Hands on hatching and help

[AmyLynn2374]

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.


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?

By your count, you are a day ahead of yourself. Count doesn't start until they've been in 24 hours. Eggs need 21 days of incubation. They don't have on full day until after 24 hours. So if you set Tuesday at 2, day one starts Wednesday at 2. If you set on a Tuesday you're expected hatch day is Tuesday three weeks later. So today at 2 was the beginning of day 21. So you're eggs are not late. You don't hit day 22 until until tomorrow at 2. I would certainly give them until at least the end of day 22 if there is sign of life before you do anything.

Since the first two hatched early, It could point to those being in a warm spot. Or the others being in a cooler spot. I wouldn't get too worried yet. Not unless there was no internal pip by the end of day 22.

 

[saraem]

Interesting

By your count, you are a day ahead of yourself. Count doesn't start until they've been in 24 hours. Eggs need 21 days of incubation. They don't have on full day until after 24 hours. So if you set Tuesday at 2, day one starts Wednesday at 2. If you set on a Tuesday you're expected hatch day is Tuesday three weeks later. So today at 2 was the beginning of day 21. So you're eggs are not late. You don't hit day 22 until until tomorrow at 2. I would certainly give them until at least the end of day 22 if there is sign of life before you do anything.

Since the first two hatched early, It could point to those being in a warm spot. Or the others being in a cooler spot. I wouldn't get too worried yet. Not unless there was no internal pip by the end of day 22.

Interesting...so they should hatch sometime on Day 22, AFTER 21 days of incubation, not ON Day 21? That makes me feel a little better...I'm not sure how there would be warm/cool spots as the turning plate moved them around the circle the whole time and there's also a fan, but I'll keep my fingers crossed regardless.

If there's no external pips in the morning I will candle again and see if there's any change. My incubator barely loses any heat or humidity when I take an egg out, so I'm not that worried anymore about brief candling.

 

[WVduckchick]

Interesting


Interesting...so they should hatch sometime on Day 22, AFTER 21 days of incubation, not ON Day 21? That makes me feel a little better...I'm not sure how there would be warm/cool spots as the turning plate moved them around the circle the whole time and there's also a fan, but I'll keep my fingers crossed regardless.

If there's no external pips in the morning I will candle again and see if there's any change. My incubator barely loses any heat or humidity when I take an egg out, so I'm not that worried anymore about brief candling.

"should" still hatch on day 21, but what she is saying is that your day 21 didn't start until today at 2 pm. So it will be day 21 until Wednesday afternoon! So your chicks aren't late. :yiipchick

 

[jenniferlamar70]

By your count, you are a day ahead of yourself. Count doesn't start until they've been in 24 hours. Eggs need 21 days of incubation. They don't have on full day until after 24 hours. So if you set Tuesday at 2, day one starts Wednesday at 2. If you set on a Tuesday you're expected hatch day is Tuesday three weeks later. So today at 2 was the beginning of day 21. So you're eggs are not late. You don't hit day 22 until until tomorrow at 2. I would certainly give them until at least the end of day 22 if there is sign of life before you do anything.

Since the first two hatched early, It could point to those being in a warm spot. Or the others being in a cooler spot. I wouldn't get too worried yet. Not unless there was no internal pip by the end of day 22.

"should" still hatch on day 21, but what she is saying is that your day 21 didn't start until today at 2 pm. So it will be day 21 until Wednesday afternoon! So your chicks aren't late. :yiipchick

Agreed and I couldn't give better advice then the assisted hatch guide. That's what I always use if I plan an assist.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Interesting


Interesting...so they should hatch sometime on Day 22, AFTER 21 days of incubation, not ON Day 21? That makes me feel a little better...I'm not sure how there would be warm/cool spots as the turning plate moved them around the circle the whole time and there's also a fan, but I'll keep my fingers crossed regardless.

If there's no external pips in the morning I will candle again and see if there's any change. My incubator barely loses any heat or humidity when I take an egg out, so I'm not that worried anymore about brief candling.

