Hands on hatching and help

[jenniferlamar70]

Help please!!!! I have 6 eggs that should have hatched! The seventh hatched Sunday and was fine but died yesterday. The rest are not hatching!!! One is moving and looks like it has broken through the membrane but has not broken the shell. I kept my encubator at 50 all 21 days and bib not know not to open it in the last few days so I'm afraid I killed my chicks. Should I crack open the eggs? Should I leave them? The others have no movement at all and I stupidly pulled them out to candle yesterday and today. Please someone tell me what to do!!!
Patricia

At 50percent humidity?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

At 50percent humidity?

I would candle them and look for Internal pips. When you take an egg out make sure to put a wet warm paper towel back in there to prevent the humidity from dropping. What have your temps been and do you have forced or still air incubator?

 

[Patriciaallison]

Yes 50 percent humidity. What does an internal pip look like? The egg I am looking at has movement and the air sac has moved around from my marking yesterday.

 

[Patriciaallison]

Should I open the egg?

 

[Patriciaallison]

Oh and my temps have been 99 and I have a self turning self heating 36 egg encubator but I don't see a fan. I got rid of the box when I used it for one of my other animals.

 

[Pyxis]

Yes 50 percent humidity. What does an internal pip look like? The egg I am looking at has movement and the air sac has moved around from my marking yesterday.

That may have been too high. Chicks can drown in the shell if the humidity is too high throughout incubation. I keep mine at around 30% for the first 18 days and that's the only way mine lose enough weight and moisture. Have you candled to check that they are alive now?

An internal pip looks like a shadow in the air cell, usually moving. If you hold your ear to the egg and tap when they are internally pipped they will usually peep back at you.

Also if you have no fan and your temps have been 99 the whole time that's low - you want the temp to be 101.5 measured at the top of the egg for still air. That could also explain the late hatch.

 

[Patriciaallison]

Ok I you tuned it and it has internally pipped and has been all day. The others I think are dead but I'm waiting one more day maybe two and will check them again. My two layers are really poping the eggs out so I'm gonna ad some in and try again. I'm really needing the chickens right now so I feel a sense of desperation. I'll just breath thru this and carry on.

 

[Patriciaallison]

On the next batch I'll lower the humidity and raise the temp! Thanks for the insight

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Help please!!!! I have 6 eggs that should have hatched! The seventh hatched Sunday and was fine but died yesterday. The rest are not hatching!!! One is moving and looks like it has broken through the membrane but has not broken the shell. I kept my encubator at 50 all 21 days and bib not know not to open it in the last few days so I'm afraid I killed my chicks. Should I crack open the eggs? Should I leave them? The others have no movement at all and I stupidly pulled them out to candle yesterday and today. Please someone tell me what to do!!!
Patricia

That may have been too high. Chicks can drown in the shell if the humidity is too high throughout incubation. I keep mine at around 30% for the first 18 days and that's the only way mine lose enough weight and moisture. Have you candled to check that they are alive now?

An internal pip looks like a shadow in the air cell, usually moving. If you hold your ear to the egg and tap when they are internally pipped they will usually peep back at you.

Also if you have no fan and your temps have been 99 the whole time that's low - you want the temp to be 101.5 measured at the top of the egg for still air. That could also explain the late hatch.

Pyxis pretty much said everything I would have, except if you haven't checked the accuracy of your thermometer and hygrometer, you should do that before the next hatch.

On the next batch I'll lower the humidity and raise the temp! Thanks for the insight

I'm going to share a couple links for you in a minute one is humidity related. If you are not in a high elevation, I strongly recommend the low humidity method and monitoring the air cells. I generally use 30% the first 17 days and 70/75% for hatch. Make sure you also adjust temps for still air. And as for opening the bator, it's not a big deal. Before a pip it does nothing to harm the eggs and after the pip as long as your humidity is up there is little cause for concern. I actually candle all the way through the hatch.

http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

http://hatching411.weebly.com/

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Oh, and I got my first two silkie eggs this morning!!!!! It's a good thing I sent the dying incubator back to my sister this past weekend....cause it would be very tempting....lol I don't even know if any of the boys are doing their job.