Hands on hatching and help

[newchickmama91]

I think I'm going to start checking the size of air cells and see if that tells me anything.  I'm hatching turkey poults right now.  I started with 10 eggs.  1 quit and 2 were clear.  7 made it to lockdown. The 4th one is zipping right now.  All of them have been sticky.  I have been working on humidity.  I raised from 50% to 55% for this batch for incubation and close to 70% for hatch and they are still sticky.  I am at an elevation of 2000 ft. so I've been working on the humidity level. I'm not too sure what else to do at this point.

Every batch I've had they've been sticky so I'm trying out this dry hatch atm only lost one egg so far which is good as I was losing a lot of early quitters. It's so much easier aswell not worrying about the humidity

 

[rochesjourney]

Well, it is hatch time for me again. Getting new thermometer/hygrometers has been a huge help. I have gone from nearly 0% hatch rate to nearly 100% with my Welsh Harlequin Ducks. I hatched 10/11 of those. I had a batch of 7 Lavender Orpintons that only 1 hatched. They were shipped eggs and when I got them I contacted the seller because the eggs were smaller than Silkie eggs. I asked her if they were pullet eggs and she said no, but

. The 1 that hatched is very tiny. I know the eggs had to be pullet eggs. I will be happy when I don't have to rely on shipped eggs to build my flocks.

Right now I have Bourbon Red Turkeys hatching, shipped eggs of course. I started with 10. 3 were clear. 7 made it to lockdown. So far 3 have hatched and 1 is zipping. 2 others are internally pipped. The first one that hatched has Flipping Over Syndrome, which apparently is fairly common with poults. I have that one in a box with a heating pad. It doesn't want to eat or drink, but it only hatched about 14 hours ago. I will start syringing tomorrow if it is still refusing. I have pedialyte, and plain yogurt to feed it and Poly Vi Sol vitamins. It is a little stinker. I try to wrap it into a donut shape cloth to restrict its movement and the little jerk wiggles itself out and tries to crawl/walk around. I tried stuffing it in my bra cleavage, but it squirms out and climbs up to my shoulder. It seems to be very strong, just keeps flipping over onto its back.

The 2nd poult to hatch is now in my brooder/bathtub squawking because it is all by itself. The 3rd one that hatched immediately died. When it brought its legs out, blood gushed everywhere and it bled out within seconds. I've never seen anything like it. The 4th one is zipping now and it looks sticky as well as the others. I've been raising humidity slowly. I'm at 2000 ft elevation. I don't know what else would make them sticky with the humidity I'm setting at, 50-55% incubation and 65%-70% hatch.

Sebbie egg is on lockdown. I was still seeing nice veining up to 2 days ago and I have an interesting egg on Day 8. I bought 6 Buckeye eggs and the seller didn't bother to wrap the eggs. He just put them in an egg crate, wrapped bubble wrap around the outside of the egg crate and shipped them off. 2 were broken when I got them. They both had cracked all the way around the top and had large pip looking breaks. I put wax over them and put them in the bator. 1 was clear, but the other one is developing!

 

[Yonney]

Well, it is hatch time for me again. Getting new thermometer/hygrometers has been a huge help. I have gone from nearly 0% hatch rate to nearly 100% with my Welsh Harlequin Ducks. I hatched 10/11 of those. I had a batch of 7 Lavender Orpintons that only 1 hatched. They were shipped eggs and when I got them I contacted the seller because the eggs were smaller than Silkie eggs. I asked her if they were pullet eggs and she said no, but

. The 1 that hatched is very tiny. I know the eggs had to be pullet eggs. I will be happy when I don't have to rely on shipped eggs to build my flocks.

Right now I have Bourbon Red Turkeys hatching, shipped eggs of course. I started with 10. 3 were clear. 7 made it to lockdown. So far 3 have hatched and 1 is zipping. 2 others are internally pipped. The first one that hatched has Flipping Over Syndrome, which apparently is fairly common with poults. I have that one in a box with a heating pad. It doesn't want to eat or drink, but it only hatched about 14 hours ago. I will start syringing tomorrow if it is still refusing. I have pedialyte, and plain yogurt to feed it and Poly Vi Sol vitamins. It is a little stinker. I try to wrap it into a donut shape cloth to restrict its movement and the little jerk wiggles itself out and tries to crawl/walk around. I tried stuffing it in my bra cleavage, but it squirms out and climbs up to my shoulder. It seems to be very strong, just keeps flipping over onto its back.