"should" still hatch on day 21, but what she is saying is that your day 21 didn't start until today at 2 pm. So it will be day 21 until Wednesday afternoon! So your chicks aren't late. :yiipchick

That's what I'm saying...lol

The incubator only rotates the eggs to turn them, it doesn't actually move them around the bator does it?
It doesn't necessarily mean there are warm/cool spots, it could just be they developed or became ready to hatch slightly later. Warm/cool spots are just usually the first possibility. 21 days is an average. Anything between 20-22 is still reasonably "on time" . Most of my hatches start day 19 and it's not unusually to have the last couple actually finishing up at day 21. I have found that the closer to that day 21 they are at hatching, the quicker they progress and the faster the hatch goes. It doesn't usually drag out to 48 hours between 1st and last.

 

[WVduckchick]

Agreed and I couldn't give better advice then the assisted hatch guide. That's what I always use if I plan an assist.

I haven't read it it quite a while, but I guess it's better than nothing. There is alot of instinct involved, from experience doing it, so putting it into words is difficult.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I haven't read it it quite a while, but I guess it's better than nothing. There is alot of instinct involved, from experience doing it, so putting it into words is difficult.

Amen!!! Having people/a forum you can go to and get real time answers case specific is 100xs more useful. Assisting is different with each egg to a point. We generalize a lot, and for the most part it works, but sometimes your intuition is the best guide you can have.

 

[saraem]

That's what I'm saying...lol

The incubator only rotates the eggs to turn them, it doesn't actually move them around the bator does it?
It doesn't necessarily mean there are warm/cool spots, it could just be they developed or became ready to hatch slightly later. Warm/cool spots are just usually the first possibility. 21 days is an average. Anything between 20-22 is still reasonably "on time" . Most of my hatches start day 19 and it's not unusually to have the last couple actually finishing up at day 21. I have found that the closer to that day 21 they are at hatching, the quicker they progress and the faster the hatch goes. It doesn't usually drag out to 48 hours between 1st and last.

It does move them around! It's a circular turning plate that spins. Each egg is in a hole so when it spins the egg rotates against the floor of the incubator, if that makes sense.

 

[saraem]

I'll update in the morning. Leaving everything alone until then and hoping for the best. Who knew this would be so nerve wracking?!

 

[RubyNala97]

I'm trying to get ideas for Cayden's Christmas gifts and stumbled on this and thought it was funny and had to share: https://www.walmart.com/ip/46891588...75035&wl11=online&wl12=46891588&wl13=&veh=sem

This is to funny!

I saw a little fluid. Not much. But the chick had been gone for awhile. I could tell by the lack of veining. I figure that's the only thing that explains the movement I saw.
I'll have to give the cake a try lol
I'm so happy with the 10 that hatched. I'm sad I lost 2 but the odds were really good. In the past I've lost so many more. I'm grateful for these little fuzzy butts lol. They are already thriving and so lively.

Congrats on the hatch! You did great! I've seen that movement near the air cell from fluid. Usually the inner membrane is pretty loose, not like on normal ones.

[/IMG]

Please help!! Why did these chicks die??

It looks like they died around day 18 when you locked down. There's no draw down on the eggs. How did you turn them through days 1-18?

Interesting


Interesting...so they should hatch sometime on Day 22, AFTER 21 days of incubation, not ON Day 21? That makes me feel a little better...I'm not sure how there would be warm/cool spots as the turning plate moved them around the circle the whole time and there's also a fan, but I'll keep my fingers crossed regardless.

If there's no external pips in the morning I will candle again and see if there's any change. My incubator barely loses any heat or humidity when I take an egg out, so I'm not that worried anymore about brief candling.

I have the mini eco but I know how the advanced works. I don't think it would be from cool/hot spots but rather from different rates of development (cool/hot spots are more common in bigger incubators). I've watched my eggs closely and I can definitely see some that develop faster then others and they are my ones I give the best spot in the incubator at lockdown because I know they will pip/hatch first. Don't be scared to candle them if there are no external pips. The majority of my candling is done during lockdown because I need to know what's going on inside the egg and it helps me know which and when eggs need assisting or not. And my hatch rates do not suffer, they improve.