Hands on hatching and help

[saraem]

Yes you can candle. With no pips it is perfectly safe. Even with pips, as long as you keep your humidity up and aren't exposing them to long periods of dry air, the chance of compromising them are slim. I candle all the way through hatch cause I have a control problem and need to know what is going on and when they internally pip.

lol But seriously, yes, it's ok to see what's going on.

At what point would you intervene? Or would you?

Could the dipped air cell mean a shrink-wrapped chick?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I did one and the air cell looks like it dips really low on one side. Like soft of similar to pics of saddle air cells but way bigger (my eggs weren't shipped and the air cells were normal prior to lockdown). What does that mean??

Couldn't see an internal pip, but I did it super quick because I was freaked out about taking it out, lol.

One side dipping down, is normal. It's called "draw down" and this occurs when they are getting ready to hatch. However, if your draw down goes all the way down to almost the opposite end, it can signify shrink wrapping, without a pic it's tough to tell.

At what point would you intervene? Or would you?

Could the dipped air cell mean a shrink-wrapped chick?

I don't usually intervene without at least an internal pip. If it's been ovevr 24 hours internally pipped then I might tap a little safety hole in the air cell. Generally I don't assist until an egg has been externallt pipped for 24 hours. Now if I had an egg I thought looked like shrink wrapped. I'd go in, just because I wouldn't expect it to survive either way and I'd give that one last try of getting it's beak clear of membrane and assessing from there.

 

[saraem]

One side dipping down, is normal. It's called "draw down" and this occurs when they are getting ready to hatch. However, if your draw down goes all the way down to almost the opposite end, it can signify shrink wrapping, without a pic it's tough to tell.

I don't usually intervene without at least an internal pip. If it's been ovevr 24 hours internally pipped then I might tap a little safety hole in the air cell. Generally I don't assist until an egg has been externallt pipped for 24 hours. Now if I had an egg I thought looked like shrink wrapped. I'd go in, just because I wouldn't expect it to survive either way and I'd give that one last try of getting it's beak clear of membrane and assessing from there.

Thank you. I'll try to post a pic. It goes down maybe half the length of the egg, and just on that side.

 

[saraem]

One was almost certainly dead. Looked like the air cell had detached. One was moving at the air cell end. Looked like it was trying to pop internally? The other I'm not sure. Here is the one I'm unsure of:

Shoot how do I post a pic on a phone?

 

[saraem]

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Looks ok to me but I would need another opinion to be sure.

 

[saraem]

I candled one last time and two have movement right at the air cell end. Looks like maybe trying to get their beak into the air cell? Think they'll be ok? It's end of Day 21.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I candled one last time and two have movement right at the air cell end. Looks like maybe trying to get their beak into the air cell? Think they'll be ok? It's end of Day 21.

Looks ok to me. If there is movement at the air cell, I'd stay hopeful. They could have been in a cool spot of the bator, and just a tad bit slower. When you counted your days did you count the day you set them or did you wait 24 hours to start your count?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I candled one last time and two have movement right at the air cell end. Looks like maybe trying to get their beak into the air cell? Think they'll be ok? It's end of Day 21.

Looks ok to me. If there is movement at the air cell, I'd stay hopeful. They could have been in a cool spot of the bator, and just a tad bit slower. When you counted your days did you count the day you set them or did you wait 24 hours to start your count?

X2
I do have to say alot of my hatches start on day 21 and have carried on till day 23. I hate drag hatches and usually the chicks that hatch late need a little assistance. Not always but that's just been my experience.

 

[saraem]

Looks ok to me. If there is movement at the air cell, I'd stay hopeful. They could have been in a cool spot of the bator, and just a tad bit slower. When you counted your days did you count the day you set them or did you wait 24 hours to start your count?

We started them around 2pm on a Tuesday, so I counted Day 1 from then until 2pm Wednesday. By that count, we are early Day 22 now. I wouldn't be worried except that 2 already hatched so much ahead of the others...seems odd to me.

X2
I do have to say alot of my hatches start on day 21 and have carried on till day 23. I hate drag hatches and usually the chicks that hatch late need a little assistance. Not always but that's just been my experience.

I think I've decided to give them until morning and then if nothing's happening, assist. Can you walk me through what you'd recommend doing? I've read pretty much the entire assisted hatching thread so I'm familiar with the basics, but given my specific situation (late hatchers, movement visible in air cell end but assuming no exterior pip by then) do you have any advice?

My thought was chip a tiny piece of the outer shell from the air cell right by the movement, if no veins pull back the outer membrane in that area only and see if I see the beak...if I do, should I then break the inner membrane also?