Hands on hatching and help

[PD-Riverman]

Update: My wrong-end pipped is now my only remaining chick. I went to bed at 12:30 am and got up at 6:00 to check them, and in that time I think the humidity got too high - it was 75% when I came out. The non-pipped egg had pipped but not made it. The pipped egg had almost all the way unzipped but also didn't make it. I wish I'd left them for three hours instead of six. I feel terrible.

The wrong-end bird is still alive, but had made no progress since 12:30. Even with that high humidity, the outer membrane looked brown and tough, so I just took her out and very carefully chipped off some of the shell and peeled back the outer membrane more. The inner membrane looks clear, but I hit a tiny vessel and saw blood, so I stopped that with a wet paper towel and put her back (with the humidity down to 60). I'm going to see what she does over the next hour or two.

Sorry you are having troubles and don't beat yourself up on not checking in 3 hrs---it probably would have not made a difference.

Why do you feel 75% is to high?? I hatch 1000's and 1000's at 70 to 80% with 95 to 100% hatch rate. I sure do not feel 75% is to high for the hatch.

 

[jnmarz30]

I've read so many different things about humidity! The chick that pipped but didn't make it couldn't seem to get through the membrane - her beak was poking through the shell with the membrane wrapped around it when I found her. So I was wondering if the higher humidity had made the membrane too sticky.

If we hatch again, there are a lot of things we'll do differently. I think not knowing for sure what day we were on was a big problem, too. We didn't get a chance to lock down the incubator. Our 12 year old is usually very responsible, so we didn't think ahead to the possibility of the days not being tracked correctly... next time I'd do my own, secondary tracking, too.

Live and learn, but I sure hate to learn on dead chicks.

 

[BantyChooks]

Hey all, my hatch started this morning and there is one that has not made progress. It did this 3 hours ago. Cause for alarm, or just not ready?

It is the egg in the back.
-Banti

 

[BantyChooks]

I'm not quite sure if that is a zip or just a big pip.... I can see it moving a little.
-Banti

 

[PD-Riverman]

I've read so many different things about humidity!

If we hatch again, there are a lot of things we'll do differently.

I think not knowing for sure what day we were on was a big problem, too. We didn't get a chance to lock down the incubator.

Live and learn, but I sure hate to learn on dead chicks.

I think "we" need to choose our Authors when it comes to reading. I read something recently---all about How to hatch, etc, etc, Guess what-----the Author has never owned a rooster---never set a broody, She gathered info from the internet and put it all together----LOL THATS the type people that ruin Newbies to hatching---No Experience----Probably after a dollar/Money for her story.

If you could find a "hatcher" person that Has great hatches that would be willing to help you---one on one and you forget most of what you have read-----your hatch would probably be a lot higher.

For sure we need to do things different if our last hatch was a flop, but we need to know/find out from experienced hatchers what we should try different. There are Soooo many on here and other site's that will tell you how to hatch---all about it----and they have never had a good hatch----they are just repeating what they have read----which might not be right.

For sure knowing the day/date for the hatch is very important.

We make mistakes and we learn----I personally dropped a rack with over 40 eggs going into the hatcher for lock down----I lost over 20 eggs with bleeding(after busted) chicks in them---big mistake that could have been prevented. I never allowed that to happen again.

Good Luck

 

[WVduckchick]

I'm not quite sure if that is a zip or just a big pip.... I can see it moving a little.
-Banti

No worries that early, imo. It probably just wasn't comfortable with the initial pip and made another. It should be fine!

 

[WVduckchick]

I think "we" need to choose our Authors when it comes to reading. I read something recently---all about How to hatch, etc, etc, Guess what-----the Author has never owned a rooster---never set a broody, She gathered info from the internet and put it all together----LOL THATS the type people that ruin Newbies to hatching---No Experience----Probably after a dollar/Money for her story.

If you could find a "hatcher" person that Has great hatches that would be willing to help you---one on one and you forget most of what you have read-----your hatch would probably be a lot higher.

For sure we need to do things different if our last hatch was a flop, but we need to know/find out from experienced hatchers what we should try different. There are Soooo many on here and other site's that will tell you how to hatch---all about it----and they have never had a good hatch----they are just repeating what they have read----which might not be right.

