicks alone as long as the membrane looks white and i can hear chirping.

 

[RubyNala97]

Mine live with the chickens I'll get some pictures for you when they hatch!

Oh my goodness...don't tell me that!! I see me buying eggs from you in the future.

well, you learn something new everyday! i had no idea it was co2 accumulation that caused neck spasms and that's what gave the chicks the power to break through! that will be a useful piece of information in the future, and makes me question my choice a lot more. 

the hole is small-- about the size of 2 paperclips put together? like, if you straightened one out, bent it in half and poked a hole with those two rods together, about that big. it didn't even put a crack into the egg anywhere. the first one has been internally pipped since last night, so about 23 hours. the second i am not sure. last night it look like it had either gotten into the air cell or was very nearly about to. 

there is only a sliver of membrane, but looks exactly how it should for an external pip. nice tissue paper white. 

my understanding is that if they have oxygen, even if the air cell got too big and they are squished, they wont die in there just from being too tight, right? as long as the membrane stays pliable? i have no problem leaving the chicks alone as long as the membrane looks white and i can hear chirping. 

That sounds like the perfect size. The membrane you are seeing is the outter membrane. There an inner membrane inside that and if it gets exposed it can easily dry out. Also, right before internal pip the inner membrane "draws down" and grows to fill up at least 1/3 if not more of the egg. So that's totally a normal, healthy sign. And you are correct, as long as the chick has oxygen it can breath, and it is absorbing the yolk so it won't starve. With those two things it can sit there all day and be fine. I think they should be ok. Just give them sometime and update tomorrow.

 

[ShanandGem]

Has anyone ever used coconut oil for moistening the membrane? If you believe all the hype around it, it's supposed to have some antibacterial properties, as well as being moisturizing.

 

[thebulg]

Quote: thank you so much. i think i am going to set an alarm and wake up every few hours to make sure everything is ok. is there a way to know if the inner membrane has dried out? i would assume that there is no real way the inner membrane could dry out and the outer one not show signs? i put bacitracin around the safety hole, careful not to seal it back shut, and i upped the humidity to 75ish like it suggests in the assisted hatch guide.

i'm really torn. my gut, and what i saw last night versus what i saw this evening, make me think that even if i didn't make the perfect choice, i didn't make a terrible choice. my biggest encouragement is that there was so much chirping right away. but there is still that deep nagging fear that i made the very wrong choice because i just haven't learned enough yet. i guess worrying about it isn't going to do a whole lot to help me get to tomorrow, eh?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Ok everyone I talked to my husband and he is going to let me buy a new incubator now to try and save my eggs from heat stroke. Hoping a quality incubator will have better insulation. Should I go with the hova bator 1588 I think it was or the Brinsea. Which one has better hatch rates? I can only purchase one and my hubby won't let me get a new one if I don't like it so I need everyone's opinions?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Does anyone know anything about this incubator?

 

[Pyxis]

Ok everyone I talked to my husband and he is going to let me buy a new incubator now to try and save my eggs from heat stroke. Hoping a quality incubator will have better insulation. Should I go with the hova bator 1588 I think it was or the Brinsea. Which one has better hatch rates? I can only purchase one and my hubby won't let me get a new one if I don't like it so I need everyone's opinions?

Personally I love my Brinseas. I have two, one Eco 20 and one Eco 40, and I'd never go back to Styrofoam incubators after having them. That said, lots of people love their hovabators and they would have a larger egg capacity than the less expensive Brinseas.

As for the other incubator you posted, I don't have any experience with it. Personally I'd stick with one of the other options you are considering, as they are more "tried and true".

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Personally I love my Brinseas. I have two, one Eco 20 and one Eco 40, and I'd never go back to Styrofoam incubators after having them. That said, lots of people love their hovabators and they would have a larger egg capacity than the less expensive Brinseas.

As for the other incubator you posted, I don't have any experience with it. Personally I'd stick with one of the other options you are considering, as they are more "tried and true".

I was looking at the Brinsea octo 20 or something like that lol. You can purchase the turner separately. Is it worth it? Also how are your temps? Thanks so much for all your help..

 

[Pyxis]

I was looking at the Brinsea octo 20 or something like that lol. You can purchase the turner separately. Is it worth it? Also how are your temps? Thanks so much for all your help..

That's what I have, Brinsea Octagon Eco 20. Love it to death. You turn it just by rocking it from side to side, so if you don't mind doing that you don't need to get the turner. Temps are dead on in it, and they stay that way. I've had it running outside in my unheated coop in January in our Vermont winter and the thing still keeps temps steady and hatches chicks.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

That's what I have, Brinsea Octagon Eco 20. Love it to death. You turn it just by rocking it from side to side, so if you don't mind doing that you don't need to get the turner. Temps are dead on in it, and they stay that way. I've had it running outside in my unheated coop in January in our Vermont winter and the thing still keeps temps steady and hatches chicks.

Well I ordered it. I went ahead and got the auto turner as well. I can do it manually but I have 4 kiddos. One im still nursing. They take up alot of my time. With the auto turner it just frees up my time a little lol. I'm always busy if not with the kids then the chickens or dogs. I wouldn't change it for anything in the world though.. thanks for your help.