The 2nd poult to hatch is now in my brooder/bathtub squawking because it is all by itself. The 3rd one that hatched immediately died. When it brought its legs out, blood gushed everywhere and it bled out within seconds. I've never seen anything like it. The 4th one is zipping now and it looks sticky as well as the others. I've been raising humidity slowly. I'm at 2000 ft elevation. I don't know what else would make them sticky with the humidity I'm setting at, 50-55% incubation and 65%-70% hatch.

Sebbie egg is on lockdown. I was still seeing nice veining up to 2 days ago and I have an interesting egg on Day 8. I bought 6 Buckeye eggs and the seller didn't bother to wrap the eggs. He just put them in an egg crate, wrapped bubble wrap around the outside of the egg crate and shipped them off. 2 were broken when I got them. They both had cracked all the way around the top and had large pip looking breaks. I put wax over them and put them in the bator. 1 was clear, but the other one is developing!

So sorry to hear that, when i bought my first 20 chicken eggs 3 were cracked also and i couldn`t help them

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Yep these Calls are gonna be interesting. Just put a safety hole in one because I noticed a weird stain on the inside of the shell, candled, and it was blood. Opened the egg just a little bit and the duckling had clearly hit a vein while internally pipping. But it's alive and active, so that's good.

I also found a very late quitter and opened it. It was feet over head malpositioned. It was also very sticky in there. I hope that's not a sign that I'm going to have a bunch of sticky ducklings.

sorry to hear that! good luck on the others!!

 

[NYSilkies12601]

Good morning! "Old member" but new to posting I have 22 Standard Light Brahma eggs in the incubator and some are beginning to pip. I have a Genesis Model 1588 Hova-Bator that I have used many times in the past and I was in the mind set of 'set it' & 'forget it'. Just making sure the temp was correct and the humidity too. What hatched - hatched; what didn't I wrote off/took as a loss. However, now I am in a different mind-set and want to see that they all have a chance to hatch - even if it means helping. I have followed this thread as an 'outside' reading and following all the posts. Fast forward to today...there are about 6 that have pipped externally, pieces of the shell are broken off and the 'membrane' looks very white (almost like a sheet of paper). The temp has been between 99.5 and 100.3 throughout the incubation period. The humidity ranged from 45% - 55% and when they went into lockdown last night additional water was added as well as a couple sponges and the humidity has been running 60%. My question is should that membrane look like a sheet of white copy paper and two - should I bump the humidity higher? They were all set on Saturday March 25th in the early evening. I calculated that they should hatch Sunday - EASTER but some are ready today. Thank you.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I just started a new batch of eggs to hatch, so excited

Good luck!

I can't decide who is cuter........the chicks or the dog.  ADORABLE!

Yeah, every time I take out chicks and put them on my bed she has to get up there and watch and sniff. She's a big ole nosey girl...lol

Well, it is hatch time for me again. Getting new thermometer/hygrometers has been a huge help.  I have gone from nearly 0% hatch rate to nearly 100% with my Welsh Harlequin Ducks.  I hatched 10/11 of those. I had a batch of 7 Lavender Orpintons that only 1 hatched. They were shipped eggs and when I got them I contacted the seller because the eggs were smaller than Silkie eggs.  I asked her if they were pullet eggs and she said no, but  .  The 1 that hatched is very tiny.  I know the eggs had to be pullet eggs.  I will be happy when I don't have to rely on shipped eggs to build my flocks. 

Right now I have Bourbon Red Turkeys hatching, shipped eggs of course.  I started with 10.  3 were clear.  7 made it to lockdown.  So far 3 have hatched and 1 is zipping.  2 others are internally pipped. The first one that hatched has Flipping Over Syndrome, which apparently is fairly common with poults.  I have that one in a box with a heating pad.  It doesn't want to eat or drink, but it only hatched about 14 hours ago.  I will start syringing tomorrow if it is still refusing.  I have pedialyte, and plain yogurt to feed it and Poly Vi Sol vitamins. It is a little stinker.  I try to wrap it into a donut shape cloth to restrict its movement and the little jerk wiggles itself out and tries to crawl/walk around.  I tried stuffing it in my bra cleavage, but it squirms out and climbs up to my shoulder.   It seems to be very strong, just keeps flipping over onto its back.

The 2nd poult to hatch is now in my brooder/bathtub squawking because it is all by itself.  The 3rd one that hatched immediately died.  When it brought its legs out, blood gushed everywhere and it bled out within seconds.  I've never seen anything like it.  The 4th one is zipping now and it looks sticky as well as the others.  I've been raising humidity slowly.  I'm at 2000 ft elevation.  I don't know what else would make them sticky with the humidity I'm setting at, 50-55% incubation and 65%-70% hatch.  