For sure knowing the day/date for the hatch is very important.

We make mistakes and we learn----I personally dropped a rack with over 40 eggs going into the hatcher for lock down----I lost over 20 eggs with bleeding(after busted) chicks in them---big mistake that could have been prevented. I never allowed that to happen again.

Good Luck

 

[BantyChooks]

No worries that early, imo. It probably just wasn't comfortable with the initial pip and made another. It should be fine!

Thanks! Yeah, now that I'm thinking about it, it does look like two pips together.
-Banti

 

[RubyNala97]

Hi there - Looking for advice on whether I should help a hatching chick. This is our first hatch - my almost-13 year old daughter was incubating the eggs and we thought we were only on day 18, but then she admitted that she hadn't marked off every day. We didn't think to make a note of the start date, so we're honestly not 100% certain what day we're on. We have three eggs. Two of them pipped this morning, one in the air cell, and nothing more from that one yet (although we can hear chirping coming from it, and the egg is moving).

The other chick pipped through the active membrane on the narrow end of the egg. There was a tiny bit of blood, but it stopped quickly. She's continued to work at it all day and is a feisty chick, lots of movement. She's managed to push off about a quarter-sized chunk of shell and her entire beak is through the hole, and she is noisy! Chirping regularly, and can hear it two rooms away. 

My concern is that the outer membrane is starting to look very dried out. It's getting brown and looks very thick, even though I've been moistening it every two hours. It's separated from the inner membrane, so I was able to use (disinfected) tweezers to gently lift the edge of the outer membrane and see the inner. The inner doesn't look dried out. I saw a couple of hairline vessels on the inner membrane. There was no bleeding but I didn't want to push it.

Incubator is right around 100 degrees, and humidity has been between 65-75% all day today. Before today, it was around 50% humidity (because we thought we were only on day 18, we didn't increase the humidity three days ago, unfortunately).

It's been about 12 hours... Should I be worried about the membrane and try to intervene?

Update: My wrong-end pipped is now my only remaining chick. I went to bed at 12:30 am and got up at 6:00 to check them, and in that time I think the humidity got too high - it was 75% when I came out. The non-pipped egg had pipped but not made it. The pipped egg had almost all the way unzipped but also didn't make it. I wish I'd left them for three hours instead of six. I feel terrible.

The wrong-end bird is still alive, but had made no progress since 12:30. Even with that high humidity, the outer membrane looked brown and tough, so I just took her out and very carefully chipped off some of the shell and peeled back the outer membrane more. The inner membrane looks clear, but I hit a tiny vessel and saw blood, so I stopped that with a wet paper towel and put her back (with the humidity down to 60). I'm going to see what she does over the next hour or two.

I'm so sorry you lost two. As was said before 75% is definitely not to high. Mine starts at 75% and goes up to 90% during hatch. The wrong end pipper as was also said before can take technically up to 48 hours. I've noticed when they can make the pip big and get their beak out, they will usually zip when they are ready. I'm not sure why the other two died. Did you open up the shell and check the stickiness of the chick. The only thing I could think (if the chick was otherwise healthy) that it could have aspirated on fluid. Was the yolk absorbed? No deformities? I would up your humidity a little and give the one some more time.

Hey all, my hatch started this morning and there is one that has not made progress. It did this 3 hours ago. Cause for alarm, or just not ready?

It is the egg in the back.
-Banti

How long was it pipped for?

 

[BantyChooks]

I'm so sorry you lost two. As was said before 75% is definitely not to high. Mine starts at 75% and goes up to 90% during hatch. The wrong end pipper as was also said before can take technically up to 48 hours. I've noticed when they can make the pip big and get their beak out, they will usually zip when they are ready. I'm not sure why the other two died. Did you open up the shell and check the stickiness of the chick. The only thing I could think (if the chick was otherwise healthy) that it could have aspirated on fluid. Was the yolk absorbed? No deformities? I would up your humidity a little and give the one some more time.
How long was it pipped for?

15 hours, maybe? Lost my notebook so I can't write stuff down, so I'm not positive.....
-Banti