Sebbie egg is on lockdown.  I was still seeing nice veining up to 2 days ago and I have an interesting egg on Day 8.  I bought 6 Buckeye eggs and the seller didn't bother to wrap the eggs. He just put them in an egg crate, wrapped bubble wrap around the outside of the egg crate and shipped them off.  2 were broken when I got them. They both had cracked all the way around the top and had large pip looking breaks.  I put wax over them and put them in the bator.  1 was clear, but the other one is developing!  

I'd drop the incubation humidity a bit personally. Great that you are having better hatches.

Good morning!  "Old member" but new to posting  I have 22 Standard Light Brahma eggs in the incubator and some are beginning to pip. I have a Genesis Model 1588 Hova-Bator that I have used many times in the past and I was in the mind set of 'set it' & 'forget it'.  Just making sure the temp was correct and the humidity too. What hatched - hatched; what didn't I wrote off/took as a loss.  However, now I am in a different mind-set and want to see that they all have a chance to hatch - even if it means helping.  I have followed this thread as an 'outside' reading and following all the posts. Fast forward to today...there are about 6 that have pipped externally, pieces of the shell are broken off and the 'membrane' looks very white (almost like a sheet of paper).  The temp has been between 99.5 and 100.3 throughout the incubation period.  The humidity ranged from 45% - 55% and when they went into lockdown last night additional water was added as well as a couple sponges and the humidity has been running 60%. My question is should that membrane look like a sheet of white copy paper and two - should I bump the humidity higher?  They were all set on Saturday March 25th in the early evening. I calculated that they should hatch Sunday - EASTER but some are ready today.  Thank you.

and welcome to the thread! If you are going to be opening the incubator or assisting a hatch, I would aim for 70% hatch humidity. A clean new sponge is what I use to up the humidity the extra amount and it's easy to pull it out and rewet it to push it back up if you are opening. Yes. Nice white papery membranes are what you want to see. (Outer membrane that is). I prefer slightly lower humidity for incubation and watch the air cells for growth. I can probably add a couple pics of pips and zips so you can see the membrane.

Good luck with your hatch!

 

[dcba flock]

Good morning!  "Old member" but new to posting  I have 22 Standard Light Brahma eggs in the incubator and some are beginning to pip. I have a Genesis Model 1588 Hova-Bator that I have used many times in the past and I was in the mind set of 'set it' & 'forget it'.  Just making sure the temp was correct and the humidity too. What hatched - hatched; what didn't I wrote off/took as a loss.  However, now I am in a different mind-set and want to see that they all have a chance to hatch - even if it means helping.  I have followed this thread as an 'outside' reading and following all the posts. Fast forward to today...there are about 6 that have pipped externally, pieces of the shell are broken off and the 'membrane' looks very white (almost like a sheet of paper).  The temp has been between 99.5 and 100.3 throughout the incubation period.  The humidity ranged from 45% - 55% and when they went into lockdown last night additional water was added as well as a couple sponges and the humidity has been running 60%. My question is should that membrane look like a sheet of white copy paper and two - should I bump the humidity higher?  They were all set on Saturday March 25th in the early evening. I calculated that they should hatch Sunday - EASTER but some are ready today.  Thank you.

The white paper membrane is fine unless it starts to brown or they aren't making progress (zipping) after 24 hours from my experience and reading others. Also I keep a closer eye if they aren't pipped on the air cell end those I tend to need to assist more often. I set some same time frame as you (Sat am) and I have 1 hatched and 4-5 others pipped all have the white membrane right now and pipped on the air cell end so I'm not messing w/ them for a while. Keep everyone posted Amy, Pyxis and WV check in regularly and have a ton of exp I have followed their posts/advice w/ great success! Good luck!

 

[elizabethu42]

What day can I start candling??

 

[AmyLynn2374]

What day can I start candling??

. I candle from day one! Generally though you don't see development until day 3 or 4 with light colored eggs, often later in dark eggs.

 

[casportpony]

​

Yep these Calls are gonna be interesting. Just put a safety hole in one because I noticed a weird stain on the inside of the shell, candled, and it was blood. Opened the egg just a little bit and the duckling had clearly hit a vein while internally pipping. But it's alive and active, so that's good.

I also found a very late quitter and opened it. It was feet over head malpositioned. It was also very sticky in there. I hope that's not a sign that I'm going to have a bunch of sticky ducklings.

My Muscovy ducks do this quite often (pip through vein). Will see if I can find some pictures.